In this video we conduct a speed test between the Vivo X Fold3 Pro and OnePlus Open. Both the foldable phones are the flagship products from Vivo and OnePlus and also feature the latest specs in the Android OS.
We put them through different tasks to see if they work well and also see how the processors are cycling to reveal who the winner is?
#asianphotographymagazine #oneplus #Vivo
Sigma recently launched the new 50mm F/1.2 DG DN Art lens for the Sony and the Panasonic mount. Now this is a DG DN lens which means it is for the full frame sensor and these lenses can be used on the Sony’s E-mount and the Panasonics L-mount as well. The MRP for this lens is Rs. 1,33,000, but it can be available for around Rs. 1,17,000 lacs at street price. That is a considerable discount as compared to the other lenses in the same segment. And at this price, the Sigma 50mm becomes a very interesting lens.
Look Body and Feel
In terms of the look, body and feel, at first glance the lens looks sturdy, well-built and also pretty light. Infact it is only weighs 745 gms and being an art lens it comes with weather sealing and a metal mount. The lens is also different as compared to the usual lenses of today and features a host of buttons. I also love the shiny A on the lens denoting that this is the Art lens.
At the front you have a 72mm filter diameter and in terms of the buttons it has the focus ring, the aperture control ring, a lock, autofocus and manual buttons and also a click and de-click button as well. And you can tell that a lot of thought has gone into the details as you turn the aperture dial around to hear its click sound. There’s a different level of satisfaction from that sound, which can only happen if there has been a lot of attention paid to it.. The lens hood also has a familiar design with the unlock button to it, which has been part of the Sigma Art lens design.
Images
Shooting with a 1.2 prime lens is always exciting because it can open really wide and with this lens as well, much like the other Art lenses that Sigma has, the performance is really good. The images are really sharp, very detailed and are able to deliver a pleasing performance that’s impossible to miss. Now as you might know that usually these lenses are always sharp on the centre and slightly soft in the corners. But in this case the lens displayed good sharpness in the corners as well which was good to see.
The focusing is also very fast and you will hardly find it hunting under most conditions. Even in lowlight conditions I found the autofocusing to perform pretty well.
Bokeh Performance
Another advantage that a prime lens gives you is the ability to get some great portraits and bokeh performance. For this lens, Sigma has used a 13-blade rounded diaphragm, which helps with delivering nice rounded bokeh’s. And in terms of performance, we found nice circular bokeh at the centre and cats eye in the corners. The portraits and the depth to the subject also look really good and using this lens really reminds me of why I like prime lenses so much.
Chromatic Aberration
When we checked the lens for chromatic aberration then it gave a CA value of 0.22 pixels through the quick MTF software, which is a pretty good CA value.
Flaring and Ghosting
In terms of flaring and ghosting we shot a number of pics and found the performance pretty decent. Under most conditions the lens was able to cut the flare and ghosting, unless we really pointed it directly into the Sun’s line of sight. So, I’d say that the performance was pretty decent in this case.
Conclusion
Honestly there is hardly anything to dislike about this lens. Its compact, its light, delivers good performance in terms of image quality, both in daylight and lowlight, plus it’s has the ability to deliver good bokeh, which is so important for a prime lens, especially if you are shooting weddings, street photography, etc.
Now what sweetens this deal even more for me is the fact that it is also cheaper than some of the other lenses in the same segment and at a street price of Rs. 1,17,000, which means you can use that extra money to buy more equipment or other lenses that you might desire.
Vivo recently launched their first foldable phone in India, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro. This is also the third foldable phone to enter the Indian market after Samsung and OnePlus, indicating that these types of phones in the premium segment are becoming popular with consumers. The OnePlus Open was also reviewed, and the appeal of these phones is not only their larger screen but also their impressive camera setups. The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro, co-developed with Zeiss like most of Vivo’s other flagships, will have its cameras tested in this review.
The unit received is in celestial black with specs of 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage capacity and is priced at ₹1,59,999 in India.
First things first, upon holding the phone, it feels remarkably light, thin, and slim, weighing just 236 g without the cover. Despite its lightness and slim profile, the grip is not very satisfying, though it may improve with continued use.
The camera module at the back lacks the fancy design of the OnePlus Open. It features a black circular module that Vivo calls Big Eye, designed to resemble a luxury watch. However, it mostly appears as a simple circular module, with some interesting details like the outer metal ring, but not much visibility within the module itself.
Specifications:
Daylight Main Camera
The main camera of the Vivo comes with a 50-MP camera featuring an OmniVision OV50H sensor. It shoots at an actual resolution of 12.5 MP.
Images were shot in the Zeiss natural setting, and in most cases, the phone delivers pretty good images. It is able to produce sharp and crisp images. However, upon zooming in, the picture clarity isn’t the best compared to most cameras available today. Generally, it recognizes the scene well, but sometimes it tends to oversaturate or over sharpen the pictures. When the picture is oversaturated, it doesn’t sharpen the image, but when providing the actual scene, it tends to over sharpen, occasionally resulting in slightly underexposed images.
