vivo V50 review

A familiar triple 50MP camera setup

Like its predecessor, the vivo V50 has three 50MP cameras: two on the back and one on the front. If you want the added versatility of a telephoto, you need to go for the V40 Pro or, presumably, a potential V50 Pro once that likely becomes reality.

Looking at the specs of the V50 compared to the V40, we initially thought that vivo had left the cameras unchanged. That is mostly true, but it does not include the main camera, which was swapped out this year for an OmniVision OV50E. It has a 1/1.55" size with 1.0µm individual pixels.

The main camera on the V50 reverts back to the OmniVision OV50E sensor for its main camera - it's the one used by the V30, while the V40 had an ISOCELL S5KGNJ imager. The other two cameras are unchanged. In fact, the ultrawide also dates back to the vivo V30. It uses the Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN1 (1/2.76", 0.64µm) sensor and f/2.0 lens, complete with autofocus.

The 50MP selfie camera is also lifted straight from the V30. Even so the V50 remains one of the few phones to offer a 50MP autofocusing selfie camera. It is also based on the Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN1 (1/2.76", 0.64µm) imager and packs an f/2.0 lens.

• Wide (main): 50 MP OmniVision OV50E f/1.9, 23mm, 1/1.55", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; 2160p@30fps
• Ultra wide angle: 50 MP Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN1 (JN1), f/2.0, 15mm, 1/2.76", 0.64µm, autofocus; 2160p@30fps
• Front camera: 50 MP Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN1 (JN1), f/2.0, 21mm, 1/2.76", 0.64µm, autofocus; 2160p@30fps

Functionally things appear unchanged. Even though the V50 lacks a third camera on the back, the cameras it does have are rather impressive, each in its own right. For one, the phone can shoot 4K video with each of them. Also, there is autofocus all around, which is not something you see too often. And, of course, the main cam gets OIS.

Besides optics, ZEISS also lent vivo a hand in photo color processing. You can choose between vivid, textured and ZEISS natural processing straight from the camera UI. Aside from that, there is nothing really that special about the camera UI of the V50. It is well-organized and chock full of additional features.

Daylight photo quality

Main camera

As we already mentioned, the main camera on the V50 uses the same sensor as the V30, but a different one from the V40. Apparently, vivo liked it better and decided to backtrack.

The 50MP sensor captures binned stills by default at 12.5MP. These look pretty great overall, with nice and vibrant colors, good contrast and dynamic range and little to no noise. Even in this gloomy weather, the V50 performed admirably.

vivo V50: 12.5MP main camera samples

You can force the main camera to capture in its full 50MP resolution and you'll get a bit more fine detail, especially on things like leaves and branches. The difference isn't too major so it's hard to justify the difference in file sizes, but on the upside the processing seems unchanged, so you might want to use this for critical applications.

vivo V50: 50MP main camera samples

Even though the vivo V50 lacks a dedicated telephoto camera, it can still pull off some decent zoom shots thanks to its high-resolution main sensor. There is a 2x toggle in the camera UI, and the 2x shots look good. They are a bit softer than their 1x counterparts, but otherwise retain the excellent image quality attributes.

vivo V50: 12.5MP main camera 2x zoom samples

In keeping with tradition, the vivo V50 is a real portrait powerhouse. You get a whole ton of options to play around with, like image effects, advanced beauty filters and a wide selection of different background bokeh styles.

vivo V50: 12.5MP main camera portrait samples

The V50 only captures portraits with its main camera, not the ultrawide, but it does offer a lot of versatility through digital crops. By default, you get toggles for 35mm and 50mm equivalent zoom levels.

The quality of these portrait shots is great. The V50 masterfully handles skin texture and skin tones. Subject detection and separation are almost perfect, and the quality of the background blur is superb.

Ultrawide camera

The ultrawide camera on the V50 is quite familiar, as it's carried over from the V40 and the V30 before it. Like the main camera, it defaults to capturing 12.5MP binned photos. The image quality from this ultrawide shooter is impressive -especially considering the competition. It delivers good detail and pleasing colors.

