This Android Phone Has A Camera Unlike Any Ive Used Before
For years, phone brands have been striving for camera image quality that rivals professional cameras: DSLR, mirrorless cameras, etc. For the average consumer like me, this is somewhat obvious when we look at the photos we take on the phone screen. Although phone photography has improved dramatically (even some mid-range phones take great photos), some brands are constantly trying to outdo each other. Chinese brands especially excel at introducing new (and sometimes flashy) features, keeping the Asian phone market competitive and exciting.
A new addition to this group is the Vivo. With these specifications and a large curved AMOLED screen, the X100 looks like a close competitor for the OnePlus 12. The highlight is undoubtedly the rear camera system, which has been perfected in collaboration with the German. The optical giant Zeiss. But aside from its powerful specs, the Vivo X100 has one of the most impressive camera features I've tested so far, and I think you should check it out as well.
Why is the Vivo X100 special?
The Vivo X series has a long history of impressive camera performance in low light. Last year I tested the Vivo X90 Pro and found that the viewfinder caught more light than my eyes could see. I also found it to capture much more light than the Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro.
While the X90 Pro's large 1-inch (cropped) sensor was the driving force behind its photography capabilities, the Vivo's images also rely on a dedicated image processor called "V2" that powers the phone's Ae
With the latest generation of devices in the X series, X100 and X100 Pro, Vivo claims to have further improved the quality of imagination. I tested the X100 (the non-Pro variant) specifically to test the special features that Vivo has added for portrait photography. For these reasons I was pleasantly surprised.
The partnership with Zeiss makes a 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 photography on the N series and later on the Lumia series of phones, and has sporadically assisted Sony with the cameras on its Xperia phones.
It's not even the first Vivo phone with Zeiss optics. In fact, this is the fourth generation of the club. And unlike Nokia or Sony, where Zeiss' role was limited to providing camera lenses, Vivo deepened this integration by helping to recreate the effects of the popular Zeiss lenses for professional cameras.
This approach may surprise Zeiss purists, as the brand is aimed at maximalists who would rather control a variety of settings than a fast, automatic capture. I say this because even today most Zeiss camera lenses only have manual focus, keeping them away from beginners and casual walkers. Their lenses are excellent at producing sharper images, but with a beautiful tone, especially in the background. Additionally, Zeiss lenses are relatively much more expensive than comparable models from other camera manufacturers such as Nikon or Canon, making them a bit more demanding for professionals and serious enthusiasts.
Vivo's partnership with Zeiss makes it possible to recreate these dreamlike effects (mainly rendered through algorithmic improvements) on the X series phones. Of course, the latest X100 and X100 Pro models benefit from the newer, more nuanced edition of these effects.
The Vivo X100 reproduces Zeiss effects in two important ways. First, it simulates the same effects as Zeiss' six prime lenses. These include Biotar, B-Speed, Sonnar, Planar, Distagon and Cine-Flare. Each of them is an icon.
Second, Portrait Mode offers preset zoom levels for all three cameras to match typical focal lengths of professional camera lenses. If this seems confusing, let me explain. Live Instead of the standard intermediate zoom levels of 1x, 2x, 3x or similar, Portrait mode lets you choose from several focal length options (24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and 100mm) that match the focal lengths of the most popular digital Zeiss models. Cameras. Camera lenses.
Finally, the Vivo X100 offers presets for various portrait photography scenarios using the above features together. It uses combinations of focal length and lens effects for different scenarios and aims to produce the same images as Zeiss lenses.
I hope this makes you curious about the real results of the Vivo X100's portrait mode. Let's start by examining how different lens flares work.
What the Vivo X100 camera can do
All images of the Vivo X100 were deliberately taken in low light conditions for two reasons: First, to show that the portrait effects are more pronounced. whether they would do it in daylight or in bright environments.
For the first comparison, let's look at several background effects inspired by Zeiss lenses. To see the differences, notice the shapes around the light sources behind me.
With true Zeiss lenses, these effects are created by physical changes in the aperture or by a physical shutter that manipulates the amount of light entering the lens. For example, the B-Speed lens uses a triangular aperture, which is why sources of background light appear triangular, but with curved edges instead of straight. Similarly, the effects of a Biotar lens are in the shape of a true convex lens, while the effects of a Distagon are in the shape of a hexagon.
