What's new in the Pixel 6 Pro camera?

(Pocket-lint) - The Google Pixel has agelong had a estimation for fantabulous photos. Since the archetypal instrumentality launched successful 2016, immoderate you deliberation of Google's phones - oregon successful information Android - the Pixel has been a byword for a large camera.

For immoderate that's been confusing: Google stuck with the aforesaid sensors and overmuch the aforesaid acquisition connected its phones for a fig of years. While others person jumped astir with antithetic configurations, the Pixel camera has conscionable rolled on.

But it's each alteration for 2022, with the biggest switchup successful the Pixel camera successful the 6 years of its history.

The Google Pixel 6 Pro camera

There are 3 cameras connected the rear of the Google Pixel 6 Pro, successful that distinctively-designed Camera Bar stretching crossed the backmost of the phone.

That barroom besides houses the laser for assisted focus, arsenic good arsenic spectral and flicker sensors, arsenic good arsenic the flash.

Working near to close you person the main camera, ultrawide camera and past the distinctive rectangular opening for the folded/periscope telephoto.

Main camera

• 50MP, 1/1.31in, 1.2μm, f/1.85

The large quality is that Google has moved to a 50-megapixel sensor, from the 12-megapixel sensor that it has utilized for a agelong time. This brings astir a alteration similar we've ne'er seen before.

The older Pixel models usage the Sony IMX363 sensor, with a 1/2.55in size and 12.2-megapixel resolution. The pixels connected this sensor are 1.4μm.

The caller sensor is thought to beryllium the Samsung ISOCELL GN1 (this hasn't been confirmed), but Google has confirmed that it has a 1/1.31in size, which is overmuch bigger, and a 50-megapixel resolution. The resulting pixels are 1.2μm.

What does each this mean? Ignoring solution for a minute, it means that the Pixel 6 Pro sensor (and Pixel 6 for that matter) is overmuch larger than previously. Google says that it tin sorb 150 per cent much airy - and airy is the cardinal happening for capturing images.

The pixels connected the caller sensor are really smaller, but surprisingly, not by much. At 1.2μm they're larger than galore rivals, but they are combined to springiness a 12.5-megapixel representation (50 ÷ 4 = 12.5).

(It's worthy remembering that galore precocious solution sensors are nary bigger than the aged Pixel sensor, and person smaller pixels. That mightiness dependable bully connected paper, but won't ever springiness bully results erstwhile tons of airy is needed.)

The Pixel 6 Pro has a dedicated telephoto camera, but connected the Pixel 6, the 50-megapixel main camera volition person to supply the solution for the 7x Super Res Zoom that it offers too.

Unlike immoderate different phones, there's nary enactment to sprout successful afloat resolution, i.e., 50 megapixel photos. We're blessed with that - there's nary existent vantage to shooting overmuch larger images unless your program is to zoom and harvest manually afterwards - and the full constituent of Super Res Zoom is that you don't bash that.

There is physics and optical representation stabilisation connected the main camera.

Ultrawide camera

• 12MP, 1.25μm, f/2.2, 114 degrees

The ultrawide camera is akin to what we've seen before, present offering what's referred to arsenic 0.7x zoom but up to 114 degrees wide.

Previously it was 0.6x and 117 degrees, but enactment that these maximum tract of views aren't ever disposable unless you usage the RAW representation file.

That's due to the fact that there's lens correction astatine play that volition region immoderate of the distortion connected the representation and that often means the last representation isn't arsenic wide arsenic the stated figure.

Interestingly present the solution has decreased (it's 16-megapixels connected the Pixel 5 and older models), but the pixel size has really increased, truthful it should beryllium amended astatine capturing light. The aperture remains the same.  

Telephoto camera

• 48MP, 0.8μm, f/3.5, 4x optical

The newness connected the Pixel 6 Pro comes from the telephoto lens - the archetypal periscope oregon folded benignant lens that Google has used, which truly sees it joining the mainstream with this technology, which Samsung and Huawei person been pushing successful caller devices.

Rather than having a consecutive airy way from lens to sensor, the airy is shifted done 90 degrees by a prism. That gives much abstraction betwixt the lens and sensor successful the telephone truthful a greater magnification tin beryllium achieved - hence the unusual rectangular design.

This isn't the archetypal telephone with a telephoto from Google - the Pixel 4 XL offered 2x - but the Pixel 6 Pro is truly a measurement guardant successful ambition and volition springiness clearer images with greater zoom.

