Sony Xperia 5 II review
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- Phny
- JD2
- 28 Oct 2020
Zaxk34, 16 Oct 2020Oppo Find X2 Pro or Xperia 5 II? I could get them both at ... moreXperia 5ii. No regrets.
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- Silentzio
- Jb$
- 25 Oct 2020
I have just read GSMArena's Cinema Pro App review from last year, and after that I started to feel an urging need to register, just to set some things straight. I will post my thoughts here because this is the newest flagsip, therefore some people might find it useful before buying.
I was a happy owner of various flagships in the last twelve months, namely iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone 11, Xiaomi Mi10 and Samsung Note 10. After these, I bought a Sony Xperia 5 (the first one) which I currently possess. I shot three short films with phones and made hundreds of camera tests, thus I gained a little bit of experience in the meantime.
First of all, let me put this straight: now Sony smartphones are the best for video creation. Period. However, photos are average IMO. So finally those days are over when Sony made almost all camera sensors but provided the worst camera experience.
The otherwise decent article (and the nice video, you can find these here: https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_1_cinema_pro_app_put_to_the_test_shooting_a_cinematic_video-news-37695.php) lacked one important thing: comparison. A serious argument occured in the comments, some people stated that other companies made pro video modes much better. I think that they did not talk out of experience but only based on the cons of the article. And they are wrong, because the article is wrong and lacked comparison.
Pro video modes from other phone manufacturers mostly utilizes only the main cameras. That’s the situation with Samsung and Xiaomi. Sony provided us with full support for all sensors, which means you can use Filmic Pro for example at its full potential, just like with an iPhone. With Xiaomi, Samsung, Huawei and Oneplus, for example, you can’t. And that can also be a gamechanger, especially if you does not like Cinema Pro itself. And I did not mentioned mc24fps Pro, which is a whole new level, much better than Filmic. Someone mentioned log modes from LG. LG has eliminated its log mode after V30, leaving „only” screen profiles. That log mode was only a software filter itself, a „loggy” screen profile. Third party apps like Filmic Pro also use software filters as log modes, because the color spectrum has basically reached the possible maximum. Special HDR modes of course helped this situation, but most people out there do not possess HDR10+ compatible displays to shoot content for them.
Sony Xperia phones can shoot 10bit 4K video, leaving you some extra space for post processing. Now that IS a gamechanger, which the article mentioned but didn’t explained. I have no knowledge of any other smartphone that is capable of doing this, and most Sony cameras actually shoot at 8bit. If you think that this is not important, google up Canon Magic Lantern 14-bit raw, see what can you do with a 10+ years old camera if you can unchain if from software boundaries. Someone at EOSHD mentioned that iOS 11 supported 10bit, but from iOS 12 it is gone. I cannot confirm, it is interesting however.
And on the top of that, Sony managed to eliminate oversharpening, which is possible at full level Camera2 API compatibility. That „phony” look does not only come from short shutter speeds, but from oversharpening as well. And IMO it looks like shit. Using Sony you can kiss its ass goodbye. How cool is that? Focus panning is also a feature which is unique and pretty useful to gain „pro” look. Oh and what about low light capabilities? In Hungary, the street lights are really awful. My country is corrupted as hell, the son-in-law of the prime minister screwed up city lights badly. While I used an iPhone, my nighttime street shots were awful: grainy, blurry, noisy and the colors and textures flew apart. All of them were unusable, even if using iPhone 11. Sony is also grainy at the darker parts of the screen, but the street lit scenery is clean, sharp and accurate which is the first with anything less capable than an expensive compact such as Sony RX100, so first from a phone.
Oh and what about the downsides mentioned in the article last year? You cannot edit your footage. And what? You can’t do it with any other „pro” video app either. Effective editing requires more than a tablet or phone. For example, use the free DaVinci Resolve. I cannot consider it a con. You can’t set picture profile and fps, but let’s be honest, you probably won’t need it. You shoot a short video using one for indoors, one for outdoors, one for nightmare scenes etc. Yeah, that will be several projects, but probably not on a single shooting day.
Oh and about automatic compensation between sensors: do not consider something a con which does not exist (at least yet). It’s a bit more complex than converting sheer numbers.
Yeah, you cannot set color temperature and there is no timelapse and high fps, that’s sad. But the latter, the eye EF and the slo mo arrived with the current generation, and the first Xperia 1 and 5 have already exceeded all competition (including Apple) regarding video picture quality. I find my Xperia 5 simply amazing, and can’t wait to afford an Xperia 5 II. Until that, I stick with the first one, which only did cost 200 bucks.
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- Tann Hauser
- pEC
- 19 Oct 2020
Moonflower, 10 Oct 2020I'm wondering if the low light photos are all made wit... moreThem are all handheld.
Look at SS shutter speed, if it was on a tripod it would be SS 1, but them are all 1/10, 1/8, or 1/4.