There is some edge softness, and the dynamic range could be better. Even so it is easily one of the best ultrawide cameras in the price range.

vivo V50: 12.5MP ultrawide camera samples

Just like the main camera, the ultrawide shooter can also use its full 50MP resolution. The extra detail is even smaller than the main cam, and we would definately advise agains using this mode if you are shooting ultrawides.

vivo V50: 50MP ultrawide camera samples

The standout feature of the ultrawide camera is its ability to double as a macro shooter. It handles this impressively well, focusing at remarkably close distances while delivering sharp detail and vibrant colors.

vivo V50: 12.5MP ultrawide camera macro samples

Selfie camera

The vivo V50 delivers a strong performance when it comes to selfies. The front camera captures sharp, detailed images with lifelike colors and natural-looking skin tones. It also handles dynamic range well; even in low-light conditions, it manages to hold its own without much trouble.

vivo V50: 12.5MP selfie camera samples

Autofocus and large resolution are both great, especially in more challenging conditions. If you are into selfies or vlogging, you will be more than happy with the V50, as its selfie camera is one of the best in this price segment.

Low-light camera quality

In keeping with tradition, the V50 has an "Aura light" on its back. It has grown a bit in diameter compared to the V40, which is nice to see. The core features are unchanged though - free adjustment of light intensity and temperature/color.

The vivo V50 is a competent low-light shooter. Photos from the main camera are pretty clean and detailed. There is very little noise. Both shadows and highlights are very well developed. Light sources are a bit blown out, but not too badly.

vivo V50: 12.5MP main camera low-light samples

The vivo V50 features an automatic night mode that in our experience activates in the right conditions, extending capture times and performing image stacking to improve image quality. Additionally, the camera app includes a dedicated Night mode, which pushes capture times further and applies more intensive processing for more exaggerated results.

vivo V50: 12.5MP main camera night mode samples

The resulting stills really do have better fine detail and enhanced dynamic range. Light sources, in particular, are handled much better and not nearly as blown out.

At 2x zoom, photos from the main camera remain competent but rather soft. Other than that, they have the same overall qualities as 1x shots.

vivo V50: 12.5MP main camera low-light 2x zoom samples

You can get much better results by using the dedicated Night mode. Better detail, wider dynamic range and much better light source handling.

vivo V50: 12.5MP main camera night mode 2x zoom samples

In the dark the ultrawide camera captures stills that are a bit noisy. Still the level of rendered detail is very good for an ultrawide. The dynamic range is wide enough too, with well-developed highlights and shadows. Light sources are well-contained.

vivo V50: 12.5MP ultrawide camera low-light samples

Unlike the main camera, night mode doesn't help the ultrawide quality much.

vivo V50: 12.5MP ultrawide camera Night mode samples

The selfie camera performs impressively well in low-light situations. Its reliable autofocus helps keep subjects sharp in most shots. Detail is excellent, capturing skin texture clearly and reproducing skin tones accurately.

vivo V50: 12.5MP selfie camera low-light samples

Enabling Night mode on the selfie camera further enhances skin texture and detail, which is nice to see.

vivo V50: 12.5MP selfie camera Night mode samples

Unlike some of its predecessors, the vivo V50 lacks a front-facing flash, but an "on-screen flash" does a decent enough job.

Video capture quality

The vivo V50 records 4K video at 30fps on all three of its cameras. The default format for capturing video is HEVC/h.265, which might lead to some playback compatibility issues. You can, of course, flip it back to the more popular and less efficient AVC/h.264.

The 4K footage itself is impressive - offering strong contrast, sharpness, rich detail, and vibrant colors. The overall image rendering is commendable. The ultrawide camera delivers similar video quality in 4K, which is a pleasant surprise. Selfie video quality is equally solid, with excellent detail, accurate colors, and good contrast.

The main camera produces reasonably good video in the dark too, especially considering the phone's price range. While some softness and noise can be seen in uniform areas like the sky, the dynamic range holds up, the contrast is solid, and there's a good amount of detail. The ultrawide camera also performs decently in low-light video capture.

You can check out the playlist below, which includes multiple video samples, captured with the V50.

The standard 4K video on the Vivo V40 comes with stabilization, while an Ultra Stabilization mode, which mimics action cam-style steadiness, is available at a reduced 1080p resolution. Interestingly, this Ultra mode uses the main camera rather than the ultrawide. There's a slight wobble in the stabilized footage, but overall, the results are quite solid.