The Pixel 6 is no exception, so we have decided to test its cameras a little more thoroughly with its conventional analysis.
We tell you everything in this video, in which only raw footage from the cameras of this model will be used, although we must bear in mind that YouTube compresses the videos on its platform.
Of course, we want to do it from a comparative approach; the photographers surely see much further than what we tell you here.
main chamber
After many years without changing the sensor of the primary camera of its mobiles, Google has leaped the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro using a 50 Mpx sensor, with an f/1.9 aperture, the equivalent of a 25 mm wide angle.
This sensor is optically stabilized and has Dual Pixel PDAF focus and laser autofocus.
The difference with its predecessors should be noticeable on paper since the sensor has evolved a lot, but there is a problem. Google has bet a lot in recent years on computational photography and software improvements based on algorithms that squeezed the old sensors so much that they were capable of fighting with the modern ones.
Very well done an exhibition
The quality addition was such that now, with new sensors, an impacting evolution is not appreciated. Yes, there are changes and improvements, but it is not the same jump we see in other brands.
In addition, although the primary sensor is 50 Mpx, we do not have a way to take photos at that resolution, forcing the system continuously to use Pixel Binning with 12.5 Mpx photos.
Going into the quality of the images, we realize that Google seems to have been somewhat aggressive with the HDR in the photos, even when it is unnecessary. Obviously, in a backlit image, it is appreciated, and detail is extracted that without HDR, it would be impossible to see. But in other situations, the realism of the image is even damaged. In this shot, we have an example.
Differences between shooting in JPG and RAW
As you can see, information has been recovered from the sky, but at the cost of appearing unreal, not to mention the bluish tints on the table. In addition, the screen of the intelligent speaker seems too exposed to get information, but too much.
But this does not mean that the photos of this mobile are bad, far from it. It can give us well-exposed shots, with very high sharpness and very successful textures, even in highly complex situations.
Well executed HDR
When it comes to portrait photography, the wide-angle ensures that there are no blurs by making a multitude of shots in the background to outline the faces of the primary camera.
Front Camera
The front camera is used increasingly on mobile phones, and Google knows it. That is why it has used an 8 Mpx sensor but with a larger aperture than we are used to, although there is no distortion.
daytime selfie
Despite not maintaining as much detail as in the rear cameras, we obtain well-exposed photographs with a more real HDR than in the back area (at least most of the time) and with a correct skin tone.
night selfie
Of course, the quality drops quietly at night, and we must be more careful when photographing.
Video
As for the video, we have a lot to say about the video, and little of it is terrible. The level jump concerning other years is notorious, but Google has positioned itself as one of the manufacturers that best records video with its mobiles.
This might seem obvious, but it is one of the most difficult challenges that Android mobile brands have.
The stabilization is excellent, and the processor made makes adorable shots, even when we are moving. This also applies to night video, which does not reach the almost magical heights reached by Vivo mobiles with gimbals, but gives us a more satisfactory result.
The software adds integers to the camera.
Google has an incredible photo management tool in Google Photos, and the Pixels know how to get the most out of it.
magic eraser
To begin with, we have the magic eraser, which allows us to remove an element from the image almost by magic. Of course, as we have said in the analysis of the Pixel 6, this function is not perfect and leaves improvable results. There is not much difference, at least in our use, with the equal parts of Samsung or Xiaomi, which we have already discussed.
We appreciate that Google Photos allows you to modify the degree of blurring of portraits since, by default, it is too aggressive, even for users less fond of photography. Sometimes it is unreal and appreciated that we can nuance it.
One of Google’s failures is still the non-inclusion of a professional mode that allows you to control all the camera parameters. Yes, we can take the photos in RAW and edit them later, but even so, it is missing in a mobile that pretends to be the reference in this section.