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- Otto
- mDc
- 16 Oct 2020
So, this seems like a near perfect phone to me. The dedication to detail from Sony engineers is astounding, if not obsessive-compulsive - in a great way.
An analogue 3.5 mm headphone jack, a dedicated LED, 5 physical buttons, great camera hardware, powered by industry-leading autofocus algorithms and atolls and video software that was derived and trickled diwn by the big Sony Alpha mirrirless camera line.
This phone sports so many great features creative enthusiasts can wish for in a cameracentric phone, and it deviates from the current mainstream in so many positive ways that I feel urged to call as many people as possible to get that phone.
Why? Because if nobody buys that phone, Sony will most definitely abandon their smartphone segment or they will stop innovating and go with generic, boring phones without spending any R&D that would be indistinguishable from the crop.
Sony's smartphone market share has shrunk dramatically in the past few years, and this is their most serious attempt to turn over and attract more customers. So, this phone better becomes a success or we can all say good bye to physical buttons, 3.5mm phone Jack's, LEDs and professional grade canera applications.
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- Zaxk34
- y2k
- 16 Oct 2020
Oppo Find X2 Pro or Xperia 5 II?
I could get them both at 800 bucks. My priorities are Cameras, Display and Battery life. Or shall I play safe and go with S20+?
What's your opinion?
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- marin1466
- SHp
- 12 Oct 2020
JohnW1981, 10 Oct 2020Worth paying the premium for a flat screen with no holes or... moreI totally agree with you 👍
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- ada
- nUv
- 12 Oct 2020
Moonflower, 10 Oct 2020I'm wondering if the low light photos are all made wit... moreYes im interested also same information.. gsmarena pls tell us.!
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- Moonflower
- iJG
- 10 Oct 2020
I'm wondering if the low light photos are all made with a tripod.. I've read that the photos made in low light without a tripod or any other steady surface look kinda crap. I wasn't able to find an example yet, but for my taste the low light photos shown in the post look quite good. I'd buy the 5 II if I could find out more about that issue...
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- Mangoon
- Qh6
- 10 Oct 2020
Dan, 08 Oct 2020Biggest issue with Sony Xperia phones is that they have sup... moreI was looking at the numbers on this exact thing. I was looking to move from an LG G8 because the screen is too dim outside, and it looks like the 5 II might actually be DIMMER. Pair that with the lack of wireless charging (although the aux plug is a HUGE plus for me) and I just can't pull the trigger.
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- Dan
- 0Tj
- 08 Oct 2020
Biggest issue with Sony Xperia phones is that they have super dim displays,no brightness at all and they are available months after the announcements...
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- Billy S
- nhA
- 08 Oct 2020
I think Sony is right sticking to its own concept. Bezel less phones are not all that. Can't hold those phones to watch a video without fingers obstructing. Bezel less phones don't fit front facing speakers. I really like the "compact" size, which isn't that compact with premium specs, I would like to see more brands making smaller phones that fit in a pocket.
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- Anonymous
- YQW
- 07 Oct 2020
Is there a launch in India
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- Susukino
- 63x
- 06 Oct 2020
AnkitG, 05 Oct 2020Sony still trying to succeed with the old ways of not havin... moreIf looks were a factor no-one in their right mind would buy an Iphone would they? The most dull design ever.
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- The truth teller
- nI8
- 06 Oct 2020
Why dont sony just make a thin bezel phone to get sales that's what people want people don't want 2015 designs. Sony aren't really interested in selling many phones as they can at this point apparently.
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- AlyK89
- mtj
- 05 Oct 2020
magnificent phone. just like the 1 II. selfie camera rubbish again. i don`t know why they sticked to the same crappy solution as last year, especially for a high price tag like 1200 euros or 900 euros.... i sold my xperia 1 for a samsung note 10 just for the selfie camera which i couldn t stand anymore and for the battery life. i really like the 1II and 5II but i don `t know if i should buy either of them for that problem
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- Anonymous
- xs9
- 05 Oct 2020
Tusharma, 05 Oct 2020Sony always focuses on quality rather than the looks of the... moreIt definitely comes with some pros like not having to appeal to the general public trend of senseless spec of the more useless features comparison gatekeeping.
- OMG this doesn't have 240W wireless satellite teleportation tesla charging yet??1?1
- What???? The display isn't 3000 nits???? Unusable!!1!
- I nEed A nO bEzeL sCrEeN
- No 1024 MP CaMerA?? DoA (when the pixel size is half a micron....)
It does allow more freedom to create your own niche like Sony is going for, in my opinion.
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- Tusharma
- utA
- 05 Oct 2020
Sony always focuses on quality rather than the looks of the smartphone and perhaps this might be a reason why they are less preferred.
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- AnkitG
- utA
- 05 Oct 2020
Sony still trying to succeed with the old ways of not having much looks. However, looks matter a lot at the current age.
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- alexmetalrock
- LtK
- 04 Oct 2020
how is the haptic feedback on this Xperia 5 II?