This shot was taken in the pitch black.
On a phone.
No flash, no low-light setting and no touch-ups. Just point, shoot and pray.
Except there’s no need to pray anymore when your phone takes pictures of things you can’t even see with your own eyes. Hard to believe.
This was taken on the Huawei P30 Pro to be specific (head over to WhistleOut if you’re interested in getting one – it’ll be available from 16th April and packs a crazy four different cameras on its back). It’s probably the best camera phone around, but others like the new Samsung Galaxy S10 and iPhone XS ranges do a great job too.
Why are they so good now?
Well, they’re jam-packed with cameras for a start. For example, Samsung’s Galaxy S10+ includes five different cameras with everything from an ultra-wide lens for dramatic landscape shots to two selfie cameras for great portrait shots. (If you’re not sure of the key elements for perfecting the selfie, like getting your lighting and angles right, then check out our quick guide here.)
They’re getting smarter too. The software is better at recognising the kind of thing you’re shooting and adjusting the captured image accordingly, and they have heaps and heaps of smarts for processing and editing to make your pics look great.
So how well do today’s phone cameras take other kinds of shots? Well, we used a recent European trip to find out. Nothing was staged managed here; just straight shooting from the hip pocket.
Firstly, you’re covered for night shots.
Good enough to hang in the Lourve?
How about zoom?
Oh yeah, zoom works. We’re still hanging at the Lourve and that’s some nice detail right there.
What about when there’s a bit of sunshine around? Well, the shots come out even better. Check out the dynamic range below.
How about sweeping panoramic shots? Sure thing, and say goodbye to jerky, squint panorama pics. Where’s the stitching?
Can you shoot in black and white? Yes you can.
Notre Dame looks rather nice like this, don’t you think?
And finally, the Eiffel Tower.
Now, bear with us here. Yes, it might be a bit blurry around the edges but it was taken through the window of a moving car…
Not bad for a mobile phone.
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