This Android Phone Has A Camera Unlike Any Ive Used Before
For years, phone brands have strived for image quality that rivals professional cameras: DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, etc. For casual consumers like me, this is a given given the images we capture on phone screens. Although phone photography has improved significantly (some mid-range phones take great photos), some brands are still trying to outdo each other. Chinese brands in particular stand out for offering innovative (and sometimes magical) features that make the Asian phone market competitive and exciting.
The latest addition to this range is Vivo thanks to these specifications and a large curved AMOLED screen. But aside from its powerful specs, the Vivo X100 has one of the most impressive camera features I've ever tested and I think you should check it out.
Why is the Vivo X100 special?
The Vivo X series has a long line of impressive low-light performance. Last year I tried the Vivo X90 Pro and found that the camera lens captured more light than my eyes could see. I found it captures more light than the Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro.
While the X90 Pro's large 1-inch (cropped) sensor forms the foundation of its photography capabilities, the Vivo's photography relies on its proprietary "V2" image processor that powers the phone's chipset.
With the new devices in the X series, X100 and X100 Pro, Vivo says it has further improved the image quality. I tested the X100 (the non-Pro version), mostly to try out the special features that Vivo added for photography. Here are the reasons why I was so surprised.
This partnership makes the difference
Zeiss is no stranger to the world of smartphone photography and Vivo is not the first brand to collaborate with it. The German company previously helped Nokia improve the photography of its N-series phones and later the Lumia line of phones, and occasionally helped Sony with the cameras on its Xperia phones.
This isn't even the first Vivo phone with Zeiss Optics: it's actually the fourth generation of the partnership. Unlike Nokia or Sony, where Zeiss focused on providing camera lenses, Vivo has strengthened this integration by helping to recreate the effects of the famous Zeiss lenses for professional cameras.
This approach may surprise Zeiss purists, as the brand is aimed at extremists who want control over a wide range of settings rather than rapid, automatic fire. I say this because even today, most Zeiss camera lenses are limited only by manual focus, which keeps them out of reach for entry-level and casual enthusiasts in the industry. The lenses are particularly known for producing sharp but dreamy images with backgrounds. Additionally, Zeiss lenses are more expensive than comparable high-quality models from other camera manufacturers such as Nikon or Canon, making them more suitable for professionals and serious enthusiasts.
Vivo's partnership with Zeiss means that these dreamy effects (often reproduced through algorithmic enhancements) will be reproduced on the X-series phones. Of course, the latest X100 comes closest and more refined to these effects.
The Vivo X100 reproduces the Ziss effects in two important ways. First, it simulates the same results as the six Zeiss prime lenses. These include Biotar, B-Speed, Sonnar, Planar, Distagon and Cine-Flare. Each is iconic.
Second, Portrait mode on all three cameras offers preset zoom levels that correspond to the typical focal lengths of professional camera lenses. Let me explain if this sounds confusing. Starting from standard medium zoom levels of 1x, 2x, 3x or similar, Portrait mode lets you choose from a variety of focus options: 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and 100mm, with matching focus ranges. Famous for Ziss digital cameras. Camera lenses.
Finally, the Vivo X100 offers presets for various photography situations that use the above features together. It uses focal length and lens effects for different conditions and attempts to produce similar images to Zeiss lenses.
I hope this piques your curiosity about the true impact of the Vivo X100's portrait mode. Let's start by examining how different lens flares work.
What can the Vivo X100 camera do?
All photos with Vivo Tiny or distant light sources make the photo effects clearer. They do this in daylight or bright conditions.
For the first comparison, let's look at the different background effects these lenses create. To see the differences, pay attention to the shapes around the light sources behind me.
With true Zeiss lenses, these effects are created by physical changes to the physical aperture, or the aperture that controls the amount of light entering the lens. For example, a B-speed lens uses a triangular aperture, which is why the backlight sources have a triangular shape, but not straight edges, but curved ones. Likewise, the impact on a Biotar lens is like a true convex lens, while the impact on a Distagon has a hexagonal shape.