There's a 48-megapixel sensor for starters and portion the pixels aren't big, that solution is determination to assistance the progression retired to 20x Super Res Zoom. It offers OIS and EIS to support it steady. Super Res Zoom is simply a hybrid zoom strategy that takes information from aggregate frames to amended the upscaling, it fundamentally uses a load of AI to marque zoomed images better. 

It means that you get amended results utilizing a pinch zoom than if you instrumentality the photograph and past pinch to magnify the representation - and that holds existent of the 20x Super Res Zoom strategy of Pixel 6 Pro.

While the aperture has dropped to f/3.5, meaning little airy gets to the sensor, this isn't uncommon connected telephoto lenses. Google plays the aforesaid instrumentality that others usage - similar Samsung - of choosing the lens based connected the airy conditions. Hit the 4x zoom enactment successful debased airy and you're really utilizing integer zoom from the main sensor, due to the fact that the results volition beryllium amended than from the telephoto successful those conditions. 

This is casual to trial - conscionable screen the lens connected the rear of the telephone to spot which it's really using. If, successful debased light, you privation higher zooms, it volition past power to the telephoto. In immoderate lawsuit connected the Pixel 6 Pro, you tin spot the power successful the app erstwhile you determination from integer to optical - again, you tin trial by putting your digit implicit the corresponding lens to spot what you're really looking at.

Front camera

• 11.1MP, 1.22μm, f/2.2, 94 degrees

The beforehand camera connected the Pixel 6 Pro steps up to 11.1 megapixels and supports 4K video. The Pixel 6 has an 8-megapixel beforehand camera and lone offers Full HD video capture.

The Pixel 6 Pro beforehand camera is again ultrawide and similar different Pixel models offers to antithetic fields of view, truthful you tin person thing person oregon thing wider - perfect for radical shots. Again, the wide space fig of 94 degrees is lone disposable successful RAW, it volition beryllium lens corrected and extremity up a small narrower.

The beforehand camera is fixed focus, but it offers each the modes you find elsewhere successful the telephone - portrait, Night Sight, Motion mode, etc. That means you tin instrumentality a selfie and get the large effects you mightiness beryllium getting connected the rear camera, truthful it's a batch much versatile than immoderate rivals.

So what's changed successful the app?

We've elaborate what each the cameras offer, but erstwhile you unfastened the app connected the Pixel 6 Pro, not a batch has changed. Compared to the Pixel 4a 5G (both moving Android 12), there's not a batch of quality successful the app itself.

This, we say, is simply a bully thing. There's thing caller to larn here, it's inactive a elemental experience, with a clutter-free interface and a wide avoidance of options that volition conscionable confuse users.

Indeed, the settings paper is practically the same, touching the settings icon volition popular retired a paper with settings that subordinate to the mode you're successful (e.g., solution successful video, whether you privation look retouching successful portrait, etc).

What has changed is the summation of the Motion mode.

Motion mode explained

One of the caller header features that leans connected AI - arsenic truthful overmuch of Google's camera acquisition does - is Motion mode. This is divided into 2 options - enactment cookware and agelong exposure.

Action cookware is the benignant of happening you'd usage to seizure thing moving astatine speed, similar a motorbike going past. Traditionally to instrumentality these shots, you'd determination the camera with the motorcycle portion taking the photo, thereby blurring the inheritance portion keeping the taxable crisp and successful focus.

Action cookware recreates this by looking astatine the representation and figuring retired what should beryllium crisp and what should beryllium moving.

The different enactment is agelong exposure. This is the benignant of happening you'd usage to make blurring successful an different inactive representation - airy trails oregon fluid question of a waterfall for example. If utilizing a "real" camera you mightiness person to usage a neutral density (ND) filter to trim the airy coming successful truthful you tin person a longer vulnerability to seizure the question without implicit exposing everything else. The Google Pixel 6 volition bash that utilizing AI, fundamentally balancing retired the representation to springiness the content of question successful the scene.

Both options are casual to use, you conscionable person to prime what you privation and deed the button.

White equilibrium slider

There is present the enactment to set the achromatic equilibrium manually, successful summation to vulnerability sliders for brightness and shadows that existed before.

This is possibly a small spot of a geeky option, but it is possibly borne retired of the information that 1 country that the Pixel camera wasn't the strongest, was successful immoderate indoor scenes. While astir of the clip it's great, we've snapped plentifulness of lukewarm indoor images - particularly nether artificial airy - from Pixel phones.

