Sunday debate - Telephoto vs Ultra-wide secondary camera

13 May 2018
Phones now come with more than one camera and we discuss which complements the primary sensor the best.

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I prefer the wide angle camera over that telephoto thing.

I think the software can be modified to imitate the capabilities of a telephoto camera but the wide angle can't.

    Anonymous, 14 May 2018Eye has 216MPThat's still an insanely sharp image. In a "sensor size" of about 1/1.22inch

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      • AnonD-625621
      • 7k7
      • 14 May 2018

      Anonymous, 14 May 2018whatever y all say, xperia camera is the best. best of the bestGoto the image comaprison tool find the truth for your self....

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        • AnonD-759680
        • PGJ
        • 14 May 2018

        I choose wide angle instead telephoto. simply, because without telephoto, google can achieve bokeh effect through their pixel phone. yeah i know that wide angle can also be achieved by panorama mode, but i prefer wide angle over the telephoto

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          • Anonymous
          • IW@
          • 14 May 2018

          LG's dual camera system (regular wideangle + ultra wideangle) is much more useful than Samsung's/Apple's/Huawei's dual camera system of regular wideangle + short telephoto. Really, 3x zoom is too short for any useful telephoto application. Short telephoto is for portraits and as such, short telephoto lenses should be coupled with wide apertures (f/1.4) for realistic bokehs. As it is, short telephoto implementations in Samsung/iPhone/Huawei with small apertures renders the subject isolation in portrait shots practically non existent making these companies instead use software manipulation to achieve fake bokehs that look really fake and unpleasant. Not so with ultra wideangle secondary lenses like in the LG. They achieve a much more useful and pleasant panoramic effect in scenes that cater to travelers who like to post on social media photos of themselves with the most scenery background possible, or group photos that beautifully show not only the group but the beauty of the scenery. Distortion at the edges means you avoid having people positioned at or near the edges of the frame, but that's the only thing you have to remember. Everything about ultrawide angles is beautiful. It's more artistic and less pretentious when used in a smartphone camera as it doesn't pretend to be a professional camera - no projection of a fake dSLR like bokeh that looks absolutely fake no matter how much software processing is done. And no, panoramic stitching cannot and will never be able to substitute a true ultrawide angle secondary camera. Panoramic stitching is as fake looking as the fake bokehs generated by telephoto secondary cameras in smartphones like in Samsungs/Iphones/Huaweis that falsely claim 'professional looking' photos from a smartphone camera. Who are they fooling? Definitely not true professional camera or dslr owners who at one look at the fake bokeh can instantly identify it as poor imitation from a smartphone camera. Not so with ultrawide angle lenses that truly look professional when used with the proper precautions (keep people away from the edges).

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            • Lccy
            • pLV
            • 14 May 2018

            I have never had a situation where my main camera wasn't wide enough or at least where I wasn't able to take a few steps back, however, I have very often been too far from my subject such as when a nice car I want to photograph is moving fast, or for safety reasons such as on a safari, I have to keep a distance.

            The problem for me is that the main camera on phones has been getting wider over the years to accomodate a wider aperture for low light performance and remove the camera bump, the samsung galaxy s5 had a 31mm lens which I really liked although there were times when it wasn't wide enough, the s6 went wider, the s7 went even wider, and the s9 is now 26mm. The iPhone 8/X has also gone a mm wider to 28mm.

            LG actually have the longest main camera at 29mm which I prefer but at the expense of sensor size, I just wish it could be coupled with a telephoto lens.

            LG and Samsung are the only two flagship manufacturers to offer headphone jacks now, and they both output good quality audio with very high res formats, but I absolutely detest the curved samsung screen's, but I also want a telephoto camera which is actually a normal camera in photography terms.

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              • Anonymous
              • Mc$
              • 14 May 2018

              whatever y all say, xperia camera is the best. best of the best

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                • Anonymous
                • 6c6
                • 14 May 2018

                i hate dual camera

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                  • Anonymous
                  • vV5
                  • 14 May 2018

                  Aadrian , 14 May 2018Wide angle, the implementation of the LG G series and V ser... moreYou should use the longer lens for portraits and food.

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                    • Anonymous
                    • 7AH
                    • 14 May 2018

                    If telephoto offered actual decent zoom, I would say the second camera is actually useful. As it is now, I dont really care.

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                      • Aadrian
                      • Sk@
                      • 14 May 2018

                      Wide angle, the implementation of the LG G series and V series is well executed. I have a telephoto lens on my Note8, never use it. Wide angle is an added feature which is in fact very usable.

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                        • Anonymous
                        • tDP
                        • 14 May 2018

                        I won't use telephoto, zoom and bokeh feature from phone camera. I always see the result from my friend's social media, it almost failed in some areas. So I think it's better to have wide angle feature in the phone camera

                          While ultra wide angle is pretty neat, the standard camera shot is always wide enough. Never had trouble trying to fit everyone in the frame with my note8 so i don't have a need for it. Telephoto is much more useful for me, although admittedly, i don't use it that often either.

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                            • Anonymous
                            • JT5
                            • 14 May 2018

                            Kiyasuriin, 13 May 2018Easy, if you could check how much "MP" our eyes have as cam... moreEye has 216MP

                              AnonD-468012, 13 May 2018Wide Angle, the reasons? 1. Google open the Pixel 2's Po... moreOpen up Panorama instead and you'll get an equally good wide angle shot.
                              Telephoto less to do with the sensor to do with the sensor and more to do with the lens.
                              Black and white sensors let in more light than colored ones because there are no RGB filters, fact. Hardware always beats software.

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                                • Anonymous
                                • jIT
                                • 13 May 2018

                                Why not have both? 3 cameras r better. Huawei already incorporates 3 cameras so It is possible. Instead of a black and white one, I would exchange it for an ultra wide.

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                                  • Anonymous
                                  • 0rY
                                  • 13 May 2018

                                  Kiyasuriin, 13 May 2018Easy, if you could check how much "MP" our eyes have as cam... moreThough the images from my phone camera are sharper then the images from my eyes :o

                                    • K
                                    • Kd10
                                    • 4qB
                                    • 13 May 2018

                                    Telephoto all day long, not much use for an ultrawide's gift of barrel distortion that just keeps on giving on a phone.

                                    24-28mm is already fairly wide.

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                                      • Deyan
                                      • 0B7
                                      • 13 May 2018

                                      wide for selfie camera and telephoto for second main camera.

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                                        • XXS-iq
                                        • JFj
                                        • 13 May 2018

                                        50 mm is not real telephoto more like prime lens (was), but it was not practical, and now prime lens are ~35 mm. Super wide on g5,g6, and V30 are very use full, and with post production stabilization it looks like pro in FHD, or XZ-1 selfie for complete teem. Real telephoto is about min 150 mm but they will be periscope type and $$$ like in L16 camera, or like galaxy zoom. With IMX300 and digital zoom is almost the same like 8-12MP small sensor 50 mm lens (the same amount of pixels, with the same pixel size)

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