8 Huawei Mate 10 Pro
Had the P20 pro not hit the market, the Mate 10 Pro would have been a strong enough phone to claw out additional market share for Huawei. With dial Leica lenses and artificial intelligence, it holds its own.
Back:
Dual: 12 MP (f/1.6, 27mm, 1/2.9″, 1.25µm) + 20 MP B/W (f/1.6, 27mm), OIS, 2x lossless zoom, Leica optics, phase detection & laser autofocus, dual-LED dual-tone flash
Front:
8 MP (f/2.0, 26mm, 1/3.2″, 1.4µm), autofocus, 1080p
Software:
Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR
Video:
2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps
9. Sony Xperia XZ Premium
Replaced by the XZ2, with similar features, but a premium selfie camera, look out for bargain prices on this one.
Back:
19 MP (f/2.0, 25mm, 1/2.3″), gyro EIS, predictive phase detection and laser autofocus, LED flash
Front:
13 MP (f/2.0, 22mm, 1/3″, 1.12µm), 1080p
Software:
Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR
Video:
2160p@30fps, 720p@960fps, HDR
10. Nokia 8 Sirocco
Finally, Nokia is making something of a comeback, and the Sirocco’s dual-lenses shows that it is keeping up with the market leaders.
Back:
Dual: 12 MP (f/1.8, 1.4µm) + 13 MP (f/2.6, 1.0µm), dual pixel phase detection autofocus, 2x optical zoom, Zeiss optics, dual-LED dual-tone flash
Front:
5 MP (f/2.0, 1.4µm), 1080p
Software:
Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama
Video:
2160p@30fps, 1080p@30fps
Phones to look out for, hot off the production lines:
Sony XZ2 Premium, with dual rear-cameras;
Xiaomi Redmi 8, expected to offer the best value-for-money in a high-end phone camera.
Two phones with highly-regarded cameras that should be mentioned, the Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL, are not officially available in South Africa, but can be bought from online stores like Talealot.com.
Amid all the shutter and marketing noise of these cameras, there are a few warnings. All revolve around the truth that a great camera does not make a great photographer. When smartphone makers promise users “perfect photos every time”, they are lying. When they claim the phone camera will allow any user to take “professional photos”, they are stretching the definition of “professional” into the realms of fantasy.
Good photos are produced by an understanding of framing, angling and positioning (for great yet simple advice on the topic, see https://improvephotography.com/2989/10-tips-for-capturing-what-you-see). Apps, artificial intelligence and software magic help, but the most important feature of great photographs lies in the hands and eyes of the photographer.
- Arthur Goldstuck is founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter on @art2gee and on YouTube
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