This is Part 2 of 2. For Part 1 of this blog, see here.
Xperia 5 II – 16mm Ultrawide
This is where things get interesting. The Pixel 4a only has 1 rear camera – but it’s a really good one. The Pixel 5 has the same standard camera, as well as an ultrawide lens – but, as reviews have now revealed, it’s only a 107° ultrawide, as opposed to the more ultra-ultra wide, 123° degree cameras on other phones like the iPhone 11 Pro & Samsung Galaxy S20.
Some of those true ultrawide cameras suffer from fisheye barrel lens distortion, but in many cases can be corrected using built-in software in post-production.
This is where the Sony appears to be better than the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G, because as well as the standard 24mm ‘wide’ camera, the Sony Xperia 5 II also has a similar, but true ultrawide sensor, at 16mm focal length with a 124° degree field of view.
That means it will occasionally suffer from the aforementioned barrel-lens distortion – a common problem with wide angle & fisheye lenses – but the advantage is that the Xperia 5 II will be able to capture more of the landscape in the camera frame than the Pixel 5.
Google has already qualified why it didn’t include a wider field of view in its ultra wide-angle camera – because it wouldn’t have been able to apply its correction algorithms onto a wider plane.
Xperia 5 II – 70mm, 3x telephoto
But, unlike the Pixel 5, which only has 2 rear cameras, the Xperia 5 II also comes with a telephoto lens – that’s a third lens, and completes the Holy Trinity of camera sensors.
This is where it gets really interesting. That telephoto lens is set at a 70mm focal length, i.e. 3x optical zoom.
That’s better than the 52mm, 2x optical zoom, telephoto lens on my S9 Plus. It’s also better than the SuperRes Zoom, digital crop of the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a.
Don’t forget that many smartphones nowadays borrow Sony’s camera tech, so the fact that the Xperia 5 II has better camera hardware than the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 is a big deal to me.
I know – and will reiterate – that the Pixel phones have the best camera software on Android, and as such are often touted as the best smartphones for computational photography.
But, no amount of software trickery will make up for the loss of optical zoom, and the fact that the Xperia 5 II has that extra lens – and the fact that it would be an upgrade of my existing S9 Plus – is a big deal.
Xperia 5 II – Video Capture
Additionally, all 3 rear lenses have 12MP sensors, and can be used to capture 4K video at 60fps. Also, the phone can capture 4K HDR video at 120fps – good for slow motion videos replayed at either 60fps (0.5x speed) or even slower at 30fps.
That’s pretty much on a par with my S9 Plus, which can do slow motion video at a maximum 1080p @ 240fps, or super slow motion video at 720p @ 960fps – and is as good as I’m going to get for the price I’m willing to pay for a new phone.
I’ve rarely used the super slow motion video capture of my S9 Plus, mainly due to the resolution being just so poor. I thought the 720p video would’ve been a lot better quality – considering it is HD, albeit the lowest possible HD resolution – but, sadly, this has never been the case, and I’ve been happy enough with the better quality of the (albeit, slower) 1080p @ 240fps slow motion videos.
With slow motion video, resolution is a huge priority, as details like a Bee’s wings flapping as it’s flying between flowers, can be really hard to make out on poorer quality videos. That’s personally been my experience on my S9 Plus.
Also, my S9 Plus’s super slow motion mode has 2 methods of capture – Single-Take (Auto), and Multi-Take (manual). Personally, I’ve had mixed results with both: when I bought the phone, Auto always missed the correct moment, and I preferred Manual as it was more precise.
However, I now prefer Auto, as I encountered a problem with Multi-Take: it used to record the super slo-mo before you hit the dedicated shutter button (a tick in a circle) – confusing, as I used to tap the button right before the moment I wanted to capture. This meant it would miss the really important moment, then do super-slo-mo for the aftermath.
This had the knock-on effect of me never remembering when it records the super slo-mo clip – before you’ve hit the toggle, or afterwards?
As I said, confusingly it used to be before, but having just tested it, I can confirm it’s now afterwards. This makes more sense.
However, the quality is still very poor, and it’s not something I’ve used all that much in the 2 years my S9 Plus has served as my Daily Driver.
Xperia 5 II – Video Stabilisation:
I also like that the Xperia 5 II comes with Optical Image Stabilisation, as well as 5-axis gyro Electronic Image Stabilisation – although whether both of these can be used on the highest quality videos remains a mystery.
On my S9 Plus, Video Stabilisation (EIS) is unavailable at full-res 4K @ 60fps video, but dropping the resolution down to 4K 30fps, or even Full HD 1080p @ 60fps, re-enables that option.