On vivo
However, when conditions are favorable, we can expect some strong and unique followers in the background. Interestingly, these portraits work without a face or living creature in the frame, making the Vivo X100 the best camera for capturing faces, not just still life photography.
Another aspect that I must highlight is the Vivo X100's good edge detection even in low light conditions. This function of
Depending on the distance to the subject and the depth and depth you want in your images, you can use all of these effects at any focal length setting. You can also adjust the intensity of the background blur for each effect, but I kept the default settings.
All of the examples I shared above were set to the 35mm setting, which is about a 1.5x zoom. Due to the constant bad weather in my city in the last few weeks and the lack of visibility, especially at night, I have refrained from choosing longer focal lengths as I want images at longer distances.
However, if you don't want to bother with the settings, you can opt for pre-built photo packages for Vivo.
More photography magic
In addition to the Zeiss camera effects we discussed in the previous section, the Vivo X100 also offers presets that select the appropriate lens, zoom level and Zeiss effect based on popular lens formats. For example, there are modes for landscape and street portraits, a classic mode for a vintage tone, a portrait mode that focuses on you from a distance, and a close-up mode to highlight your face more. If you want to take a simple selfie without all the bells and whistles, Natural mode is for you. In addition to the Zeiss effect in each of these modes, the intensity of the blur is selected by the camera's respective presets. You can use the modes as is or experiment to find a setting you like.
This is the first series of images taken at different focal lengths (see image). You can see not only distance but also color (note the blue in Classic mode), background effects, and blur intensity on each image.
Due to the fog in the background, the lights in the background are scattered compared to before. Let's shift our research inward for the next comparison.
The lack of space in the room forced us to move the camera closer to my face instead of covering a large area. In addition to the differences between different camera outputs, this comparison shows how focal length affects objects in focus.
Notice the subtle changes in the shape of my face at different focal lengths. This is because the curvature of the lens tends to spread out to the edges as you zoom in on an object. Photographers use the same technique to take more beautiful photos.
In addition to the differences in my face, you can also see different bokeh effects around the fairy lights in the background. Each of these effects are automatically changed by default, as mentioned above.
With these features, the Vivo X100 can open the doors of Zeiss (or other professional prime lenses). Even if you don't want to, the photos will give the impression that they were taken with a cell phone or real camera - and you can keep the other person guessing for as long as you like.
But is it worth buying?
I hate to admit it, but my abilities with a real camera are limited. Even though I know my f-values from shutter speed, I'm nowhere near as good with my camera as a professional. That's why I rely on smartphones to capture moments, and I think I'm one of many people.
So can phones like Vivo replace the professional camera? Or can any phone replace a professional camera? There is no perfect or easy answer. I think phones like Vivo
The Vivo X100 is ideal for those who take a lot of photos and want better quality than most phones. As we showed above:
The Vivo X100 eliminates the need for Pro mode.
However, despite these attractions, there are some aspects that prevent me from recommending it to everyone. Firstly, despite the fact that Vivo has one of the most advanced cameras on a phone, the user interface is still not high quality. You'll notice an incompatible visual mess, an unsatisfactory user experience, and lots of pre-installed bloatware (which may vary by region). This pressure is unreasonable for a phone that costs about $1,000 (based on Hong Kong prices). The second challenge concerns, you guessed it, the presence of the Vivo X100. Even if you buy the phone from AliExpress (Amazon of China) and get a huge 35% discount, there is no guarantee. While you can always find a way to get your phone repaired if something goes wrong in Europe, Latin America or Asia, residents of North America may be out of luck as Vivo is sold in these regions.
So, at its best, the Vivo X100 is a great second phone that also doubles as a great camera. If you want to get to know the world of Zeiss lenses and how they work, the X100 can be an introduction or a real test before spending thousands of dollars on real Zeiss lenses. And let's not forget a decent camera with a sensor that can handle decent lenses.