Someone still cannot believe that smartphone cameras are capable of demonstrating results that will not be inferior to expensive professional solutions. Of course, if you look closely and study the details, anyway, on an expensive camera with a large sensor and lens, there will be more 'tasty' RAW-format images, but there is one very important point – where the images are used. As a rule, when it comes to Instagram and other similar sites, due to compression, all the details of a more expensive camera will disappear and there will be no difference between a photo on a smartphone and a professional camera. And we'll show this with the Pixel 4 and Sony A7R3. In the US, such a camera is priced at $ 5,000.
Can the Pixel 4 compete with a $ 5,000 camera?
The author of the video compared the cameras of the devices in several scenes. Let's say right away that you won't notice almost any difference. Let's take a look at the first frame:
Google Pixel 4 vs Sony a7r3
You can see that the photo is warmer on the A7R3, and the colors themselves on the A7R3 seem more realistic. In the case of the Pixel, you can see a slight glossy effect on all objects due to the HDR + mode. But, on the whole, the frames are almost identical – at first glance, you can't tell which device demonstrates this or that result.
Google Pixel 4 vs Sony a7r3
The second frame is no less interesting – the photos are 99% identical, if you do not take into account the very insignificant difference in colors, but it is so insignificant that it is simply impossible to notice it with the naked eye. Both devices did a great job of rendering the sky, and the Pixel 4 did not show any highlights in the sky. HDR +, of course, does a great job.
Google Pixel 4 vs Sony a7r3
The third shot shows the difference between real and artificial bokeh. Sony's professional camera blurred the background more naturally and more strongly, but again, there isn't much difference, which is surprising. Pixel defined the boundaries of objects very accurately. The next frame also demonstrates almost identical results on both devices:
Google Pixel 4 vs Sony a7r3
The fifth frame shows how the professional camera coped better with blurring nearby objects, but the Pixel's result is not bad. Once again, the similarity of the results is surprising:
Google Pixel 4 vs Sony a7r3
The last scene shows the biggest difference between devices:
Google Pixel 4 vs Sony a7r3
You can see how much better the professional Sony camera did with blur. However, it is possible that some future Google update will improve blur and the difference between a professional camera and a Pixel camera will never be noticed again.
Does it make sense to buy an expensive camera?
It is obvious that now even the cheapest smartphone camera in the hands of a professional can produce great shots. This is how, for example, a professional photographer worked with the camera Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro and got extremely pleasant shots, comparable in quality to photos taken with professional cameras:
Therefore, of course, if you are not very well versed in cameras and you need it for some not very professional things, for example, publications in Instagram, then, of course, the best solution would be to buy a Google Pixel 4 or any other modern flagship, because today you won't notice much difference in quality between the cameras iPhone 11, Galaxy Note 10 or Pixel 4.
Is there a budget option?
Of course, not so long ago we wrote an article about the most inexpensive camera phones. The best option would be to buy the Google Pixel 3a. On eBay, the supported version will cost 13-15 thousand rubles, and the new one will cost about 20-30 thousand. But the quality of the images is just excellent.
ShotFor Android Insider
We suggest running a small game. In Instagram publish your photos with the hashtag #shotforandroidinsider. Additionally, indicate with a hashtag on which device the photo was taken. We will publish the best photos on our website with attribution and links to yours Instagram. Also, don't forget about our Telegram chat.