Zoom Zoom: Testing 10x Hybrid Zoom in Dublin with the Huawei P30 Pro and Oppo Reno 10x Zoom
by Ian Cutress on May 22, 2019 10:30 AM ESTClosing Thoughts
Ultimately my main use for zoom in the future is going to be at press events for AnandTech, just in case I don’t manage to get my usual front row seat. In those instances, where it is always a rush to get the photo and do the live blog, having presets for the zoom features is critical.
In this case, the Reno wins a point by virtue of having a 2x zoom preset. I should assume that adding a preset could be a simple addition for the Huawei device, or in fact, they could allow users to have custom zoom level presets in future. This would be ideal. But the large jump from 1x to 5x on the P30 Pro isn’t as seamless as perhaps Huawei would like it to be. Nonetheless, for me, any phone with any zoom feature in future should have a series of presets.
At a distance, in auto mode, the P30 Pro does make anything not in direct light a little darker than I would have liked. This isn’t a critical issue, given that a user can apply post processing, but ultimately I suspect only a few will. The Reno does this a little better, however the Reno certainly has difficulties in its 10x hybrid mode. A number of times we saw the images come out a little blurry, however text was easier to read compared to the P30 Pro. I’m not sure if this is a great trade off, however we were told by Oppo that the Reno 10x Zoom will be coming thick and fast with camera updates, so that may change in the future.
In the grand scheme of things, this is a tough comparison. The Reno has the slightly better interface, and the 6x optical zoom does have benefits over the 5x optical zoom in the P30 Pro. However, Huawei’s 10x mode is certainly better than Oppo’s, and it’s a mix up on which one is better with processing based on the situation of the photo at hand. One of the key differences here is going to be price, and the Oppo is nearly 30% cheaper than the Huawei P30 Pro. If one of the next battlefields of the smartphone industry is zoom cameras, then I hope these make their way into the more mainstream soon. We’re already seeing upper-mainstream phones come out with 3x optical / 5x hybrid zooms, and it will be interesting to see how the software adapts to improve the hybrid zoom modes.
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anomy - Thursday, May 23, 2019 - link
Someone had to say it! Thank you!BedfordTim - Thursday, May 23, 2019 - link
The cows show it beautifully.peevee - Wednesday, May 22, 2019 - link
Purple skies in Huawei pics - are they seeing red right now?Zizy - Wednesday, May 22, 2019 - link
Picture sets 1 and 2 have "Reno 10x zoom" at the bottom of all Reno images. Others don't. I think it is better to omit that information for these comparisons when looking at the (small) image on the page directly, but they are nice if you want to download images or compare full-sized ones.For picture set 6, I think readability of the text is a bit problematic given angle of the paper is a bit different and has more reflections for Huawei. But I agree that Oppo still wins this aspect and I agree with verdict here.
As for zoom levels, I believe x2 and x5 options are the best in most pictures shown here. x6 could be nice if Reno managed to focus better. x10 is of too poor quality to serve as a nice picture, while just the text on the bike really shows some extra value in x10 zoom for Oppo (while Huawei, despite generally better x10 images, doesn't have even that).
Hrel - Friday, May 24, 2019 - link
HOW IS IT POSSIBLE YOU ALL ARE STILL PUSHING HUAWEI?!?!?!?!If they're paying you or sending you products for free you are REQUIRED to disclose that fact, I don't see it mentioned however!
tygrus - Sunday, May 26, 2019 - link
Judging by your 10x zoom test images:The Huawei has a larger dynamic range, higher resolution and lower noise (or better focus). They typically look more natural and avoid some highlight clipping because of darker exposures (thou users don't like darker images).
The Oppo is using more image processing to increase contrast and smooth noise.
The Oppo photos don't have the same detail as the Huawei photos.
tygrus - Sunday, May 26, 2019 - link
The problem is, Huawei staff have a habit of stealing trade secrets and dodgy business practices.athiril - Monday, June 10, 2019 - link
The Reno 6x looks absolutely awful, extremely soft and low detail. It is not better in any single shot. The sign on the bike is simply hanging down more in the Reno shot, the Huawei is many times better. Also a lot of artefacting in the Reno images. Was hoping the Reno would be as good or better. Hopefully its better on the production model, I'd prefer it to the Huawei if possible.The Huawei 5x images are also very soft, but its worlds better.