1+1 is definitely better than 1? Comparison of the effects of mainstream single and dual camera phones

IT168 Review With the release of the iPhone 7 plus equipped with dual cameras, the dual cameras have been used as a selling point by many mobile phone brands, and the new gameplay brought by the dual cameras has also been talked about by users. However, more friends have doubts about such a new thing as dual cameras, especially since the actual capabilities of single cameras have not yet been fully explored, and the practical application value of dual cameras has yet to be discussed. In response to this point of view, today the editor will tell you through actual sample comparisons whether there is a clear gap between single camera and dual camera as advertised by mobile phone brands.

The models participating in this comparison are Nubia miniS, which represents the single-camera camp, and Honor 8, which represents the dual-camera camp. The reason for choosing them is because they are both in similar price ranges. Products that focus on taking photos. As the Honor series that has been deeply involved in dual cameras for a long time, Honor 8 is equipped with two 12-megapixel IMX286 sensor lenses customized with Sony. It is also relatively excellent in dual-camera optimization, so as a test model, it has significance. As another representative model in this comparison, Nubia miniS is equipped with the highest pixel 23-megapixel Sony IMX318 sensor lens currently on the market, and the built-in NeoVision photography system has many functions such as macro mode and electronic aperture. Now let’s take a look at the comparison of camera parameters of the two mobile phones.

"

Comparison of camera parameters between Nubia miniS and Honor 8

Mobile phone models

Nubian Z11 miniS

Honor 8

Sensor

IMX318

IMX286*2

Main camera pixels

23 million

12 million

Main camera aperture

f2.0

f2.2

Number of main camera lenses

6P

6P

Focus mode

PDAF hybrid phase focus

Contrast focus/PDAF phase focus< /p>

Flash

Single color temperature LED

Dual color temperature LED

Front camera pixels

13 million

8 million

Front camera aperture

f2.2

f2.4

From the parameters, Nubia miniS has a natural advantage in terms of pixels. Higher pixels bring clearer details. In terms of aperture, Nubia miniS also has a slight advantage. The Honor 8 has two cameras. , it may be superior in terms of camera functions and certain environments. Of course, these are just parameters. Let’s take a look at the actual samples.

" Sample comparison: (Click to view the original image. )

▲Nubian miniS proofs

▲Honor 8 proofs

▲Detail comparison (left: Nubia miniS; right: Honor 8)

From the overall picture point of view, when there is sufficient light, the overall picture quality level of single/dual cameras is relatively similar. Among them, the brightness of Honor 8 is slightly higher, and the picture color is closer to the human eye. After zooming in, the Nubia miniS showed excellent picture analysis capabilities, and the details of the blades could basically be seen clearly, while the Honor 8 was already a bit miserable.

▲

Nubian miniS proofs

▲

Honor 8 proofs

▲

Detail comparison (left: Nubia miniS; right: Honor 8)

In this set of sample comparisons, the two mobile phones show different styles in terms of white balance. Among them, the picture of Honor 8 It's yellowish, while Nubia miniS is a little purple. But judging from the color of the green leaves and the details after magnification, the Nubia miniS equipped with a single camera in this round of comparison has some advantages over the Honor 8.

▲

Nubian miniS proofs

▲

Honor 8 proofs

▲

Detail comparison (left: Nubia miniS; right: Honor 8)

In this set of sample photos, the single/double camera shows extremely high quality, regardless of the brightness of the overall picture. The color reproduction remains at a relatively high level. After zooming in, we can see that the picture details of the Nubia miniS equipped with a high-pixel lens are much clearer than those of the Honor 8.

"

Nighttime sample comparison: (click to view the original image)

▲

Nubian miniS sample

▲

Honor 8 proofs

▲

Dark comparison (left: Nubia miniS; right: Honor 8)

▲

Detail comparison (left: Nubia miniS; right: Honor 8)

In a more complex night environment, the overall picture quality of both is quite good. .

Among them, the brightness of Honor 8 is obviously higher than that of Nubia miniS. This also illustrates the advantages of dual cameras in night shooting, but it also means that it is not as pure as Nubia miniS in dark places. After zooming in, I found that the Nubia miniS still had some problems with light processing, and the picture was slightly overexposed. However, the details of the Honor 8 were maintained well. The noise in the picture was obviously less, and the subjects were more beautiful. Clear.

▲

Nubian miniS proofs

▲

Honor 8 proofs

▲

Detail comparison (left: Nubia miniS; right: Honor 8)

In the second set of nighttime samples, the nighttime imaging capabilities of the two are still worthy of recognition. Among them, Honor 8 continues to maintain the advantage of dual cameras in brightness, and the overall brightness of the screen is slightly higher than that of Nubia miniS. However, the high-pixel advantage of Nubia miniS is once again reflected in details. Compared with Honor 8, details are less noisy and clearer.

Comparison of single/dual camera blur capabilities: (Click to view the original image)

Currently, all mobile phones with dual cameras on the market have this biggest selling point, that is, through dual cameras With the hardware support and software algorithm calculation, dual-camera mobile phones can bring powerful background blurring effects, and the built-in macro camera of the single-camera Nubia miniS can also achieve similar blurring effects, so the author specially added In order to test the blurring ability, here are the comparison pictures:

▲

Nubian miniS proofs

▲

Honor 8 Samples

▲

Detail comparison (left: Nubia miniS; right: Honor 8)

In dual-camera mode, the background of Honor 8 is blurred The ability is indeed worthy of recognition. The blur effect is very close to the actual effect of a SLR, but you can still see obvious traces of algorithm processing on the edges, which is a bit exposed. Although the Nubia miniS has a macro mode, the blur The effect is still worse than that of Honor 8.

▲Nubian miniS proofs

▲Honor 8 proofs

▲

Detail comparison (left: Nubia miniS; right : Honor 8)

From the comparison of this set of proofs, we can better see the advantages of dual cameras in background blur. The proofs of Nubia miniS with only a single camera basically show no blurring. The effect, on the contrary, the blur of Honor 8 is much more practical.

"

Article summary:

▲Single camera and double camera

" After comparing multiple sets of proofs, we can summarize The following points are made:

1. In the ordinary sample, the overall image quality level of single/double camera is quite close, but the algorithm and color orientation are slightly different. However, if you zoom in to view, the single camera Thanks to the advantages brought by high pixels, the picture clarity is indeed higher than that of dual cameras. Considering that dual cameras are now generally using low-pixel CMOS, we believe that in the short term, dual cameras will still not be as good as high-definition images. Pixel single camera.

2.

Judging from the sample photos at night, thanks to the hardware blessing of the dual camera, the dual camera has a higher brightness level in the dark under the same conditions, and this It is very important in taking photos at night.

3.

In terms of background blurring, the powerful blurring capabilities of dual cameras show great advantages. A single camera is indeed inferior to dual cameras in terms of blurring.

"Conclusion: After seeing this, I believe that everyone has the answer to whether there is a gap between single/dual cameras. As far as the author is concerned, it is undeniable that dual cameras have indeed achieved in some aspects The effect of 1+1 is greater than 1, but because the effective pixels of current mainstream dual-camera mobile phones have always been at a low level, this also leads to a relatively large gap between them and high-pixel single cameras in terms of picture clarity. Sony's differentiated path based on the actual needs of the current market. On the one hand, it continues to use single cameras with high pixels and strong resolution as its selling point. On the other hand, it uses dual cameras to meet more special scenes. application.