That doesn't even account for the slow speed of the app, which takes an eternity in even medium light conditions to get a photo captured with HDR (there is also
no HDR Auto mode).
I would recommend you to use it in
HDR Auto mode; because that's the best mode it has to offer.
Not exact matches
A grid icon at the bottom right brings up eight shooting
modes:
Auto,
HDR, Panorama, Beautification, Night, Smart Remove, All Smiles and GIF Animation.
Other camera features are the same across both devices though, with both offering
Auto HDR photos, exposure control, face detection, burst
mode, timer
mode and photo geotagging, all of which are also offered on the company's iPhones.
The front snapper is capable of 1080p video recording and it too offers
auto HDR, exposure control, a timer
mode and body and face detection.
The smartphone also supports 4K video recording, and its camera - style control dial lets you switch among multiple
modes including smart
auto, macro, video,
HDR, manual and more just like holding a digital camera.
The Pixel activates the Google Camera app's
Auto HDR + feature as its default camera
mode.
It supports Live Photos,
auto HDR, 43 - megapixel panoramas, Burst
mode, and Timer
mode, but it is not as advanced as the iPad Pro camera.
The TrueDepth camera is also capable of taking more conventional self portraits, featuring an f / 2.2 aperture with
auto HDR,
auto image stabilization, Retina Flash, 1080p video recording, body and face detection, burst, and timer
modes.
Other camera features are the same across both devices, though, with both offering
Auto HDR photos, exposure control, face detection, burst
mode, timer
mode and photo geotagging, and more.
As usual, we've tested the device in default
mode, but with the Note 8 offering an
Auto HDR feature, we expected a little more highlight detail preservation.
Portrait
mode, Portrait Lighting (beta), six ‑ element lens, panorama (up to 63MP), sapphire crystal lens cover, backside illumination sensor, hybrid IR filter, autofocus with Focus Pixels, tap to focus with Focus Pixels, Live Photos ™ with stabilization, wide color capture for photos and Live Photos, improved local tone mapping, body and face detection, exposure control, noise reduction,
auto HDR for photos,
auto image stabilization, burst
mode, timer
mode, photo geotagging, image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG
Leaving
HDR + in «
Auto»
mode and just letting the software do its thing yields wonderful results — slightly punchy colors, super sharp edges and great dynamic range.
As a result, it's
HDR -
Auto mode is now very fast, with almost no shutter lag, and image tone and balance are greatly improved.
However, the
Auto HDR + feature is a little inconsistent in bright daylight, as the
mode gets activated whenever you open the application, in spite of turning it off.
Generally speaking the Pixel 2 XL is one of the most capable smartphone cameras around, only faltering occasionally on white balance measuring and there's unlimited storage for photos too, with some very potent results from that portrait
mode and the
auto HDR.
For some reason, these flagship handsets only have an «Off» and «
Auto» option for
HDR mode in the camera.
In challenging lighting conditions, an
auto -
HDR mode appears to kick in, significantly boosting dynamic range and producing photos with plenty of detail in both light and dark areas.
One problem with the Mate 9 is its lack of an
auto HDR mode, which puts it behind other leading camera phones such as the ones on the Pixel XL, Samsung Galaxy S7 and iPhone 7.
In addition to
auto mode, there are
modes in the camera for night,
HDR, sweep panorama, anti-shake, manual, portrait, landscape, backlight, text, and macro.
The Blade V8 Mini also supports 3D shooting, a manual
mode,
auto HDR, and a multiple camera
mode.
At the top you also have access to the flash and
HDR (on / off /
auto), and finally you can find a sub menu at the top left that allows you to switch between different camera
modes, including time - lapse, slow - motion, manual
mode and panorama, and then also settings to save location, disable shutter sound and keep RAW images.
It's equipped with OIS (optical image stabilization) and PDAF (phase - detect
auto focus), as well as
auto HDR and a manual
mode that enables you to shoot in RAW.
Auto HDR, Panorama, Self - timer, Sony IMX378 Exmor R, CMOS (complementary metal - oxide semiconductor), Autofocus, Continuous shooting, Digital zoom, Optical image stabilization, Geotagging, Panorama,
HDR, Touch focus, Face detection, White balance settings, ISO settings, Exposure compensation, Self - timer, Scene
mode, RAW, Phase detection, Laser autofocus, Sapphire crystal glass lens cover, 720p @ 120 fps
Other features of the camera are live photos with stabilisation,
auto image stabilisation, local tone mapping, face detection, true tone flash, hybrid IR filter, backside illumination sensor, exposure control, noise reduction,
auto HDR for photos, panorama, burst
mode, timer
mode, photo geotagging.
