Review: We Tested the Cameras on the Sony Xperia 1 V

Speaker 1: This is the Sony XO one, mark five. And if you're saying to yourself, Hey, this looks a lot like the Sony XO one mark four, or, Hey, this looks a lot like the Sony XO one mark three. You're right, it does. In fact, it takes all the great things on those phones like the 4K display and has a bunch of quality of life improvements like on the sides here. They're ribbed, which makes it [00:00:30] easier to grip and a bit more stylish. Or the back where we have Gorilla Glass Dictus two, and it has this nice textured imprint on the back, which not only looks stylish, but does this Speaker 2: <laugh>? Speaker 1: Yeah, so if anyone's looking for a uh, washboard player in their jug band, give me a call. But on the hole, the Sony Xperia one Mark five is defined by the cameras. Oh, the cameras. I am so [00:01:00] incredibly impressed with these cameras. Let's talk all about it. Speaker 1: All right, let's start by getting all the disclaimer stuff out of the way. This is the Sony Xperia one, mark five. This is a pre-production sample that Sony lent me to test out. I've had about four days with the phone at this point when I'm recording this video, so I'm just going to focus mainly on the cameras and the improvements that come with those [00:01:30] and do some comparison to some other phones. And that's about it. If you wanna see my full written review, check out cnet.com. It'll have battery tests and performance tests, and just what it's like to use an everyday real life. And let's talk about the cameras. And first, we're actually gonna start with a photo that Tim Cook shared on Twitter of him visiting Sony in Japan. First of all, yet, let's acknowledge that Tim Cook is doing a very Vincent Donofrio Law and Order Titan lean in to inspect those iPhones there. Speaker 1: But bigger than [00:02:00] that is the fact that Apple and Sony have had a decade long partnership. Basically, Sony supplies Apple with sensors for their cameras on the iPhone. And what I love about Experia phones is oftentimes we'll see some of those sensors make their debut on the Experia. And that brings me to the Sony Xperia one, mark five in its new sensor. Now, hardware wise, three out of the four cameras on this phone are identical. The ones on last year's Experia one mark four, that's the same 12 megapixel [00:02:30] selfie camera, same 12 megapixel ultra wide camera, and the same 12 megapixel. It's insane to think that this is inside this camera. Tele Aoto camera with Lynn's elements that actually move between 3.5 and five point times magnification, just like an actual camera lens. And that brings us to the main camera. And the big news here is there's a new 52 megapixel sensor. Speaker 1: What's unique about the sensor is it's actually really wide. Most sensors are pretty squareish, [00:03:00] and when you take a photo, it uses up the entire sensor. But when you take a video, it crops into just the middle of the sensor to do that 16 by nine video crop. And where Sony did is they're expanding their sensor. So when you use video, it uses the whole sensor. And when you take photos, it's just cropping in on those edges. So as opposed to using 52 megapixels for photos, you're getting a 48 megapixel photo that's pixel bin down to 12 megapixels. That [00:03:30] combined with faster data readout speeds is how Sony is now leaning into computational photography. Just like Apple, just like Google, just like Samsung, that means there's a night mode on this phone for the very first time. And this phone should take better photos in medium and mixed lighting. And you don't have to take my word for it. In fact, take a look for yourself. Speaker 1: All right. Now you might be wondering how this phone [00:04:00] holds up against the iPhone 14 Pro. Well, pretty good action. Now take a look at this photo I took inside a barbershop with the Sony. Notice the window in the man who is seated. Pay attention to his head and neck. Now, here's the iPhones photo. The man's head and neck is all in shadow. Now take a look at the tips sign on the table. The lettering is a little sharper in the iPhones photo. In fact, on the hole, the iPhones photo is over sharpened compared to the one from the Sony. [00:04:30] Uh, here are photos of a dog outside the skate shop. I took these with the Sony at 3.5 times magnification and the iPhone at three times magnification. Notice the text here on the dog's fur in both photos is great. The Sony's photo has the natural out of focus background