What is the quality of Pixel 3 cameras?

With the Pixel 3Google doubles on digital photography to make its cameras perform better than they have ever been. And from what we have seen so far, the results speak for themselves.

Credit: Shaun Lucas / Tom's GuideJust like the previous Pixels, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL assemble identical camera configurations. A 12.2-megapixel main lens with f / 1.8 aperture is located at the back of each new pixel, as well as two front-facing cameras, one of which incorporates a wide-angle perspective.

Meet the new features

Strictly in terms of numbers, you never expect these cameras to be particularly remarkable. But once again, Pixel 3's prowess in photography is based on Google's smart software. HDR +, presented with Pixel 2 from last year, is back better than ever, combining eight separate shows and merging them to produce sharper and more uniformly illuminated shots.

And then there are new features that Google deploys with the Pixel 3 – Top Shot, Zoom Super Res and Night Sight.

Top Shot collects images before and after pressing the shutter button. If Pixel 3 notices a problem, such as a person who blinks or involuntary movement, it is recommended to switch to another image. But even if there is nothing wrong with what you have captured, you can still browse a succession of frames to find one that speaks to you.

Super Res Zoom enhances the digital zoom of the Pixel 3 by recording the movements that occur naturally every time a photo is taken. This information is then used to bring out details that would generally be lost without a lens capable of optical zoom.

Credit: Shaun Lucas / Tom's GuideFinally, the Night Sight feature – which has not yet been launched and will eventually join older pixels – uses a tactic similar to Super Res Zoom to improve low-light photography. With additional frames, the Pixel 3 can eliminate the colors and details lost in dark scenes and bring new life and clarity to photos. Night Sight may be a pretty magical feature based on what Google announced at its hardware event, although we do not really know what it can actually do until the company unveiled it.

MORE: The huge advantage of artificial intelligence of Pixel 3 raises issues for Apple and Samsung

The front cameras of Pixel 3 measure 8 megapixels each. According to Google, the wide-angle lens includes 184% more frame in the frame than the selfie camera of the iPhone XS. Switching between the two could not be simpler: you only need to zoom out to move to the larger goal.

How does the camera work

So, what do these improvements mean for your photos? You can look forward to our next review of Pixel 3 for in-depth comparisons of cameras with other leading smartphones, including the iPhone XS and Samsung Galaxy Note 9. In the meantime, these sample images give us an idea of ​​the performance of the Pixel 3 camera.

As you would expect from a Pixel product, Google's latest device does a respectable job navigating through those tough times, marked by intense backlighting, such as this quaint scene from Herald Square in New York at dusk. He cleverly navigates high lights and shadows to keep details in everyone without detonating things.

The Pixel 3 cleans even perfectly inside the premises, where the dim lights of our office would usually wreak havoc on the automatic white balance of a phone.

However, Pixel 3 does its most impressive job when the night becomes extremely dark. This scene is lit by two sources of light: a candle and the lighting of an adjacent room. It was really dark here, but judging by the shooting of Pixel 3 here, you'll never know it. Google's HDR + mode is capable of brightening the darkest areas without raising ISO to ridiculously grainy levels. And as difficult as it may seem, once Night Sight becomes available, photos like this one should be even better.

I'm not one to take pleasure in taking selfies, but even I can find myself behind a selfie camera that makes me as good as Pixel 3. The details are precise, but never in a rough way painful that just exposes all your imperfections.

Even when you opt for the fisheye-esque wide angle lens, the results are still flattering. Many phones, such as the LG V40, lose a lot of edge detail when shooting in wide angle mode. But the Pixel 3 avoids this distortion, while including much more of your environment in the frame. According to Google calculations, this represents 184% more than the front camera of the iPhone XS.

Perspective

At present, we are satisfied with the results obtained by the Pixel 3 cameras. It is clear, even at this point, that it is a competitor for one of the best photo handsets of the year. Expect our review and subsequent camera comparisons for a more detailed analysis of how Google's latest imaging hardware and software compares to the best on the market.