Seize the moment: Detailed explanation of predicted shooting of Sony Xperia XZs

IT168 Review of Sony Xperia XZs As a small iteration of the XZ, there are not many highlights in terms of appearance and performance. The biggest selling point is the Sony IMX400 sensor it is equipped with. After Sony Xperia XZ added laser focus, RGBC-IR sensor and electronic five-axis anti-shake, XZs has taken the recording to a higher level, introducing 960fps slow-motion and predictive shooting functions. For users who are keen on mobile photography, Sony’s upgrade this time is simply too conscientious.

Jingdong Mall: Sony Xperia XZs is now accepting reservations, priced at 4,199 yuan. Click to view details

For users who have purchased Sony Xperia XZs, super slow-motion video shooting It's relatively easy to get started, and you can easily master the key moments by taking a few shots. However, this predictive shooting function must still have some problems for users who are just getting started with XZs. So what are the principles and benefits of this feature? In what scenarios can I use it? Or how to correctly trigger this function has become the question that this article mainly answers for you.

1. What is a preset photo?

As the name suggests, preset photography means: Sony Xperia XZs will take a photo in advance before you press the shutter to take a photo. That is to say, after you press the shutter, in addition to the normal output of a photo, XZs will also provide you with 1 to 3 photos (maximum ***4) recorded in a short period of time before opening the door, depending on the specific situation. photo). Unlike Apple's Live Photos, the iPhone simultaneously records a photo and a short video with a lower resolution. The XZs directly outputs four full-pixel (19 million pixels) photos with lossless image quality.

▲Basic introduction to predictive shooting

2. Why only Sony Xperia XZs can implement the predictive shooting function.

The reason why Sony Xperia XZs can support the predictive shooting function is because the Sony IMX400 sensor it is equipped with has a built-in DRAM layer, which is not found in other mobile phones. Currently on the market, except for Sony Xperia XZs and the XZ Premium, which is not yet on the market, the CMOS in other mobile phones does not have a built-in DRAM layer, so it naturally cannot support predictive shooting.

So what are the benefits of having a DRAM layer built into CMOS? In fact, it provides a cache for CMOS to temporarily store image information. To give a simple but inappropriate example, the general CMOS is like a highway, and the image data is like the cars passing by the highway, while the CMOS added to the DRAM layer is a highway with overpasses. With a certain carrying capacity, more cars can be temporarily stored. The process of each exposure of the camera is the process of intercepting a section of cars on the road. Therefore, CMOS with a DRAM layer can obtain more data and therefore has predictive shooting capabilities.

3. What are the benefits of predictive shooting.

Predictive shooting improves the user’s error tolerance when capturing a certain shot. For example, when shooting moving objects, you can easily get a blurry photo, but there will never be a chance to repeat the missed shot. But if your phone has a predictive shooting function, you can also choose one photo from the four photos to save. When shooting a scene where everyone jumps together, it can basically be done in one go~

▲Predictive shooting official demonstration video

　4. How to turn on the predictive shooting function.

In the settings options of the Sony Xperia XZs camera, the official currently only provides two options: automatic and off. In other words, you cannot guarantee that you can save photos every time you take them, but it depends on the "mood" of the phone, which easily causes many users to not understand this function. So much so that during actual use, it doesn't trigger when you want to trigger it, and it triggers when you don't want to trigger it, which greatly affects the user experience.

▲Metion Eye camera interface

So let’s take a look at the triggering mechanism of predictive photography. As long as you master certain skills, you can easily trigger predictive photography.

5. What is the specific triggering mechanism of predictive shooting.

The result of my consultation with Sony engineers is that when the camera determines that the object in the viewfinder is moving, it will automatically start predictive shooting. Although it looks the same on the surface, we just need to allow the camera to determine that the subject is moving.

So I tested it in various scenarios.

The scene covers objects moving horizontally, vertically, and in circles; characters walking horizontally, jumping vertically, and running in circles. There are many test results, so I won’t list them all.

▲Move the object left and right

▲Move the object forward and backward

▲Move the object in a circular trajectory

The actual measurement results obtained are as follows.

(1) Users do not have to focus on the subject in advance to trigger predictive shooting, and focusing in advance will not increase the probability of triggering.

(2) Moving objects and people can trigger predictive shooting, so this function is not necessarily only used when capturing people.

(3) The movement trajectory of the photographed object has nothing to do with the triggering probability.

(4) Pressing the shutter slower will make it easier to trigger predictive shooting.

(5) Light intensity has little effect on the triggering probability.

In summary, predictive shooting can only show its practicality when shooting moving objects. It is understandable that Sony did not design a switch to turn it on. Because under normal circumstances there is no need to keep four photos at the same time, it will only take up more storage space. Tests have shown that with a few tricks, you can easily trigger predictive shooting when photographing moving objects.

First of all, when taking a photo, press the shutter button as slowly as possible and give Motion Eye some time to determine whether the object being photographed is moving. Secondly, if the object being photographed moves too fast or too slowly, it will affect the probability of triggering the preset shooting. You can put your finger in front of the lens and move it back and forth to feel it. Finally, the larger the moving object occupies the viewfinder, the greater the chance that it will trigger the preset shooting, because this will make Motion Eye better able to identify whether it is a sports mode.

After testing, although I have basically mastered the triggering rules and techniques of preset shooting, I may not be able to trigger it every time. I still hope that Sony will add a function to enable preset shooting in future software optimization instead of just relying on automatic. After all, no matter how smart the algorithm is, it is not as good as setting it up in advance before taking pictures.

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