Sony Xperia 1 ii - Can it Replace Your Camera? By TheDigitalDigest

Ed here with the digital digest- and today I wanted to share yet another video about the Sony Xperia 1 mark ii. Many of you have reached out asking whether I think this smartphone is capable of replacing a traditional point-and-shoot camera and the simple answer to that question is yes. In fact, most users out there have already ditched their point-and-shoot camera in favor of their smartphone of choice, whether it comes from apple, Samsung or google, and with that in mind, you have to remember that most of those devices rely heavily on computational photography, which means they are actually doing the processing for you on the fly. Sony, on the other hand, has taken a completely different approach, which are we want to deliver a pro experience. Yes, it has a traditional camera app, but I'm mentioning the pro experience because it is a real world extension of their digital imaging business, and it even actually offers some advantages that you won't find in their regular cameras. Now you can see I've got a rx100 mark six here, as well as an insta360 one r, one inch edition.

The reason I brought these out is that these are the type of point-and-shoot cameras that I believe this does not uh basically take out of the picture. So when you think of point-and-shoot cameras, you may not think of devices like this. But to me the only point-and-shoot cameras worth talking about these days have at least a one-inch sensor inside their body. Now, of course, the Xperia one mark ii doesn't have that, but what it does give you are basically the same, look and feel and user experience, whether you love or hate what Sony has done with their menu system that you have learned to use with something like a rx100 or any of their other overshot cameras. So what is the true differentiation? Well, the reason I'm sharing this video is that I have seen countless comments that essentially say that the rx100 line of camera produces images that are similar or even inferior to what someone's again flagship apple, Samsung or google.

Smartphone is capable of that's really a product of people, not knowing how to use a camera and there's no better way of putting it and a heavy reliance again on computational photography, so bear in mind that if you think that your smartphone is better than a camera like this, you don't know how to use the camera. I'm not insulting you. It's just a matter of fact. So this phone doesn't give you a one-inch sensor, and I'm hoping Sony in the next generation does cross that bridge, because it's been done before. If we take a trip back to 2014 Panasonic introduced the cm1, it was a thousand dollars three times optical zoom, a one-inch sensor android was in its infancy at that point, but they were willing to take a gamble with a one thousand dollar handset uh.

It didn't fare well, especially here in the US. There wasn't much support for the bands that it even utilized and then Panasonic, I think in 2016 rolled it out without the cellular radio just to see if people would buy a touch screen, android device with a one-inch sensor and three times optical zoom, and I think that should be picked back up. And hopefully this is the beginning of Sony doing that now. Uh. There are three cameras on the back of this device: 16 24, millimeter and 70 millimeter three times optical zoom with the telephoto.

The largest sensor here is paired with the 24 millimeter lens bear in mind. These are all mass lenses with t-star coding and that's part of the equation. In addition to the software and the fact that we have a physical, two-stage, shutter button right here. That really do make this feel a lot like a Sony camera, even though it is clearly a Sony phone 20 frames per second, just like the rx100 top of the line, real-time tracking eye autofocus for both humans and pets alike, just like the rx100 mark 7, which is not what I have here. So in fact, from an autofocus standpoint.

This can literally outperform the rx100 mark, 6 that I have here, but with the one-inch sensor, that's inside this camera and the 200 millimeter reach. That's where, of course, this is not going to outperform the rx100 mark 6, because it can't approach the image, quality, video quality or the telephoto reach that this camera is capable of. When we compare it to something like the insta360 one r one inch edition, then they get a lot closer. In fact, I could make the argument that the Sony produces better video and better stills, even though the insta360 one r has a one-inch sensor and that's really a result of insta360 being pretty much a novice in the one-inch game, whereas Sony is well the biggest DI company in the world right now, and they're anything but novice. So while the insta360 one r has better stabilization and really is rugged, can take a beating and can go anywhere, and you won't be as nervous as a 1200 phone and remember this is around 500 us dollars.

Now it's been out since the beginning of this year. Essentially, I would make the argument that this is the better camera and video camera than the insta360 one r uh. So if it's a matter of what could be in your pocket as a go anywhere do everything system, I would prefer this phone, so you may find that interesting, even though there is a one-inch sensor in here, because application really does matter software matters and I do like insta360 software for this device. But it's something to bear in mind. Another thing you need to know about this besides 20 frames per second- and you know the ability to track real-time moving objects is that this has the ability to record 4k video in 10 bites, which is something that you cannot do with a rx100 or, of course, an instar 361r.