Until proven otherwise, I suspect the Xperia 5 II won’t be able to utilise stabilisation at full resolution video.
Also, as that full-res, 4K 60fps is only available on the Manual, Cinema Pro app (in the fully auto, standard Camera app, only 4K 30fps is available, with the next best resolution being 1080/60), it may be that stabilisation isn’t an option, requiring the use of an external gyro or gimbal.
After all, many phones suffer from the same problem, & only support these video effects & stabilisation modes up to a certain resolution – requiring you to downgrade the resolution to regain these controls.
Xperia 5 II – Low Light Photography… but, No Night Mode?
Unlike the cheaper Xperia 10 II, the Xperia 5 II does not have a Night Mode. This is disappointing, as its a feature I’ve used a lot on my S9 Plus.
Although my S9 Plus didn’t launch with a Night Mode, this was later added in the Android 10, One UI 2.1 OS update – mainly for the Galaxy S10, but thankfully this feature trickled down to my phone as well.
Night Mode, or Night Shot, is a feature which takes multiple photos at different exposure levels, then stitches them together into one photo. The result means you often capture more light than is normally visible, and can make even the darkest shots more interesting.
No Night Mode makes the Pixel 4a more of an appealing option to me, as it’s more than half the price of the Xperia 5 II, and has a very good night mode for just £349.
The Pixel 5 also has that Night Mode – and, if that’s not all, both the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a have a stellar Astrophotography mode to capture the night sky (or, should that be Interstellar?).
Maybe this oversight is because the Xperia 5 II is aimed at the Manual photographer, whereas a Night Mode is more for the average user. This would make sense, and further solidify the Xperia 5 II as the phone for the niche user who wants an extension of their DSLR – someone who’s used to using it on full Manual mode.
On the one hand, this approach to smartphone photography appeals to me – but, without a tripod, it’s incredibly difficult to get a usable shot at night with no camera shake, so not having a Night Mode would actually interfere with my creativeness.
That said, the Xperia 5 II does, apparently, have a workaround – using the Photo Pro app with auto HDR. But it remains to be seen, at least for me personally, if this is a deal-breaker.
Night Mode is a feature I was really hoping it had, but I understand that because the Xperia 5 II is being aimed at the same enthusiast market as the Xperia 1 II, the Photo Pro & Cinema Pro apps are there instead.
Photo Pro & Cinema Pro apps
If the telephoto lens wasn’t interesting enough, the Photo Pro and Cinema Pro apps are even more exciting, and are the 2 apps which I think set the Xperia 5 II apart from the competition.
It’s the fact that these 2 apps aren’t available on either the Xperia 10 II or the Xperia L4, which is the real reason I’m not considering those devices, despite the fact they tick many boxes in my search for a new phone.
That’s because I’ve been so impressed with these apps so far, from the reviews I’ve seen, that to have a Sony Xperia phone without them just wouldn’t be the same.
Similar apps are available from the Play Store, and other phones have similar default camera apps. In fact, the stock auto camera app is probably good enough for most people.
But the detailed depth of controls available from both of these apps, stretches the possible levels of creativeness on a smartphone camera.
As a DSLR owner – I have a Canon 750D, & now have a few vintage lenses – I’m fully at home with fully manual controls, and relish the opportunity to take control of my photography as I see fit.
The Photo Pro app is the Xperia 5 II’s manual mode in a dedicated app. It would’ve been nice to have it within the main camera app, and having a separate app for the Manual/Pro camera mode means Sony is overcomplicating the process of accessing these features.
It’s why people don’t buy Sony smartphones: they’re too over-complicated. They’re built for a niche consumer market that, at this price point (£799 for the Xperia 5 II), doesn’t exist. The intended consumer likely already has a Sony Alpha series camera, and doesn’t need a smartphone that can’t do half of what the camera can do.
But, that said, I’m glad the Pro features are available, and as there’s no Night Mode, this will apparently be the go-to app for getting great shots in Low Light scenarios, so it’s definitely an app I’ll be using to make the most of the hardware, should I get an Xperia 5 II.
Photo Pro allows for the alterations of ISO, shutter angle (as shutter speed isn’t available on phones as there’s no moving shutter), & exposure levels, as well as deeper DSLR-like toggles like White Balance & different levels of Auto Focus.
Unlike my S9 Plus, there’s no variable aperture, so the toggle for that is a virtual option. That said, the cameras come stocked with 20fps burst mode and continuous Eye AF. That’s a massive improvement over most smartphones, no doubt made possible by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, and is a feature I’d use a lot.
Cinema Pro is the other app, and out of the 2 ‘Pro’ apps, it’s the one I’m most excited about. It brings the same level of video capturing controls, from Sony Alpha DSLR’s & mirrorless cameras, to the Xperia 1 II and Xperia 5 II.
