Category Archives: reviews

OnePlus Pad Unboxing and First Impressions

The new OnePlus Pad has launched. First ever tablet by OnePlus. We unbox the pad and share our first impressions. It’s starts at Rs. 37,999 and is it worth the hype? We give the specs, check it’s design, test it out and give the impressions so that you know if it’s worth the investment. Tune in to see what we think of this brand new device from OnePlus. Pre-Order Link: https://shorturl.at/hkrRV

iPhone 14 Pro Max Camera Review

It’s September and every iPhone user or even photographers look forward to this launch. In the iPhone presentation, Apple stated that this is the best phone they’ve developed yet. Of course they are suppose to say that.

But the bigger question is ‘Is this the best iPhone camera for me?’ and whether you should upgrade from an earlier iPhone or from an Android smartphone? So we’ve been testing the 14 Pro Max for some time now and there’s a lot to say about its camera. So do read the full article to know if it’s really worth to upgrade or no?

iPhone 14 Pro Max price starts at ₹1,39,900 and goes up all the way to the ₹1,89,900 price for the 1TB. We have reviewed the silver colour which is the top of the line edition and as you know the silver colour ideally looks pretty white. 

Look, Body and Feel

When it comes to look, body and feel, the phone look and feels really premium and if you’ve been using a lot of the iPhone in the past few years then you would surely know what I am talking about. 

But let’s dive into the cameras on the 14 Pro Max and these are also relevant to the 14 Pro as well since they share the same camera set up. Also there is already a new update that came to the iOS 16 and it has already been updated on this device before reviewing.

Camera Specs

At the back you have the familiar look of the 3-camera set up like the 13 pro max that we have become so familiar with. But what’s noticeable and different now is that the camera bumps have become much bigger and protrude out more than before, and they will make it unstable on the desk, especially when you tap it from the top left while using it.

But while the cameras look the same, inside you now have a new 48-megapixel quad sensor camera along with the new 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera and the 12-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x zoom. 

48-Megapixel Main Camera

ProRAW:

Now what’s very important to you is that not only is the megapixels have increased but the pixel size has also increased to 2.44 qm now, which means each pixel will let in more light for possibly an improved and sharper image in both daylight as well as lowlight conditions.


And since the Max allows you to shoot 10-bit RAW with this bigger sensor the images it captures does tend to have more details. And the good thing is that it not only allows you to shoot at 1x, but also at all the available options up to 3x. But one thing that you have to note though is that while using macro, night mode or activating flash the images will be shoot at 12-megapixel, which means that the camera is using the centre 12-megapixel part of the sensor.

At 1X

At 2X

At 3X

The average file size of the images that we shot in RAW was about 55 MB and as you get closer on zoom it switches to the 12-megapixel with images at 2x and 3x for about 24 MB and 31 MB. Which is a decent size, it isn’t overly large and with a 1 TB space, you’ll never run out of that atleast. 

Also note that when shooting on ProRAW the Live photos won’t work when ProRAW mode is on though.

Regular Mode:

When shooting in the regular mode the camera delivers despite everything that you throw at it honestly. The focussing is very fast and accurate and the output is really crisp, sharp and the details are also very good even on zooming in. What we liked about the phone is that it is also able to accurately deliver true to scene images without overcompensating which many phones tend to do overall using AI algorithms. 


Also what we really liked is the performance that the combination of this hardware and software delivers now. At one end you have the improved cameras and on the other, the iOS 16 really improves upon the experience with features like Copy edits – that allows you to paste edits to images to make life really easy.


We are impressed with is the performance of the phone when clicked against a backlit environment as well. The phone does capture the subject well although it does add a slight red tinge to the image. 

Low Light Performance:

With the new sensor combined with the bigger pixels, the lowlight performance of the 14 Pro Max is great. It is able to focus on the highlighted area of choosing fast and captures great details. 



We’ve taken 2 images of the table, one under the normal ambient lighting and the other by bringing the aperture down to create a mood. Under both the scenarios the images have come sharp and display great detail, which has been highlighted in the box. 

Distortion and Macro:  

But when you are shooting with the Pro Max using the wide camera, you will find some level of distortion and unlike the OnePlus 10 Pro, it doesn’t have distortion compensation. 


Macro

Also another thing to note is that by default the macro mode isn’t on in the Pro Max which might make you feel that it doesn’t have one. So you need to put it on from the camera settings. 

