Oppo has just launched the Reno 12 Pro, and because it has “Pro” in its name, its camera features are especially important. The phone is priced at ₹35,990 for the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage model, and ₹39,990 for the 12GB RAM + 512GB storage model. What makes this phone stand out is its focus on photography, using AI to improve camera performance both during shooting and in post-processing. This is the first time Oppo has included such features in any of its phones. In this review, we’ll test the camera and all the features Oppo is highlighting to see if they live up to the hype.

Cameras Specs:

Main Camera: 50MP Sony LYT-600 sensor with OIS, F1.8 lens aperture, FOV 79°

Telephoto:  50MP Samsung S5KJN5 portrait camera, F2.0 lens aperture, 0.64μm pixel area, FOV 50°, 2X optical zoom-47mm focal length

Ultra-Wide: 8MP Sony IMX355 sensor with 112-degree FOV, f/2.2 aperture

Front camera: 50MP Samsung S5KJN5, with autofocus and 90-degree FOV

Powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 7300 processor

Daylight Main Camera

The main camera uses a 50MP Sony LYT-600 sensor, which isn’t the latest and produces images with an actual output of 14MP. The photos are well-saturated and vivid, even with natural settings, making them visually pleasing for most users. However, the zoom performance is slightly weak, with images lacking sharpness in several situations. In some cases, the highlights are blown out, as seen in the samples. The phone’s colour tones and reproduction are accurate, although some photos show high contrast.

Daylight Wide Camera

The wide camera on this phone performs just average. It has an 8-MP Sony IMX355 sensor, but it captures images at 9 MP. The processed images are generally okay. Visually, the pictures look decent, but the contrast levels are off, and zooming in results in poor quality. Although wide lenses on phones often disappoint, this one stands out for not meeting even those lower expectations. However, it does do a good job of recognising and accurately exposing scenes.

Daylight Telephoto Camera

The Oppo phone uses a 50-MP Samsung S5KJN5 sensor, but delivers 14-MP images. It offers 2x optical zoom, with anything beyond that being digital zoom. The camera can zoom up to 20x, and the image quality is acceptable up to a point. At 2x zoom, the images are sharp and have good colour accuracy. At 5x zoom, the images are still usable, but they start losing sharpness and colour accuracy, with increased contrast making them look underexposed. Shadows and highlights also suffer. At 10x and 20x zoom, the quality is mostly for show. The images may have colour fringing, lack sharpness, and sometimes have trouble recognising the subject, creating a hazy effect. These zoom levels are not recommended for serious use.

Lowlight Main Camera

In low light, the main camera produces decent images that look good overall. However, zooming in will reveal some lack of sharpness. For better results in low light, tap on the screen to choose a focus area, as leaving it to the phone’s automatic settings might not give the best outcome. The Oppo camera impresses with its neutral colour reproduction and has decent performance with shadows and highlights.

Lowlight Wide Camera

The lowlight wide camera’s performance is average as seen in daylight. The images tend to be slightly hazy and show noticeable lens flare. As mentioned before, wide-angle lenses aren’t ideal for lowlight conditions.

Lowlight Telephoto Camera

In low light, the telephoto camera performs adequately up to 2x zoom. Beyond that, it struggles, especially in very lowlight conditions where the camera has to boost the aperture and shutter. It’s best to use the telephoto camera only up to 2x zoom, images beyond that may not be usable.

Portraits

The phone allows shooting portraits at 1x and 2x zoom, and the performance is decent. The images are well-saturated with good colour reproduction, though there is some distortion, making subjects appear wider. The lens isn’t the sharpest when zoomed in, and edge detection could be better, with some soft edges around faces in certain conditions. In low light, the portrait performance is better than expected, with good overall output. The phone also features an AI Best Shot mode, which tries to enhance photos by selecting the best shot from a series. This feature can be hit or miss, as it only works with more than three people in the frame, and users typically don’t take multiple shots of the same scene.

Front Camera

The front camera features a 50 MP Samsung sensor and can take pictures at 0.8x, 1x, and 2x zoom levels. The images are quite good, with clear details and accurate colours. The overall performance is solid. In portrait mode, you can only use 0.8x and 1x zoom. Pictures taken at f/1.4 had an unnatural depth of field, and even at f/1.8, the effect was similar. However, edge detection in portrait mode is better than on the rear camera, with smoother and more refined edges, making it look great overall.

Video

The phone records 4K video at up to 30 fps and offers three focal ranges from the back camera. The video output is decent with good stabilization and focussing, and it accurately reproduces colours. For everyday video use, the phone performs well. However, its lowlight video performance isn’t the best. The audio recording quality is also decent. The front camera also shoots up to 4K at 30 fps, delivering decent results. Overall, the camera’s video performance is satisfactory.

AI features

The phone features several AI tools from Oppo, including AI Eraser 2.0, AI Clear Face, AI Best Face, and AI Studio. While many of these tools are available on other phones, the rapid advancement in AI technology is impressive. For example, the AI Eraser tool not only removed an object like a Carrom Board from the background, but also adjusted the background colour to match the sofa and added a switchboard for a more natural look. Though the alignment could be improved, the result is remarkable. Similarly, AI Clear Photo works well, demonstrating that these AI tools can significantly enhance photo quality.

Conclusion

The Oppo Reno 12 Pro cameras deliver a solid performance overall. In daylight, the images are accurate and good, although they tend to lack sharpness in many conditions, which might improve with future updates. The video quality is decent, providing satisfactory results for everyday use. One of the notable strengths of the Oppo Reno 12 Pro is its AI features. The AI tools, such as AI Eraser 2.0, AI Clear Face, AI Best Face, and AI Studio, work well and enhance the overall photography experience. These features are designed to appeal to consumers who appreciate advanced AI capabilities in their smartphones. To give a final word, the Oppo Reno 12 Pro cameras perform well, offering good results in well-lit conditions and decent video quality. The AI features add significant value, making the phone a strong option for users interested in enhanced photography capabilities in this price range.

Bhavya Desai