My new camera

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SeilerBird

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Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Posts
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Location
St Cloud Florida USA
For those of you who do not know me (you are lucky) I am a retired wildlife photographer and three years ago I bought an iPhone 6 and sold my DSLR stuff. At that point I started using my iPhone for about 99% of my shots. I kept my 50x zoom bridge camera for the really long telephoto shots since cell phone cameras can't do telephoto yet but I rarely use it anymore. I only lasted a year with the iPhone and got out because I just did not fit in the Apple ecosystem. I then returned to Android with a Samsung S6 but only kept it a few months because I did not like the Samsung universe. I replaced it with an LG G4 that I have been using for the last year and a half. It was getting long in the tooth and when Google announced the new Pixel cameras it got my attention. I immediately ordered the Pixel 2 XL.

DxOMark is a French site that tests every new camera and gives it a score making it easy to compare cameras. The iPhone 6 scored a 73, the Samsung S6 scored an 86, the LG G4 scored an 83 and the new Pixels are scored at 98. This got my attention. I read the initial reviews and they were nothing but praise for the incredible camera, just about everyone calling it the best camera phone ever. I knew I had to have one so I ordered it immediately and it has not disappointed me in the least. The new iPhone X got a 97 so it is in second place currently.

This phone is a beast. It has so many new great features. My favorite is the idea of building Google into the camera. You take a photo and push the information button and it looks up the photo on Google and then identifies  the content. If you shoot a movie poster it gives you a review of the movie, and where it is playing. Shoot a bird and it attempts to identify the species. It is brand new and will only get more acccurate as time goes on. My second favorite feature is HDR+. They have taken high dynamic range to a new level. The camera works great in low light and contrasting lighting situations.

But the best feature is being able to join the Google Project Fi network. I am going to do a whole different thread on that to keep this thread reasonable. There is a link to an album of shots from my first week with the camera located in my signature below.

Project Fi link:

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,110136.0.html
 
Nice shots, Tom. I didn't think any phone could do quite that well.

Which Pixel 2? Are you seeing the reported screen problems (burn-in, etc.)? Is there manual exposure and/or focus also?
 
Larry N. said:
Nice shots, Tom. I didn't think any phone could do quite that well.

Which Pixel 2? Are you seeing the reported screen problems (burn-in, etc.)? Is there manual exposure and/or focus also?
Thank you Larry. Yes they are getting better and better with each generation. I forgot to mention the model number. I got the 2 XL which is the big one. I have seen no problems with burn in yet. The problem with the blue tint is being way over exaggerated. I can see the tint but I have to hold it at an angle I would never use the phone with. It takes about a 45 degree angle before it is visible and at that point the letters are squashed an hard to read. No problems with the color gamut. They use the sRGB space and that is what I have been using on my computer and cameras for years so it looks normal to me. I had to look to see if there was manual exposure and there is none. I stopped using manual exposure years ago. However there are plenty of third party apps that will give you manual exposure. The focus is tap and it focuses so I guess there is no manual focus.

I have been watching a OLED TV for the last year and the picture is basically perfect. I wasn't worried about all the rumors about the screen on the Pixel. There is so many over hyped fan boys of Apple and Samsung that I really don't pay attention to the rumors. I knew the screen would be perfect, and it is. Like when the iPhone 6 came out there was a big to do about them bending. Mostly the bad crap was being spread by jealous Android users. I have been hanging out on a Pixel forum for the last month and the vast majority of users are not having screen problems. I don't understand why people can't use what they have and be happy. Why the need to slam the rivals? 
 
You are welcome Larry. There is so much I love about this phone I forgot to mention one of the best things. It has an OLED screen like my TV and the best thing about OLED is the blacks are as black as possible since the pixels are turned off to produce pure black. This makes the rest of the color more natural and they really pop. They have infinite contrast being able to produce a signal to noise ratio that is off the charts. They say it is infinite.
 
the best thing about OLED is the blacks are as black as possible since the pixels are turned off to produce pure black.

Somewhat like the old CRT blacks (my 64" HDTV is a 3 CRT rear projection), much, much better than the LCD, whether backlit or edge lit.
 
I'm suitably impressed, Tom.  Great detail!