In terms of the images since the phone doesn’t really feature a macro lens at best we would say its performance is average as you can see when zoomed in the images do loose its sharpness.

Portrait Mode
Undeniably one of the most widely used feature in the iPhone camera is the Portrait mode and honestly for the 14 Pro Max as well it does what you expect it to do. But one thing we are disappointed with is the edge detection sometimes. While it works well in delivering the images with beautiful depth, sometimes we find the edge detection slightly off with the phone blurring some portion off. But we are sure that this will improve with software updates. 

At 1X

At 2X

At 3X

Low Light Portrait

Front Camera

The front camera has seen an update with the 14 pro series and it now features auto focus tracking. The tracking does work well and why this is important is since many users use these phones to vlog etc. And the phone does track the subjects very well as you can see.


In terms of the images the images are pretty good as you can see from the samples. Again one of the strengths of the iPhone has always been to deliver the images true to the scene which is very important for the photographer. Once again you can shoot in the RAW mode here as well and it will use the 12-megapixel image and give out a 25MB file and drop down to 7-megapixel when you zoom in for a 14MB file. 

Video Performance

Videos have really been one of the strongest points of the iPhones over the years and with this Apple has just made it better. Of course you now have the option of shooting 4k at 24 fps as well and the introduction of the new Action mode as well. And as usual the iPhone doesn’t disappoint and delivers great video output with nice saturation and sharpness. The autofocus tracking is really fast both in the front as well as back cameras. But the phone does heat ever so slightly when used in 4K but should get better with software updates. 

Now there is a noticeable shutter roll but that’s honestly nit-picking since it uses so much AI to do things and it will be there on any phone.

Action Mode
The action mode honestly is really empowering and if you have the creativity to shoot with it then it will really give you some good output. We took some shot using the action mode and even with as basic as this you can see the difference. But the resolution in the action mode can only go upto 2.8k since it might be using the more central part of the sensor to shoot this. And this is pretty common for most small sensors so it isn’t a surprise.

Cinematic Mode
In the cinematic mode when shooting videos, the phone only allows 30 fps in HD and 24 fps and 30 fps in 4k mode. And you can only use the 1x and 3x zoom for the same. The sample output is pretty good and looks good as usual. But we are not sure how many people will really use the cinematic mode to shoot regularly, may be to make reels etc.?

Battery
So a lot of iPhone photographers and users consider battery performance as a crucial part before buying the phone. And this is important as well if you shoot a lot of videos like us using 4k. In our use of the phone we would end up with 30-40% at the end of the day, which was pretty impressive 

Conclusion
So how are the cameras of the iPhone 14 Pro Max? To be honest it is really difficult to beat this by any other camera in the market currently. The output in stills is really great and the combination of that hardware and software just make the overall experience of using this really good. Yes, the macro and distortion performance can be better and also the Samsung does offer high level of zoom. But honestly, we are not sure if an average user might even notice these things or use these features very often. 

When it comes to video the iPhone has been ruling the roost for a while now and with this edition it might’ve widened that lead even further. So if you deep pockets and are looking for the best that Apple has to offer, then this is surely the phone for you.