Not only does Cinema Pro bring DSLR-style filters such as Venice CS, that allow for deeper control with video editing, but it also brings Focus Racking.
Focus Racking is achieved by manually setting 2 focus points (point A, and point B) within the camera frame, hitting the Record button, then hitting the B button. While recording video, the app will automatically shift focus from focus point A to focus point B.
This feature may sound similar to the Auto Focus ‘auto’ switching between 2 points on most other phones, but what makes this more superior is the controls over the speed & how it transitions between those 2 focal points.
It’s something I’ve previously ever only been able to do on my Canon 750D, using the Manual Focus ring on any of my lenses. Having this level of control on a smartphone is exceptional. It’s not the reason you should buy this phone, or even the Xperia 1 II, but it’s one of those features that no other phone manufacturer has even considered. It’s certainly something I would use a lot if I had it, and would make close-up macro nature videos so much more appealing.
Conclusion
Does all of this make the Xperia 5 II better than the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5? Yes, but also no.
As YouTuber Damir Franc explained in his review, the Xperia 5 II is a great phone for the manual photographer, but not great for the average consumer who only uses Auto mode.
When he did a comparison video with the OnePlus 7 Pro, controversially he said that the Xperia 5 II isn’t very good in Auto mode. This makes sense, given that the phone is meant (and designed) to be used in Manual mode. The Auto mode is only there as a quick option.
That means even if I wanted to use the ‘auto’ Camera app, I wouldn’t be getting comparable results to my S9 Plus. I’d have to put more work into getting the perfect shot, every time.
While I’m totally okay with this – I grew up in the 1990’s around film cameras, especially my Dad’s Zenit EM SLR camera, and so know my way around a camera – I’m not sure I’m willing to go fully manual with a phone, all the time.
Manual (or Pro, as it’s called on my S9 Plus) is something I use occasionally, when the Auto modes can’t properly expose a shot. I also use the Pro Video option a lot as well, to capture video at the same constant exposure level, without it changing every 5 seconds.
Watch my YouTube video from the Huawei Unfinished Symphony event in London, in February 2019 – captured solely on my S9 Plus. I went to that event 2 months after first getting my S9 Plus. The results were bad.
On Android 8, I had the option to lock the Exposure at a certain setting, and it would stay locked at that exposure no matter how many times I zoomed in or out. After the upgrade to Android 9, which happened just a few days before attending that Huawei event, I discovered this was no longer an option – and exposure was all over the place.
After that night, I purchased & downloaded the Cinema FV-5 app, so I could regain some control with exposure during video capture. But the damage was already done, and that night was a disaster.
(To be fair, I was only there as an audience member after winning a competition, and wasn’t there as an official member of the media. But if I had been, my phone would’ve let me down.)
But since the Android 10 update, I haven’t had those level of problems, thanks to the addition of a Pro Video mode which, again, allows me to lock the exposure during capture.
I need a smartphone camera to be as good as it can be on Auto, with the option to switch to Manual should I need to – but I get the feeling that without the Photo Pro & Cinema Pro apps, the Xperia 5 II would be a bit of a useless device.
It doesn’t change my opinion of the phone – on the contrary, the fact that it’s more suited to Manual work than Auto modes solidifies, and even confirms, that this phone was almost certainly designed for someone like me.
The Cinema Pro app is exactly what I’m looking for on a phone – a device which is more portable than my DSLR, which will always be with me, and will be my go-to camera device when I’m on holiday.
As I summarised in my previous blog, it also has the 3.5mm headphone port, customisable Dolby Atmos sound, and a Micro SD Card slot, so it’s shaping up to be the perfect replacement to my Galaxy S9 Plus.
I just have that niggling feeling that it might just be missing the mark ever so slightly. Whilst the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 don’t have expandable storage, they offer the best computational (auto) photography on Android – and have manual toggles for exposure & highlights within the default Camera app.
Both have only 128GB storage, but even with my music loaded onto them, I’d still have about 90GB for photos and videos.
The questions I’m now asking myself are these:
- Can I make do with the £349 Pixel 4a?
- Probably yes, but is the £599 Pixel 5 worth the extra money?
- Not sure – but is the £799 Xperia 5 II, with its 3 cameras (wide, ultrawide & telephoto – my ideal Holy Trinity of lenses), Manual photography modes, Micro SD card slot & 3.5mm headphone port, worth the extra £100 on top of the Pixel 5?
That’s where I’m at now. It’s a tough choice, and I don’t see it getting any easier.
– Chris JK
KPH tech blog 
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