Now, my question is - can you actually hear with this phone?  One of my complaints about all the fancy cell phones is they don't pay much attention to sound quality.  It's like they're all so entranced with their technology that they've forgotten the basic purpose of the gadget which is to place and receive telephone calls.  We're looking at new phones and many no longer have a headphone jack and I really don't like the speaker function.  We know a couple of people who don't enunciate very well and talk too fast so we can't make out what they're saying without headphone.  Just wondering.

ArdraF
 
Thank you Ardra. I agree that the earlier cell phones were horrible sounding. This is the best sounding cell phone I have ever owned. I use speakerphone on every call. Except to my brother who complained my last phone sounded lousy when I was on speakerphone. I called him the other day and put it on speakerphone and he told me I sounded fine.
 
I'm still blown away that you can hold the phone 'correctly' and steadily to take the fabulous photos like you do. By coincidence, yesterday I needed to check out the audio mixer of a facility where our retired guys club meets next week for their monthly luncheon. (Long story.)

The system components were stacked on a cart, with the mixer below, covered with a "curtain". I was bent down trying to snap a pic of the front panel using my cell phone, in my point-and-shoot mode. As you'll see from the attached, it came out way out of focus  :-[ although the pic was OK for my needs.
 

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Nice shots - I like the close ups of your cats.  Really sharp.

Did I miss you stating the price you paid for the ability to take greater shots then you have in the past?
 
Tom said:
I'm still blown away that you can hold the phone 'correctly' and steadily to take the fabulous photos like you do. By coincidence, yesterday I needed to check out the audio mixer of a facility where our retired guys club meets next week for their monthly luncheon. (Long story.)

The system components were stacked on a cart, with the mixer below, covered with a "curtain". I was bent down trying to snap a pic of the front panel using my cell phone, in my point-and-shoot mode. As you'll see from the attached, it came out way out of focus  :-[ although the pic was OK for my needs.
Holding the Pixel steady is easy. It has built in optical image stabilization (OIS) and electronic image stabilization (EIS). Makes it hard to shake it. Out of about 200 shots so far I have not shook one yet. I have missed the focus on a dozen or so. But a bunch of them were of a snake shot through glass. I have to get better at setting the focus. The shot you posted looks like it should have had the flash turned on.
 
RedandSilver said:
Nice shots - Like like the close ups of your cats.  Really sharp.

Did I miss you stating the price you paid for the ability to take greater shots then you have in the past?
Thanks Red. They are harder to photograph than wild animals. They refuse to look directly at me when I have a camera in my hand. It might be from the flashes they have endured in the past.

I don't understand the second comment. I don't miss the DSLR days at all. In fact I am so thrilled to be freed from carrying all that weight around and all the expense. One of the biggest advantages of this camera is I no longer need Photoshop or Lightroom. I used to run every shot through one or the other to correct exposure, light balance, light color and saturation. Now I just use the shots as they come out of the camera and I am always happy with the results. The camera is magic.
 
SeilerBird said:
I don't understand the second comment.

Sorry I wasn't clear - I was wanting to know how much the new cell phone you bought cost?

I know what you mean about heavy gear, carrying it around.  I don't miss doing that either as one tripod I still have weighs 12lbs empty
but I haven't used it in a couple of years or more.

 
RedandSilver said:
Sorry I wasn't clear - I was wanting to know how much the new cell phone you bought cost?

I know what you mean about heavy gear, carrying it around.  I don't miss doing that either as one tripod I still have weighs 12lbs empty
but I haven't used it in a couple of years or more.
It came to $912. Google is offering 0% financing so it is $38 per month for 24 months. So that saved me from having to put it on my credit card. I still have not recovered from buying this fifth wheel yet.

I absolutely hate tripods. I own a $20 one and use it about once every two years. That's one of the reasons I am so thrilled with this camera having both OIS and EIS built in.
 
SeilerBird said:
You are welcome Larry. There is so much I love about this phone I forgot to mention one of the best things. It has an OLED screen like my TV and the best thing about OLED is the blacks are as black as possible since the pixels are turned off to produce pure black. This makes the rest of the color more natural and they really pop. They have infinite contrast being able to produce a signal to noise ratio that is off the charts. They say it is infinite.

Do you have any trouble seeing this OLED screen in bright sunlight?  How is the battery life?
 