One observation while using the camera is that sometimes the screen display does not match the actual output. The final picture might be much better than what is shown, which can be misleading to the user. This might be considered nit-picking in most cases, and a regular viewer might not even notice such tiny details. However, these discrepancies can create doubt in the consumer’s mind.
Overall, the camera is decent in this case.
Daylight Wide Camera
The phone offers a 50-MP sensor with the wide camera, utilizing the Samsung JN1 sensor. The actual resolution of the wide camera exceeds that of the main camera at 13.8 pixels, and this difference is noticeable when zooming in on performance. There is increased clarity in the images when zoomed in, though, similar to widest lenses, significant zooming introduces a lot of noise.
In terms of overall image quality, the pictures are comparable to those taken with the main camera. They are pleasing to the eye, with the phone accurately recognizing scenes, though it sometimes oversaturates the pictures. Some distortion is also present in the images; for instance, in a picture of a car, the vehicle appears more stretched and wider than usual.
Daylight Telephoto
In the telephoto camera, the phone uses the 64-MP Omni Vision camera which comes with the OV64B sensor. This sensor has become quite popular in the industry, with OnePlus making it their go-to sensor for the telephoto lens. In previous reviews, this sensor was mentioned as one of the best telephoto sensors in the industry currently. The fact that more and more brands are using it indicates its success.
An interesting aspect of the telephoto category is that Vivo provides output at different actual pixels at different focal ranges. At 2x, it gives an output of 14.3 MP, and at 3x optical zoom and above, it provides an output of 18.2 MP. The performance of the camera is impressive. It is sharp, detailed, provides good output, and is definitely worth using.
However, there is a need to discuss this sensor further. Despite its quality, it has a challenge with the output it gives. There is a visible change in the colours of the image as one moves through the focal range, suggesting that this might be more of a hardware issue with the OV64B sensor rather than with the phones themselves. This issue has also been observed in OnePlus devices, initially thought to be fixable through software updates, but this has not happened. At the highest focal ranges, there is also noticeable colour fringing if a picture is taken at 100x.
Lowlight Main Camera
In low light, the camera demonstrates excellent performance. It accurately recognizes scenes and delivers a warm, saturated, and visually pleasing output. Even when zoomed in, its performance remains decent, with commendable handling of shadows and highlights.
Lowlight Wide Camera
In the wide category, the images appear satisfactory at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the performance is below average. The images exhibit noticeable noise and significant distortion. Despite these drawbacks, the camera manages to maintain a commendable tonal range in the pictures, which is a positive aspect worth noting.
Lowlight Telephoto Camera
Much like its daylight performance, the camera excels in low light as well, delivering sharp, well-saturated images. The performance in this category was impressive.
Portraits
In portraits, the phone offers the option to shoot with 5 different focal ranges. This feature is beneficial for consumers, as Vivo now integrates it directly into portrait mode. In some phones, such as those with Leica lenses, Vivo has included similar options, which can be confusing for users. However, Vivo portraits generally exhibit warmth, saturation, sharpness, and overall good quality. Edge detection is reliable, even in backlit environments. The phone performs well in both daylight and lowlight conditions, excelling in bokeh performance, particularly in lowlight situations.
However, a notable drawback is that the camera tends to alter colours from the actual scene, especially evident in images shot at higher focal ranges. Additionally, despite settings indicating otherwise, skin smoothing is noticeable in photos.
Front Camera
Now, users have the option to utilize the back cameras for selfies, although the phone offers dual 32-MP front cameras for capturing pictures.
One notable observation about this phone is the significant disparity between what is displayed on the screen and the actual output, particularly with the front camera. The phone’s screen gives the impression of viewing images in 720p resolution, whereas the actual output is in HD quality. While zooming in reveals sharp details, selfies generally appear decent in most cases.
Video Performance
In terms of video, the phone allows users to shoot in 8k up to 30 fps and 4k up to 60 fps. One notable feature is the ability to shoot using all four focal ranges for video. However, when using the ultra-stabilization mode, the resolution drops to 1080p. Overall, the video output is good, with fast focusing and effective stabilization. The audio quality is also satisfactory, making it suitable for vlogging and similar uses.
Conclusion
So what do we think about the Vivo Fold 3 Pro Cameras, there are several aspects that stand out positively. The camera system delivers sharp, detailed output in both daylight and low-light conditions, which I find quite appealing. While there are areas where the cameras could be improved, this is common across most products. It’s worth noting that the market for foldable phones is growing, although it’s still relatively small. As for the price, at ₹1,59,999, it feels a bit high for a foldable phone in India. However, for anyone interested in a foldable phone with a strong camera, this could be a compelling choice.