Now you'll beryllium capable to close it yourself by sliding the adjuster, meaning you tin portion retired those erroneous yellowish tones indoors. An admittance of defeat, perhaps?

If you don't privation immoderate of these manual controls they tin beryllium turned disconnected successful the settings.

Real Tone

Another summation is Real Tone. This isn't a mode oregon thing you tin control, it's built into the AI down the Pixel camera.

It's designed to recognise antithetic tegument tones, truthful the camera tin marque definite that everyone successful the photograph looks the mode they should.

A recap of existing modes

Night Sight

The Google camera offers Night Sight which tin instrumentality agelong exposures handheld successful debased airy conditions with singular results. It uses a afloat scope of technologies - bumping the ISO, lengthening the capture, combining aggregate images and correcting to region blur and sound - to make its images.

Astrophotography mode is an hold of Night Sight erstwhile the camera is unchangeable and pointing astatine a acheronian sky. It volition past seizure images up to 4 minutes truthful you tin sprout the stars.

Night Sight tin beryllium manually selected oregon automatically engaged erstwhile successful darker conditions.

Portrait

Portrait is simply a classic, separating the foreground taxable from the inheritance to make that bokeh effect.

There are 2 options offered connected the Pixel 6 Pro 1x oregon 2x truthful you person a somewhat antithetic focal length, though some travel from the aforesaid camera. You tin usage it connected thing you tin absorption on, but erstwhile a look is detected, the camera has a amended thought of what the taxable is.

You past person the enactment to set the representation successful the Tools options successful Google Photos. This volition fto you set the blur oregon depth, and if a look is detected, to set the representation airy presumption too.

Video

Video offers dilatory question and clip lapse connected the apical of regular video. The mean video settings connected the Pixel 6 Pro see 30 oregon 60fps, astatine Full HD oregon 4K resolutions.

Time lapse and dilatory question some connection assorted speeds.

Within video there's besides stabilisation options, which see a mates of precocious options. There's Locked to support the video stable, Active for erstwhile there's tons of movement, oregon there's Cinematic Pan, which volition dilatory things down for a creaseless cookware that looks professional, alternatively than a shaky rotation of the camera.

Modes

Finally there's immoderate of Google's aged modes sitting successful this last option, including panorama and Photo Sphere, which tin stitch unneurotic photos with astonishing precision. There's besides entree to Google Lens, but that enactment is integrated crossed the camera, truthful if you constituent it astatine a QR code, it volition connection the link; if you constituent it astatine a bid of numbers, it volition connection those.

Additions to Google Photos

Some of the caller features of the camera aren't adjacent successful the camera, they're successful Google Photos.

There's a existent consciousness that Google is gathering its ecosystem astir Google Photos, offering unsocial features to Pixel owners and Google One subscribers. Perhaps that's to placate those inactive mourning the nonaccomplishment of unlimited photograph storage.

Google Photos present offers mates of caller tools.

Magic Eraser

Magic Eraser is, arsenic the sanction suggests, a speedy mode to region elements from a photograph you mightiness not want. You tin instrumentality a photograph and past successful Tools successful Google Photos you tin unfastened it up and tidy the image.

Google Photos volition scan the representation to spot if it tin observe thing to remove, but past you tin conscionable hint your digit implicit the elements you privation to remove. A trashcan connected the thoroughfare down you for example, oregon a motion post. You tin adjacent pinch zoom to marque those removals truly precise.

You besides don't request to instrumentality photos with the Pixel 6 Pro to usage this - it volition enactment with each your pictures.

Face Unblur

Face Unblur is designed to region those blurred faces erstwhile idiosyncratic conscionable won't support still. When you unfastened up Google Photos you'll spot there's a badge connected it to amusement it has removed the blurring.

Summing up

There's a batch that's acquainted astir the Pixel 6 Pro camera and there's a batch that's new. We similar that Google has kept the interface and the acquisition similar, but has shifted the underlying technologies.

Certainly, there's a batch that's astute here, truly showing the fusion of computational photography with recently enhanced hardware. While owners of different Pixel devices volition payment from immoderate of these technologies, the Pixel 6 Pro is that caller flagship.

We'll beryllium expanding this diagnostic with much item and tons of samples successful enactment with publishing our last reappraisal of the Pixel 6 Pro. Stay tuned.

Writing by Chris Hall. Originally published connected 19 October 2021.