OnePlus 10T vs OnePlus 10R Camera Test

The OnePlus 10T, the company’s latest flagship offering in India, has finally been released recently, adding a new smartphone to the OnePlus 10 series. The device is priced between the entry-level OnePlus 10R and the high-end OnePlus 10 Pro. If you’re wondering what’s new about the OnePlus 10T, the flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 CPU, quicker charging with the basic model, new colours, and more are all included. It has the same design as the OnePlus 10 Pro.
If you’re looking for a OnePlus flagship, there are a lot of alternatives to choose from. This article compares the cameras of the two devices, 10T vs 10R, to assist you decide which gadget to buy. Now what’s very interesting about both these cameras is that while they look different, inside they are exactly the same not only in terms of specs, but also their sensors used, which makes it very exciting to see how their performance is. 
Most of you might know that the ‘T’ series has always been special from OnePlus as it comes with high-end specs in a budget friendly price. So in terms of price the OnePlus 10T starts at 50k approximately whereas the OnePlus 10R is a more budget friendly device that starts at 35k. But what is different with that price is that the 10T comes with the latest Snapdragon 8 + Gen 1 processor whereas the 10T comes with the MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max processor. 
Both the smartphones come with the 150W SuperVOOC charging and don’t support wireless charging.
Camera Specs
Now as mentioned earlier that these cameras look different but they aren’t different. They both feature a 3-camera setup that has a 50-MP main camera, 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 2-megapixel Macro lens.
Image Quality
Like usual we tested the cameras in a variety of conditions to test how they perform.
Daylight Images 
In terms of the daylight images, we clicked a lot of pictures with both the phones and found that the 10T was underexposing the images slightly and also in some cases adding a purplish tinge. The images also seemed one-stop under when it comes to saturation. Even on zooming in the images from 10R showed more clarity rather than the 10T. They also seemed truer to the scene. Even in lowlight the images displayed similar results.
Ultra wide Lens
In terms of wide-lens both the phones displayed decent results. The sharpness was more on the 10T this time but it still had a bluish tinge in the pics. But the distortion performance of the 10T was again good with the 10R showing the building slightly tilted.
Zoom Performance
Since there is no telephoto lens on both phones, they depend on digital zoom to take their pictures. While they have the capability to do this the output from both the phones is honestly is pretty average and we wouldn’t recommend using their zoom unless it’s the last resort. 
Portrait Images
In the portrait mode the 10R is pretty good. Although it did have the tendency to make blacks pop out more, it was adding to the mood of the images we shot. But with this blacks popping out the images did tend to loose sharpness on the edges, whereas the 10T had sharper edges on zoom but a haze sort of a look on the pics.
Macro Pics
Both the phones have a 2-megapixel macro lens and like the other cases in this as well the 10T was giving under saturated pics and adding a purple tinge to it. It also seemed slightly slow in focussing for some reason.
Front Camera Performance
Both the phones feature the same 16-megapixel front camera and the output with the same is ok. It’s not that great neither is it bad.
Video Performance
Now when it comes to video capability both the phones can shoot 4K up to 60 fps and slow-motion up to 240fps. But what is noteworthy is that with the front camera the 10R only gives the option to shoot at 1080p and not 720p. In terms of performance the 10R in this case was adding a red tinge to the samples we shot.
One the other hand the 10T only allows you to shoot with one lens only, as compared the 10R allows the use of two lenses.
But in terms of output both phones were shooting decent output and also in the slow-motion category they were decent. 
Conclusion
So what do we think about the cameras of the 10T vs 10R? Honestly the one big take away for us is that we are slightly surprised by the 10T’s performance here. Especially since it is a much better hardware specs phone than the 10R. The overall performance of the 10R here is much better than the 10T, but you also need to understand that this is a new phone that just got launched recently. So hopefully with updates these issues should get fixed. But at the moment when it comes to cameras, the 10R seems to have an edge.

Canon EOS R3 Review

In this video we review the Canon EOS R3, which is the latest instalment of the Canon Flagship Mirrorless Camera from the R Series. It features some new technology like eye-focus tracking, its and this is also the first exclusive review of the Canon R3 in India, which naturally had us very excited.
This camera is aimed at sports photographers, photojournalists and wildlife photographers and in order to test it we did some special shoots. 
The price of the camera is Rs. 4,99,995 (body only) and we tested it using four RF lenses, the Canon RF 600mm f/11, Canon RF 50mm f/1.2, Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 and Canon RF 50mm f/1.8.

OnePlus 10R 5G Review

OnePlus recently launched the OnePlus 10R 5G smartphone, which has been positioned below the OnePlus 10 Pro 5G. The phone features an all-new MediaTek Dimensity 8100-MAX CPU, SuperVOOC 150W quick charging capability among other features that are supposed to be the characteristics of the OnePlus 10R. The smartphone also features a 50-MP OIS camera and a 120 Hz fluid AMOLED display. So we’ve been testing this phone for a while now, and here’s what we thought of it in our review of the OnePlus 10R 5G.


OnePlus 10R 5G Specifications

• Display: 6.7-inch AMOLED 10-bit colour display, Full HD+ resolution (2,412 x 1,080 pixels), 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate, 360 Hz touch sampling rate, 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, HDR10+, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 (front)
• Software: OxygenOS 12.1 interface, Android 12 operating system
• CPU: 5nm MediaTek Dimensity 8100-MAX octa-core SoC clocked at 2.85 GHz (Cortex-A78 processor), AI APU 5.0
• GPU: Mali-G610 MC6 Graphics
• Memory: 8 GB OR 12 GB LPDDR5 RAM
• Storage: 128 GB OR 256 GB UFS 3.1 internal storage
• Main Camera: Triple cameras (50 MP f/1.8 Sony IMX766 OIS camera + 8 MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera + 2 MP f/2.4 macro camera), Optical Image Stabilization, 4K Video Recording, dual-LED flash
• Selfie Camera: 16 MP f/2.4
• Others: In-display fingerprint scanner, Face Unlock
• Cellular: 5G network, dual SIM, dual 5G standby support
• Battery: 5,000 mAh battery (2x 2,500 mAh, non-removable)/ 4,500 mAh battery (150W model)
• Charging: 80W fast charging, 150W SuperVOOC fast charging (12 GB + 256 GB model) 

