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The Vivo X90 and X90 Pro smartphones with Zeiss 50MP 1-Inch camera launch globally

Vivo’s X90 and X90 Pro have been out in China for a little while now, but today sees their global international launch. Both smartphones feature Zeiss cameras, with the X90 Pro sporting a large 1-inch sensor. Both smartphones feature 50-megapixel Zeiss camera modules, with the non-Pro model also sporting 12-megapixel telephoto and wide-angle cameras. The X90 Pro, on the other hand, features 50-megapixel wide and 12-megapixel telephoto cameras.

With Zeiss optics in both devices, featuring Zeiss’s T* lens coatings, pixel shift, dual-tone LED flash, HDR and panorama modes, the expectations are high for this one. The X90’s 50-megapixel 1/1.49″ sensor offers 4K video at up to 60fps, while the X90 Pro’s 50-megapixel 1-inch sensor lets you record up to 8K at 60fps. Both devices also include a 32-megapixel selfie camera that shoots up to 4K 30p.

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The LEDCard is a pocket-sized DIY macro ringlight for your smartphone

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This looks like a fun little project for the electronics-inclined. It’s called the LEDCard, and it’s a credit card-sized macro ring light for your phone that wraps around your smartphone camera’s lens. And if you don’t have a smartphone capable of macro-focusing, don’t worry! LEDCard’s creator, MisterHW, has thought of you, too, with a recess to insert a moulded acrylic lens to help you focus closer.

The whole thing lives on a single PCB and uses rechargeable LIR2430 Lithium-Ion cells, which charge up over USB. Upon charging, the LEDCard requires no wires or cables. It’s turned on or off by the simple push of a button, and an LM3410 LED driver IC lights up all of the SMD LEDs, illuminating the view around your lens for close-up subjects.

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It’s not just you, your iPhone camera is getting worse with each new generation

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This is an interesting video from tech YouTuber and smartphone aficionado Marques Brownlee that talks about the iPhone’s camera system and why it appears to be getting worse than the competition with each new generation. Having dumped iPhones myself back in 2017, it wasn’t something I’d really paid much attention to, but on watching his video, I realised that he was right. Their quality seems to be getting worse.

Marques has a theory as to why this is happening, and I think he might be right. In fact, he believes that one of them is something which Google has already fallen foul of with their Pixel series of smartphones. Fortunately, for Google’s sake, it looks like they course-corrected pretty quickly, but will Apple? Maybe.

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Use these ten simple tricks to raise your smartphone photos to a new level

We all know how to click the shutter button on our phones and get a basic shot. But how to take it to the next level?

I get asked the question all the time, and with a new year ahead of us, what a great time to up our game, right? Here are 10 of what I think are the most essential hacks to shooting like a pro with your smartphone. Please watch the video above for examples, and below, read on.

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Xiaomi’s brings interchangeable lenses to phones with its new 12S Ultra Concept smartphone

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The idea of using a lens from a “real camera” on a smartphone is not new. There have been a number of adapters announced over the years with some as far back as 2014 and older. Most of them haven’t really had an amazing reception, which is why they’re not really all that mainstream today. But mobile photography has come a long way since those early devices. Now, there are a number of 3D printable adapters and other options out there to do this.

Xiaomi, though, is doing away with adapters completely and building an interchangeable lens mount right into the phone itself. Their newest 12S Ultra concept phone sports a Leica M mount with a 1-inch 50.3-megapixel sensor.

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Smartphones will overtake DSLRs within 3-5 years says Qualcomm VP

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Echoing the words of Sony president and CEO, Terushi Shimizu, Qualcomm’s vice president of product management and cameras, Judd Heape, believes that AI-powered smartphones are going to overtake DSLRs in terms of image quality in the next few years. His estimate is a little longer than the 2024 date mentioned by Sony, offering 3-5 years as a timeframe, but he believes the sensors area already there and that now AI capabilities will push it over the edge.

It’s a bold claim, from both individuals, but are they right? Well, I think context matters. For 99 percent of people who just want to quickly whip out a camera and take a half-decent photo on a walkabout, yes, they probably are. But can they really usurp DSLRs and mirrorless cameras for all situations? No, I don’t think so.

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NiSi scales down their filter system for their new Smartphone Filter Kit for iPhone

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If we take away all the egotistical hyperbole, one of the big things that stops a lot of people from shooting more (and more serious) photos with their smartphones is the lack of available filters. Sure, there are some polarisers and NDs out there, but when have you ever seen a square filter system comparable to that which you’d use on a DSLR or mirrorless camera?

Well, NiSi’s solving that today, at least for iPhone users, with the release of their new Smartphone Filter Kit for iPhone. Technically, there are three kits. There’s the Landscape Kit, the Filmmaker Kit and the Cinema Kit, each tailored to a different type of user. And the filters themselves appear to be exactly the same (only smaller) as those which NiSi makes for regular cameras, too.

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How to take this epic moon photo with a cheap telescope and a smartphone

My 2020 had very few moments of pure happiness, and one of them was when I saw the moon through a telescope for the first time. Sadly, to this day, I never managed to photograph it, neither with my phone nor my camera.

But it’s far from impossible. In fact, you can take magnificent moon shots even if you only use your phone. An 18-year-old photographer Vijay Suddala proves it with his magnificent photo that I immediately wanted to learn more about. He kindly granted my wish and shared some details of his image so both you and I can start shooting the moon with our phones.

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Sony President and CEO says smartphone image quality will exceed that of (Sony) DSLRs by 2024

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Well, this is a bit of a surprise statement from Terushi Shimizu, President and CEO of Sony Semiconductor Solutions during a recent briefing. According to an article on Nikkei Japan, he made the statement that smartphone image quality will exceed that of DSLRs “within the next few years”, although an image accompanying the presentation suggested a more specific timeframe with a 2024 date.

If anybody would know about the image quality of sensors inside DSLRs and smartphones, it’s Sony. After all, they’ve arguably made most of them. But it’s not all about the sensor. He believes that along with new sensor technologies, computational photography will be the defining factor that brings the image quality up to par with DSLRs.

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The OnePlus 10 Pro with its 2nd generation Hasselblad camera has now been released globally

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The OnePlus 10 Pro, launched in China back in January today sees its official global release. It boasts the second-generation Hasselblad Camera for Mobile, with the first having previously come in the OnePlus 9 Pro – part of Hasselblad’s 3-year deal with OnePlus that was announced in March of last year. It also features a 120Hz display with Dual Color Calibration (a first in smartphones) and “super-fast” charging.

The camera module retains essentially the same specifications (sensor size, resolution, etc) as its OnePlus 9 Pro predecessor, although it is a redesigned module able to shoot in full 10-bit colour, 125% sRGB coverage capture, and you can shoot 12-bit raw on all three rear cameras. The OnePlus 10 Pro also debuts a new “Movie Mode” allowing for full manual control over your videos along with LOG format.

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