of its lens, whereas the iPhone's photo, the background is also in focus on the whole. Speaker 1: These are both good shots, but I prefer the one from the Experia. The dog just looks less flat and just pops out more. [00:05:00] Now let's add in the Samsung Galaxy S 23 Ultra to the mix. Here are photos from each phone of a Ford Bronco at dusk. Again, all three photos look good in the Samsung picture. Everything is just a little bit brighter. And the iPhone pick, there's more contrast and the shadows are darker. Notice the front wheel. The Sony photo lives somewhere in between. Shadows aren't crushed the black, but there's still a good amount of contrast and highlights. Just roll off buttery smooth. [00:05:30] Here are photos from all three phones of some baked eggs taken under mixed lighting. The iPhones photo looks over sharpened. Notice the bread and the colors are a bit muted. Also, there is daylight coming in from the side and warm lighting above, and the iPhone seems to white balance things to look more cool. The Samsung's photo really saturates the colors of the Romanesco sauce, but I think does the best jobs in terms of color temperature. The Sony's photos definitely skew warm and focus on the kale [00:06:00] as opposed to the bread. And my doctor wants me to do that more too. <laugh>. Speaker 1: Let's go someplace really dark like the basement bar at Smuggler's Cove. These photos were taken with the phone's night mode of the three. My favorite is the one from the Samsung. Now the Sony does a good job of handling the shadows and colors, but the bartenders movements during the capture time just makes everything look blurry and the highlights are blown. Let's try a static subject like this tiny table of [00:06:30] tiki drinks. Of the three photos, my favorite has to be either from the Sony or the Samsung. Now the iPhones photo is just over sharp. And also notice the colors of the umbrella. The Sony's photo makes it look almost orange. Overall, I'm glad Sony boosted the computational photography on the Experia, and I think it's a success in most situations. However, we also see from this test that Samsung still dominates when it comes to night mode. But let's talk about [00:07:00] video for a moment. Speaker 1: If my voiceover sounds a bit different, I'm using the Sony Xperia one, mark five, and the Music Pro app to record this section. Now let's take a look at a couple videos. The first one is recorded by the Sony, and it's inside a stairwell at a mall. And the first thing I notice is the lack of dynamic range. The entire stairwell, which is lit by sunlight, is blown out. All the highlights are blown to white and the shadows and stuff. It just looks very muddy. [00:07:30] And here's the iPhone version. And immediately you see what all that apple processing does. There's a wider dynamic range. It is a little over sharp, but everything looks clean and clear. Alright, here are two videos. This first one is with the iPhone. And before I zoom in, I think the video has really good image quality, but as I zoom, you could see that digital zoomed as things are degrading, becoming more contrasty and more noisy. Now with the Sony, I think this general [00:08:00] shot looks good, but as soon as I start to zoom in, it's a, it holds the image a little bit better, but that's to be expected because it has a dedicated telephoto lens that moves Speaker 1: At the end of four days. What are my thoughts about this phone overall? I'm just so happy that Sony added computational photography to the Experia. I think in most situations it's a success. The next thing, well, we're [00:08:30] reminded how Samsung is still dominant when it comes to night mode. And then there's one more detail that's gonna put all this in perspective for you. The Sony Experia one, mark five costs $1,400. That's a lot of money. The iPhone 14 pro costs a thousand dollars. The Samsung Galaxy S 23 Ultra costs $1,200. This phone costs $1,400. Do I wanna buy it for $1,400? Personally, I think, [00:09:00] no, but there are other people who this might be perfect for. In fact, if you're one of those people considering this phone, know that Sony does have a pre-order deal that when you buy this phone, you'll get a free pair of Sony headphones. So that does ease the sting a bit. But now I wanna hear from you guys. What do you think about the Sony Xperia one, mark five. Do you think the computational photography brings this up to the level of Apple and its iPhone or Samsung in its Galaxy Ultra Series? Let me know in the comments.