OnePlus 10R 5G Price in India

• ₹38,999 for 8GB RAM and 128GB Storage with 80W Super VOOC Charging
• ₹42,999 for 8GB RAM and 256GB Storage with 80W Super VOOC Charging
• ₹43,999 for 8GB RAM and 256GB Storage with 150W Super VOOC Charging

Look, body and feel

The phone is different than its predecessor when it comes to look, body and feel. On the front, it appears that OnePlus has redesigned things, which does not surprise us at all. The general form has been flattened rather than curved as seen in previous generations, the back and side frames are plastic/polycarbonate constructed, which was unexpected, and there is no trace of glass or metal on the exterior. The flat design has become a trend, similar to what happened with the current some of the other phones in the market. For those who have used prior OnePlus phones before, the lack of a glass or metallic back might make you feel that the 10R 5G a letdown in its sector in terms of aesthetics.

However, the redesign provides a strong grip, and the smartphone is now somewhat thinner with only 8.2 mm and lighter weighing only 186 grams. We received the Sierra Black model, which features a dual-tone design with one textured and one matte-finished, and the Forest Green variant, which has the same design but in a different hue.

The OnePlus 10R 5G has a far superior display, with a 6.7-inch fluid AMOLED and 10-bit colour depth (1B colours). The display has a Full HD+ resolution (2412 x 1080 pixels, 394 ppi), a refresh rate of 120 Hz, and a 20.1:9 aspect ratio. The Fluid OLED display has an adaptable refresh rate of 60 Hz, 90 Hz, and 120 Hz, as well as a touch response rate of 360 Hz (hardware-based) and 720 Hz (software-based).

But the Alert Slider is now missing, which might be a disappointment for many. The right side simply has a power button, whilst the left side has two volume controls. The bottom side features a USB Type-C connector for rapid charging, data transmission, and audio output, as well as a stereo loudspeaker, microphone (with another at the top), and dual SIM tray. The tray allows twin 5G SIM cards with dual standby, although the phone lacks a microSD slot.

OnePlus 10R 5G camera

The OnePlus 10R boasts three rear cameras; the primary camera has been enhanced, but the secondary cameras appear to be toned down in comparison to its predecessor. On paper, the OnePlus 10R 5G features a 50-megapixel camera with the Sony IMX766 sensor (against the 48 MP IMX586 sensor on the OnePlus 9R), however it has a downgraded 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle and 2-megapixel macro camera. The 16 MP selfie camera looks to be the same as previous versions. The phone lacks a telephoto lens, but it does have OIS, which is really useful in photography. The camera has optical image stabilisation (OIS), electronic image stabilisation (EIS), 4K video recording (at 30fps), 1080p slow-motion recording and a dual-LED flash. The camera app is well-designed, making it simple to find what you want. The UI has a 50-megapixel camera mode, portrait mode, Pro, Pano, Macro, Slow-mo, Time-lapse, Dual-View Video, Movie, AI filter, HDR, and Night mode.

Day-light performance


The camera worked admirably in terms of day-light images. The photographs captured by the OnePlus 10R were excellent. However, we found the images to be too sharpened and overly saturated sometimes. Also, the camera functioned well in portrait mode, with the backdrop blurring nicely and the edge recognition working decently.





Low-light performance






When it comes to low-light performance most phones don’t deliver a stellar performance owing to their tiny sensors. But in this case the visuals were detailed and sharp. However, the photographs captured in nightscape mode displayed some colour fringing.  




Macro Mode

Though the macro mode was absent from the OnePlus 10 Pro, carrying over this functionality from the OnePlus 7T, OnePlus 10R camera, and Super Macro mode is fantastic. The photographs captured by the OnePlus 10R in macro mode are quite helpful and catch fine details, however when zoomed in, they appear overly sharpened, which takes away from the beauty of the images.