Alive and in the fog, as shown below.
However, when conditions are favorable, we can expect some solid and distinctive gems in the background. Interestingly, these portrait effects work even without a face or live subject in the frame, making the Vivo X100 a great camera for still life photography, not just capturing faces.
Another aspect I have to highlight is the accuracy with which the Vivo X100 detects edges, even in low light conditions. This ability
You can use all of these effects with any focal length setting, depending on the distance to the subject and the depth of field and depth of field you want for your images. Additionally, each effect allows you to manipulate the intensity of the background blur, but I left the default settings.
All of the examples I've shared above are set to the 35mm setting, which is about 1.5x magnification. Due to the constant bad weather in my city over the last few weeks (and the lack of visibility, especially at night), I refrained from choosing longer focal points, as this would require shooting from further away.
However, if you don't want to worry about the settings, you can choose Vivo's preset portrait kits.
More portrait magic
In addition to the Zeiss camera effects we looked at in the previous section, the Vivo X100 also offers preset combinations that select the appropriate lens, zoom level and Zeiss effect based on popular lens formats. For example, there are the aforementioned modes for portraits of people and streets, a classic mode for a retro look, a "figure" mode for focusing at long distances, and a "large flat" mode for closer your face to come. If you want a simpler portrait shot without all the bells and whistles, you can do it in Natural mode. In addition to the Zeiss effects in each of these modes, the intensity of the blur is also selected with each of these camera presets. You can use the modes as is or experiment to find the settings you like.
Here is our first set of images taken at different focal points (as shown). You can see differences not only in distance, but also in colors (note the blue cast in Classic mode), background effects and blur intensity in each photo.
Because of the haze in the background, the backlights are spread out as in the previous comparisons. So let's go further inside for the next comparison.
The lack of space in the room forced us to move the camera closer to my face instead of capturing a larger area. In addition to the variations of different camera effects, this comparison shows how focal length affects the shape of objects in focus.
See the subtle changes in my face shape at different focal points. This is because the curvature of the lenses tends to go past the edges the closer you get to an object. Photographers use a similar technique to capture more flattering portraits.
In addition to the variations of my face, you can also see the different bokeh effects around the fairy lights in the background. Each of these effects automatically changes with the preset as shown above.
With these features, the Vivo X100 can open the doors to the world of Zeiss (or other professional prime lenses). Even if you don't want to, the images are so convincing that you'll wonder if they were taken with a phone or a real camera, and you can keep the other person guessing as long as you want.
But is it worth buying?
I hate to admit it, but my abilities with a real camera are limited. Although I know my F-scores from my shutter speed, I'm not as skilled with the camera as a professional. This is why I rely on smartphones to capture moments, and I think I'm like most people out there.
So phones love photography. I live with a camera. Can it replace a professional camera? Or can any phone replace a professional camera? There is no absolute or simple answer. I think that phones like the Vivo
The Vivo X100 makes a lot of sense for those who take a lot of photos and want a higher quality than most phones. As we have shown before, the
The Vivo X100 eliminates the need for a Pro mode.
However, despite this charm, there are a few aspects that prevent me from recommending it to everyone. First, even though Vivo has one of the most advanced cameras on the phone, the interface still lacks sophistication. You'll see a chaotic mix of incompatible images, a subpar user experience, and a large amount of pre-installed bloatware (which may vary by region). These stressors seem unreasonable for a phone that costs around $1,000 (based on Hong Kong prices). The second challenge, as you might have guessed, lies in the availability of the Vivo X100. Even if you buy the phone from AliExpress (the Chinese Amazon) and get a whopping 35% discount, there is no guarantee. While you may still be able to find a way to repair your phone if something goes wrong in Europe, Latin America or Asia, North American residents may be out of luck as Vivo sells in those regions.
So at best, the Vivo X100 is a great second phone that's also a great camera. If you just want to learn about the world of Zeiss lenses and effects, the X100 can also be an appetizer or litmus test before spending thousands of dollars on real Zeiss lenses. Not to mention a decent camera with a sensor that can justify the highly rated lenses.