JoelP said:
Do you have any trouble seeing this OLED screen in bright sunlight?  How is the battery life?
It is a lot more visible than the G4 I just stopped using. I don't have to take off my sunglasses to see it. I get about three days on a battery charge unless I take a lot of photos.
 
Tom said:
The system components were stacked on a cart, with the mixer below, covered with a "curtain". I was bent down trying to snap a pic of the front panel using my cell phone, in my point-and-shoot mode. As you'll see from the attached, it came out way out of focus  :-[ although the pic was OK for my needs.
Taking an out of focus shot with this camera is next to impossible. It has a very small aperture and just about everything in the shot will be in focus from ten centimeters to infinity. It has a new portrait mode that is becoming fashionable in cell phones. Since it has such tremendous depth of field due to the small aperture the portrait mode simulates a DSLR with a large aperture which causes the person to be in focus and the rest of the shot to be out of focus to draw more attention to the person being photographed. Check out this shot of Tarzan. The interesting thing about this is the fact that all the other cameras offering a portrait mode (iPhone, S8, etc) achieve the blurred background by using two lenses. Google does it with one lens.
 

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A big thanks, but I'm not about to upgrade or switch to another brand.

I get lots of calls from folks with 'computer problems' and, when I turn up at their home, they're usually in an Apple situation  :(
 
Tom said:
A big thanks, but I'm not about to upgrade or switch to another brand.

I get lots of calls from folks with 'computer problems' and, when I turn up at their home, they're usually in an Apple situation  :(
I am not trying to talk you into switching. Personally I do not allow my friends to dictate what camera I use. I buy the best camera on the market period. Manufacturer doesn't matter to me. I want great photos and you basically can't miss with this beast.
 
For all you geeks out there here is a great description of the new HDR+ enhanced mode:

HDR+ ... first, ignore the HDR, because that's not what it is. Google got a whole bunch of imaging ubernerds from all over the land, especially guys who worked in astronomical photography, and had them apply principles used with telescopes... devices trying to get GOOD pictures without a lot of light to play with. And artificial image processing is completely useless to an astronomer. They'd rather a blurry, noisy mess than something processed through an an algorithm, which is another astronomer's best guess what that looks like. So they came up with clever ways to improve an image without screwing with it. HDR+ is sort of a cousin of those techniques.

So what does it do? When you take a picture, the Google Camera takes a series of quick exposures with the exact same settings... 3, 5, as many as 10... and it then goes in and picks out the one that it deems to be the 'best'... it could be the one with the least blur, the one where your kid has his eyes open and looking at the camera, etc. It makes that the 'base' picture.

Then it takes all the other exposures and starts comparing the images, pixel by pixel. Simplified way of looking at it is it averages out each pixel across all the shots. Since noise is random, this will filter out a LOT of the noise and you end up with a value that is pretty much true. It also then goes in and analyzes the image to determine the proper intensity of the pixel (how bright it is). It'll then go through and stitch all those together to form the final image. It might then do a little bit of artificial noise reduction and sharpening, but not much... Google tries to use the image itself to improve its quality rather than an equation.

OK.. that's HDR+... Now, 'On' vs 'Enhanced'. It's all about HOW it takes those images.

In 'On' mode, the camera app is continuously taking exposures and keeping them in a buffer. When you hit the shutter button, it then goes in and captures the last few shots in that buffer.. more if its dark, less if it's bright (the brighter a picture, the better chance it won't need a lot of work done on it). Then it processes them.

In 'Enhanced', it goes a little deeper. Rather than using the continuous steam, it stops that buffer. It will then go an try to set the exposure on the brightest part of the image while also increasing the light sensitivity (ISO) quite high. Now, for most cameras, that means a dark and noisy shot. Why take dark noisy pictures? Well, HDR+ is pretty clever. It can go an in clean up the noise in those dark regions and use the information to boost the lowlights. So if you are taking a picture of someone with bright clouds behind them, no only will you be able to see their faces, the clouds behind won't be blown out.

Now, since "Enhanced" takes more grunt work, you lose that instant shutter speed of the default mode. But what you gain is the ability to take a good picture in an extremely challenging situation... usually where you have a wide range of lighting, or if you are trying to take a really dark or night shot.
 
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