In fact, the only Sony camera right now, that's current that can capture 4k 10 bites. Video is the a7s3 which I'll be reviewing soon, hopefully, once my review unit gets here and that launches right around the corner, so food for thought and then, in addition to that, the display on this phone, the six and a half inch 4k display- is actually color accurate and is 10 bites, which is also unheard of. So these are all, in my opinion, uh the know: the foundation, the groundwork uh, the making of a phone to take camera capability to the next level, and this does do that. I mean uh when you're inside, and I've shown this on my other videos. You know you have your mode dial.

You have the ability to essentially do anything. Furthermore, you want whether it's the burst mode uh and taking it up to 20 frames per second, where you do lose. Of course, some of your detail bracketing exposure, anything you want and yeah. There are a lot of pro modes that do that, but none of them look feel and act like a Sony camera other than this, and while many smartphone makers have been trying to reinvent the camera on their smartphone, it makes a hell of a lot of sense that the best camera maker out there is making a smartphone targeting exactly that function who better suited to put the point-and-shoot camera in its grave than Sony. And I mentioned this in one of my updates because in many ways smartphones have put point-and-shoot cameras in the grave and when you think about that sensor, the mid-range one, the 24 millimeter, it is essentially the sensor size the same as what you would have found in digital cameras back in 2013 through 2016 again that were subbed one inch.

So that gives you an idea of what you're working with and at 12 megapixels. Even when you pixel peep with this device, things still look pretty damn good, which is impressive, and you know if you just go out and shoot auto with this, or this there's a possibility that things could look worse. Even though you have a one-inch sensor, especially with the insta360 one r, of course, this camera is not water or dust resistant. So that's something to bear in mind. That's one of the reasons I brought the 1r one inch edition to the table for this discussion is because, of course, the phone is ip68 rated and is water and dust resistant.

So that is something to take into account and that's why it does fare better than an action camera, but again an action. Camera can go anywhere. This can go anywhere. You go. Those are very different things.

Obviously, the pro mode on the video side and granted. This only has three times optical zoom, so it would fare better against a Rx 100 pre. The mark vi, where we were limited to you, know 24 to 70 millimeter range. But even then you have to bear in mind that one-inch sensor and having a real camera do make a difference and that's what Sony I feel like is trying to bridge a gap. You know this is not all about computational photography like the competing products out there again from the big three apple Samsung and google, but it does for any Sony user, give you basically the same color science, the same menu system and the same out of camera performance that you'd expect from well a rx100 or one of Sony's, interchangeable, lens cameras and then again the fact that it can shoot.4K 10-bit is bonkers and the fact that you can review it on a display that is color, accurate, is simply unheard of, and the cinema pro mode is where that all happens- and you know I showed this in previous videos about the camera for good reason, because it creates a project timeline. You control the look and feel of all of your shots, and you know: can this be done with third-party software? Sure? Is the execution anywhere near as good as this absolutely not, and that's the beauty of what Sony's done with the Xperia 1 mark ii? It's unmatched again, you know, shooting images and video on the fly are not going to be as necessarily eye pleasing or as vivid as where computational photography the processing takes over.

But you know you have the ability to shoot raw stills here and post process. Most cameras do not offer that and while many of you out there may say well, there are cameras with larger sensors they're, not from reputable manufacturers. I'm not knocking those manufacturers, but they are not as mainstream a name as Sony, Samsung, google or, of course, the fruit company. So that's something to be taken into account when considering what this phone represents as a photographic tool as well as a video tool as well, and that's why Sony marketed this device as not only being essentially an a9 stuffed into a phone, but also being a content. Creator's dream for video- and I could see using this as an extension.

I don't know if it would be b or c or d roll, but the idea that it could even do. That is something that I would never think about any other smartphone being able to do for me. For me all the improvements we've seen with smartphones in their cameras they've been incremental they're better than nothing type scenarios. You know if you don't have anything else, it's good that you have a smartphone that has a camera that is better than, as I just said, nothing. This takes it to another level and a lot of people look at the images that come out of this camera, and they're not impressed, but that's because again, they're expecting computational uh processing that Sony has decided to forego in favor of creating a phone that is an extension of their DI business.

