Android phones generally have night view mode and HDR mode for improving night shot performance, but can they really improve night shot performance?

The contrast sample here comes from《 Night photo of Samsung S6/LG G3/G4, Sony Z2/Lumia 1020/Xiaomi 4/Moto X Pro Photo Review. After comparing the night scene samples of many of the models, it is a pity to find that the night scene mode may not really improve the night shot performance, so I made a special comparison.

explain

In the night photography, the author believes that it is more important to "shoot bright first and then shoot well": "shoot bright" means that the proof should have enough brightness, but it should be close to what the naked eye can see. If the brightness is too high, it will be distorted; "Beat well" includes discrimination and white balance; However, the author's requirements for glare, noise and other problems are not high, as long as they do not affect the appearance too much.

proposal Use "ctrl+mouse wheel" to enlarge the webpage to 170% - 200% (ctrl+0 can restore the original proportion). Although the use experience is still very poor, at least I can barely see the name in the upper left corner of the sample... Click the magnifying glass in the upper right corner of the image to view the "original image".

The model name, sample size and other information are printed on the upper left corner of all samples. The focus is in the center, the left sample is in automatic mode, and the right sample is in HDR or night view mode.

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Moto X

Moto series models use a nearly native system. The camera does not provide night view mode. However, if normal logic is followed, HDR mode should also improve night view performance, but the actual effect is a pity.

Original picture, HDR or night view mode on the right

The central part is magnified by 100%

Original drawing

Central magnification 100%

The center of the picture has been enlarged by 100%

After Moto X turns on HDR, the brightness of the image increases by one gear, and the brightness is higher than that seen by the naked eye, The color of the proof is more pleasing to the eye. The original very serious noise has also been rubbed to a tolerable level. but The discrimination of the machine night scene has slightly decreased Some details are lost due to smearing noise (the words on the ice cream cone at the bottom left of the above figure).

If you are a "reality restoration" party like the author and care about discrimination, you are not recommended to use Moto X's HDR mode in the night scene; However, if its HDR mode is used in the night scene, its advantages outweigh its disadvantages.

Moto X Pro

Moto X Pro also has no night view mode. The camera app is almost the same as moto X, but HDR proof is the opposite of Moto X.

Original picture, left is automatic mode, right is HDR mode

Vision, central magnification

Original drawing

Central amplification

Although the Moto X Pro uses the IMX214 with optical anti shake, the brightness of the night shot sample is one notch lower than that seen by the naked eye, and even "shooting brightness" cannot be guaranteed. The HDR mode even further reduces the brightness of the image, and it is almost impossible to shoot anything in ultra weak light. although The white balance remained the same, but the picture showed obvious smearing marks, and many details of the picture were erased.

If you are a Moto X Pro user, it is more reliable to use the automatic mode at night. Do not use HDR mode to replace it

Sony Z2

Sony's automatic mode is the legendary "golden camera", and its samples are all 8 million pixels. The 20.7 million pixels of the machine can only be turned on in the manual mode, and HDR or night view mode cannot be turned on in this mode.

In the sample below, the left side is in manual mode, and the right side is in "golden camera" automatic mode.

Scene 1, central zoom in

Scenario 2

Scene 2, central zoom in

Scene 3, central zoom in

Scene 4, central zoom in

Scene 5, central zoom in

Sony Z2's performance is similar to Moto X. The photometry of the original sample sheet is very close to what the naked eye can see. After the "Night View Mode" is turned on , sample brightness The golden camera is in Under ultra weak light, there is an overexposure tendency of ISO (which is more than twice as high as that of the previous year), even if there is Algorithm smudging also has many noise points, and The loss of details will be much more serious;

Under normal light, the golden camera has a lower ISO and stronger noise smearing. Although the discrimination is not improved, the image perception is much better.

For Sony Z2, it is recommended to always open the manual mode. Unless it is ultra weak light, do not open the night view of the golden camera

Millet 4

Scenario 1

Scene 1, central zoom in

Scene 2, central zoom in

Scene 3, central zoom in

Scene 4, central zoom in

Scene 4, the lower side of the center is enlarged

Scene 5, central zoom in

The night view mode of Xiaomi 4 will not affect the metering/picture brightness and white balance. However, the noise will be algorithmically smeared at the expense of slightly sacrificing picture details.

For Xiaomi 4 users, the effect of its night view mode is not obvious. The side effect is that the imaging is slow and some details are lost. Basically, it is an algorithm to smear the switch, but there is little difference between opening and closing

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Vivo Xshot/Samsung A5

Left Xshot normal mode, central A5 normal mode, right A5 night view mode

Xiaomi on the left for 2s, A5 normal mode in the center, A5 night view mode on the right

The upper part is Xshot automatic and night view mode, and the lower part is A5 automatic and night view mode

After the night view mode is turned on, the performance of Samsung A5 has been greatly improved, and the brightness of the picture is higher than that seen by the naked eye. Noise has almost been smeared out, but the picture details are still well preserved. This mode is worth turning on at night. It is also worth noting that the automatic mode of Samsung A5 is 13 million pixels, while the night view mode is only 8 million pixels.

In extremely weak light (even the ISO of Xshot has reached 3900 when shooting city night scenes), the A5 night scene mode has greatly improved the brightness of the picture, and the picture details have slightly exceeded the ordinary Xshot mode. But the night view mode of Xshot is also very strong. In addition to fixing the noise, it also retains a lot of picture details. Although the picture will have a sense of oil painting, the details can be hung on A5.

Summary

Night view mode and HDR mode may not improve night view performance. It is generally the models of Samsung, LG, vivo and other manufacturers famous for photo optimization that can bring substantial improvement. For these models, the night view mode is available.

In addition, Samsung and LG have a tendency to completely cancel the night view mode switch (both S6 and G4 have been cancelled). The algorithm will determine whether the night view mode of later models is enabled or not. Although it is easy to use, it may not give full play to the strength of the machine. stay Photo comparison between S6 and Note4 It is also found that S6 sometimes loses to Note4 because the night view mode is not triggered. But this is beyond our control, and we can only open the manual mode at most

For manufacturers such as moto, sony and millet that do not have a special accumulation of photographic algorithms, the night view mode will bring worse details, which is not recommended The Maoists who like to enlarge their photos turn on their night view mode (moto: I actually only give you HDR mode...). However, if you find that the image brightness of the machine is not enough, or you prefer the pleasing night view, the night view mode on Moto X and Sony can still be turned on.