Video performance

The OnePlus 10R can shoot video in 1080p and 2160p (4K). The main wide camera can shoot 1080p video in 30 and 60fps, 4K video in 30fps. The ultra-wide camera can record 1080p and 720p video in 30 and 60fps, and unfortunately there is no 4K on wide camera. All zooming is done digitally. OIS and EIS is available in 30 and 60fps modes. It features two slow motion modes, 1080p at 240fps and 720p at 480fps. The video performance was great and it looked very well detailed and well saturated too. However, when looked closely the videos seems to be over sharpened again and this probably is something which can be solved with future updates from OnePlus.

User Interface

The OnePlus 10R 5G, like the OnePlus 10 Pro 5G and the recently introduced OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G, runs OxygenOS 12.1 on the Android 12 operating system. OxygenOS 12 is OnePlus’s latest custom UI, and it adds a slew of new features to the standard Android 12 interface. OxygenOS is now one of the greatest Android interfaces that is free of bloatware and provides enhanced customisation and functionality. OnePlus guarantees three years of Android OS upgrades and four years of security patches for its OnePlus 10R 5G smartphone, which runs on Android 12.

On top of Android 12, the Oxygen OS 12 includes several customisations and features, as well as security upgrades. One popular feature is the Shelf, which displays a tiling view (or card view) of applications, weather, notes, music, fitness tracking, and other information. There are also traces of OPPO’s ColorOS inside the settings page, as well as a few recognisable features in the camera app, and so on. The user interface is clear, fluid, and lag-free, and the entire experience is pleasant and feels seamless thanks to the 120 Hz refresh rate. The Oxygen OS tweaks and optimisations allow you to customise the UI.

OnePlus 10R 5G performance and battery

The OnePlus 10R 5G comes with the all-new 5nm MediaTek Dimensity 8100-MAX. The Dimensity 8100-MAX is a flagship SoC from MediaTek. The MediaTek Dimensity 8100-MAX processor runs at 2.85 GHz and is paired with a Mali-T610 MC6 (6-core) GPU for excellent gaming. The CPU is one of the smartphone’s main selling points, along with its 150W (and 80W) rapid charging.

The OnePlus 10R 5G is available in two RAM and storage configurations, as well as one with fast-charging features and a significantly smaller battery. The base model has 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, while the top variant has 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. There is no microSD support on the phone. Both of these models allow 80W rapid charging. There is also RAM expansion technology, which allows you to upgrade the RAM to an additional 7 GB, for a total of 19 GB of RAM on the phone (12 GB RAM variant).

The performance of this phone is really impressive, it handles games and other apps very smoothly and is free from lags on default settings. Even on max graphics settings, the apps were running smoothly without any heating issues. When it comes to battery performance the phone can last an entire day of normal usage in one charge.

According to OnePlus India, the 4,500 mAh battery can be charged in 10 minutes and provide a full day of power. The 80W charger charges the phone from 0% to 100% in around 32 minutes. The phone will charge in less than 18-20 minutes with the 150W charger.

Conclusion

The OnePlus 10R 5G sports a beautiful 10-bit Fluid AMOLED display, a flagship-grade performance with its Dimensity 8100-MAX CPU, and one of the quickest charging speeds in the industry with 150 watts. On top of that, features like RAM expansion, dual speakers, robust gaming performance and OxygenOS benefits make the smartphone an all-around standout in its class. 

In terms of camera performance, the phone was pretty ordinary; photos were sharp and may be too sharp sometimes and low-light shots exhibited considerable colour fringing. However, this is something that may be resolved with future OnePlus updates. Though you will miss the earlier OnePlus feel due to the new OS and the absence of the alert slider from the phone. If you want to continue with the OnePlus brand, you can’t go wrong with the OnePlus 10R 5G; it offers everything you need.

Nikon Z9 Review

In this video we review the newly launched Flagship Nikon Z9, which is the latest instalment of the Nikon Flagship Mirrorless Camera from the Z Series. We tested the camera in detail with sample images and video. The price of the camera is Rs. 4,75,000 (body only) and we tested it using two new lenses, the Nikkor Z 24-70mm F/4 and the newly launched Nikkor Z 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6

Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 Lens Review

In this video we review the newly launched Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 G2 Lens for the Sony Mirrorless Fullframe body. The lens is priced air Rs. 82,000 and is in direct comparison to the Sony 24-70mm F/2.8 G Master lens which cost Rs. 1,67,000.
We test the lens to see its performance in daylight, lowlight and more. See if you should invest in this standard zoom lens or not.