I hope that makes sense. It makes perfect sense to me- and I think you know that it is obvious- why they did that it's because they know a lot of users are looking for that, rather than just software being thrown at everything. To try to make images, look good. Let's have images actually stand on their own feet and again the color science that comes out of this. It's just accurate people look the way they should color look the way they should.

I can't say that about apple, I mean it's just the truth. Google Samsung they tend to blow things out in order to make them look more vivid and maybe apple does the best job. They, you know apple and google of the two, but again they rest on computational photography in a way that Sony doesn't need to do that. They know that they know anyone is going to be interested in this phone as a primary or secondary camera, because after all, it does go everywhere with you. That's the beauty of it right.

Any smartphone is that you're not going to leave home without it, and that's why I brought this out is that this is small enough that you can make the argument. You can always fit this somewhere, the rx100. You know we call it pocketable, but is it really not so much? It's a pretty thick camera, but you know you have an EVF here. You have ergonomics that don't exist here, the zoom! You have a screen that gives you flexibility that doesn't exist here. Furthermore, you know the zv1 would also be a good comparison, but to me the one-inch sensor still thrives now, if Sony eventually does, as I mentioned earlier in this video- adopt a one-inch sensor into one of these phones and give us all of this capability.

Well, then, I don't see a reason outside needing telephoto that the rx100 provides and, of course, ergonomics which the rx100 has never been a winner. That's why we have the gluon grip and the zv1 has a physical uh grip attached to it. Although it's not fantastic either, then all of a sudden, we have a device that you know when I'm going out at night when the pandemic is over, and I can actually resume some form of normalcy go out for dinner, this kind of things. I know that I'm not going to wonder if I need the rx100. Unless I need telephoto- and god knows when you're going out to dinner- or just you know, seeing friends, you don't need telephoto.

In fact, a lot of people argue that the Rx 100 needs to go back to not having the 200 millimeter. I don't agree with that. I mean I like fast glass, but I like the 200 millimeter reach, and that is still what's really differentiating it from something like this. If they do employ a one-inch sensor, we already know that they've outdone, everyone on auto, focus color accuracy, it's just it's there, the writing's on the wall and again, if you prefer computational photography, there are phones for you to pick from. This is not the phone.

So hopefully this video has told you what you need to know about whether it can replace uh a traditional point-and-shoot camera, which I said at the very top. It absolutely can. I mean most flagship smartphones can, but they can't replace these type of cameras, and that was really the emphasis of this video. So another thing before I wrap it up to be aware of which I mentioned in my full review- is that when you're trying to zoom between the 16, 24 and 70 millimeter, that's not possible, you can go telephoto and do a three times optical from 70 millimeters, but you cannot transition through these lenses. I assume that is something Sony will address on the next generation, because most flagships can do that.

But in regard to just about everything else that I've mentioned when it comes to autofocus the 12 megapixel stills standing on their own having the color accuracy, the color science, that most Sony users have come to expect and most love the phone delivers and then the 4k 10 bit yeah it's coming from a small sensor, but you know that it is still kind of crazy. I mean I'm not. I don't think there is another smartphone out there that is capable of that video quality and color accuracy, and, as I said earlier, this camera isn't even capable of it doesn't mean the 4k video out of this won't look better it will. The one sensor delivers a different experience than uh the sensor. That's at the 24 millimeter, the largest sensor.

That's inside there, but again it's about which is going to be with you and obviously your smartphone is going to be with you everywhere. You go and that's the beauty of Sony getting this right and I do feel they have here in the opera. One mark ii, and I'm just excited about the promise of the future of what this camera will have to, or rather the smartphone you see there Freudian slip. This smartphone will have to offer us going forward, so Sony keep up the good work, because this is a game changer. In spite of what you know, many people might think is missing because of the computational side being not an emphasis at all the Xperia 1 mark ii.

Hope you enjoyed the video any questions or comments. Please feel free to post them, hit that like button and as usual, please feel free to subscribe, and please stay safe later.

Source : TheDigitalDigest