Live photos with stabilisation,
Auto image stabilisation, Local tone mapping, Face detection, True Tone flash, Hybrid IR filter, Backside illumination sensor, Exposure control, Noise reduction,
Auto HDR for photos, Panorama, Burst
mode, Timer
mode, Photo geotagging
Automatic
modes like Best Shot and
auto HDR keep users from having to worry about getting the best shot no matter the lighting condition, and generally do a fantastic job of assessing the situation in milliseconds and choosing what best to do.
Alcatel's camera app replaces the stock Android one, offering such options as a QR code scanner, Time Lapse, and Manual and Face Beauty
modes, in addition to the standard
HDR, Panorama and
Auto modes.
For some reason, the
HDR or Rich Capture
mode in Microsoft's Lumia 950 and 950 XL could only be set to «off» or «
auto» and never manually left on.
There are other annoying quirks like the flash turning back to
auto mode any time you toggle
HDR.
HDR can be on
auto when shooting in the normal photo
mode, and it does a good job of enhancing the photo.
The upshot of this is that, for me at least, the semi-manual
mode became the equivalent of
HDR mode — if I wanted
HDR then I switched to semi-manual, if I didn't then I switched back to full
auto.
6 - element lens, 8MP still photos while recording 4K video, Panorama, Playback zoom, Quad - LED True Tone flash, Retina Flash, Slow motion video, Time - lapse
mode, Timer
mode, autofocus, backside illumination sensor, body and face detection,
Auto image stabilization, noise reduction, optical image stabilization, photo and video geotagging, sapphire crystal lens cover, tap to focus, video stabilizer, Burst
mode, Exposure control, FaceTime HD camera, Focus Pixels,
HDR (High Dynamic Range), Hybrid IR filter, Live Photo
Moreover, you can select from
Auto,
HDR, Beauty, and Action
modes by swiping from top of the screen.
Google's various
HDR modes are formidable, but always -
auto software processing means you're never quite sure exactly what the camera might do.
I found the
auto HDR mode to be very useful and would recommend using it by default.
A quick shortcut will take you to the feature packed manual
mode, with another one allowing you to toggle instantly whether you want to have real - time
HDR on or off, or
auto to let the phone decide for you.
It's pretty easy to get the hang of, and the wheel contains options like
HDR (set to
auto by default), crop, and night
mode.
Portrait
mode, Portrait Lighting, Animoji, Retina Flash, ƒ / 2.2 aperture, Backside illumination sensor,
Auto HDR
Other features of the camera include a True Tone flash, five - element lens, hybrid IR filter, backside illumination sensor, sapphire crystal lens cover,
auto image stabilisation,
auto HDR for photos, burst
mode, photo geotagging.
As focus and exposure come as a package, with no way to separate them, it can mean some images are slightly overexposed but the
Auto HDR mode does help to create a balanced shot, even if it takes longer to get the shot in the first place.
While there's no explicit
Auto HDR mode, it's clear the phone makes significant dynamic range enhancements with every shot taken.
HDR does the job in a better way, but it is not a preferred option when quick captures are needed, and a clear comparison between the
Auto and
HDR modes shows that there is not a vast difference between them.
The
modes that are included in the ZenFone 3 Deluxe are
Auto, Manual,
HDR Pro, Beautification, Super Resolution, Children, Low Light, QR Code, Night, Depth of Field, Effect, Selfie, GIF Animation, Panorama, Miniature, Time Rewind, Smart Remove, All Smiles, Slow Motion and Time Lapse, so there are plenty of goodies to choose from here.
Auto HDR was left enabled (the default) and no other camera settings were changed (save for Portrait
mode — we'll get to that later).
The selfie camera also has several
modes, including
auto selfie, Auto HDR, Voice Selfie, and Live Mak
auto selfie,
Auto HDR, Voice Selfie, and Live Mak
Auto HDR, Voice Selfie, and Live Makeup.
The main 12MP UltraPixel 2 snapper features optical image stabilization, laser autofocus, a BSI sensor, f / 1.8 aperture, dual tone LED flash, 4K video recording with Hi - Res Audio,
Auto -
HDR, Panorama, Hyperlapse, and Pro
mode enhancements with manual control and 12 - bit RAW format support.
On the software side, you can choose between
Auto,
HDR, Panorama, and Pro
modes.
There's also
HDR available for balancing out shots more than just a regular
auto mode can.
The default photo
mode provides a simple interface with unobtrusive controls for quickly toggling flash and
HDR, and
Auto HDR is selected by default.