When it comes to the lighting conditions the sample photos depict, Pixel 2 Camera didn’t have too many areas in which improvements are needed, so it’s not surprising the IPhone isn’t exactly burying it.
However, I do think by being set up as a comparison, the iPhone photos finally did manage to expose a couple of areas in which the Pixel 2 camera could be improved and we will possibly see those addressed by the Pixel 3.
One, in the pixel 2 photo, contrast is too strong and details were almost obliterated in the shadows of the picture of the plant on the desk. Two: hard to tell without seeing the original, but I know from my own Pixel 2 that at times the white balance in indoor lighting can be very cold or very cat pee. In other words a very odd shade of yellow. It’s often tough to get a middle ground and I have to make manual adjustments.
In the photo of the corridor, the lighting looked very stark and harsh with very heavy contrast and, as one of the commenters pointed out, the blacks were crushed. I would have loved to have seen what it really looked like. iPhone almost romanticized the lighting in that corridor.
Their photos of the street scene were not a fair comparison. It was raining when the iPhone shot was taken and clear when the Pixel photo was taken. The rain made the scene look hazy. Which it probably was. It’s just not as flattering a scene as the photo in which the rain has stopped. Also the iPhone photo appears to be zoomed in. We’re not seeing a comparison of the same wide angled views.
Assuming Google doesn’t take any accidental steps backwards, the Pixel 3 camera should be an absolute monster! Now if only I could muster up more faith in the rest of the phone. I have to hope it’s all going to come together for them this year.
