My best guess is that my previous phone\u2019s camera wasn\u2019t that good, leading me to subconsciously avoid clicking photos when I felt the results wouldn\u2019t be nice. In some ways, that is the entire spiel of the Pixel series, producing results that are generally appealing.<\/p>\n
On similar lines, I also started clicking far more zoomed shots \u2014 not using the 1x field of view unless I had to. And I think so should most people.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s why most of us avoid zooming<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve probably been told not to zoom in while clicking photos. It\u2019s commonly accepted that photos are of the best quality when shot at the native 1x focal length.<\/p>\n
While there\u2019s some truth to it, it\u2019s becoming increasingly debatable.<\/p>\n
For many years, phones used to come with a single rear camera, without a dedicated ultra-wide or telephoto lens. Back in the day, computational photography wasn\u2019t around either. Image sensors were also far less sophisticated, and processing power was much less.<\/p>\n
All of these factors combined meant that any level of digital zoom beyond 1x would yield worse results. They would be no better than clicking a photo and then cropping into a specific part \u2014 essentially blowing it up.<\/p>\n
As this became common knowledge, people unanimously agreed that zooming in is almost always a losing game. And that advice has stuck around for years now, discouraging users from tapping the zoom button even today.<\/p>\n
So, what has changed?<\/p>\n
The thing with technology is that it\u2019s always evolving and improving.<\/p>\n
Smartphones have come a long way over the last few years, both in terms of hardware and software progress.<\/p>\n
Many phones today, especially the higher-end ones, come with a dedicated telephoto lens with a higher focal length. The zoom levels vary, but they are higher than the base 1x, giving you some additional options.<\/p>\n
Secondly, image sensors have become much better, and now sport much higher resolutions. Features such as pixel-binning create better detail in all lighting conditions.<\/p>\n
Lastly, image processing has taken massive leaps<\/a>. The SoCs inside your phone now include a very capable, dedicated image processor, whose sole job is to take camera input and provide better output.<\/p>\n Not to mention, many phones these days also employ computational photography and AI to \u201cadd\u201d more detail and clarity to the final shots. Some may call it unethical or fake, but for me, anything that helps me get the shot I want is a win.<\/p>\n All of this combined enables modern smartphones to fare better than their predecessors. Sure, the mileage will still vary, and higher-end devices will do a better job than budget phones, but in general, they will be better.<\/p>\n If none of these are true for your phone, zooming in is still likely to provide a better exposed and focused image than one without.<\/p>\n How we view photos has also changed<\/p>\n In my opinion, the biggest reason why most people should be less scared of the zoom button is that image quality is no longer the most important factor, or at least not the weakest link anymore.<\/p>\n You know why? Social media. Most photos that are clicked are uploaded as short-term stories or simple posts. Such avenues greatly reward better photos instead of clearer ones.<\/p>\n And by better, I mean one that clearly conveys what you are trying to show. And for such cases, zoomed in is often better.<\/p>\n In today\u2019s short attention spans, if it\u2019s not evident what you are trying to show with your photo, you\u2019re unlikely to get the message across adequately.<\/p>\n For me, a simple thought like \u201cWhat am I really trying to show or convey with this shot?\u201d has changed how I look at photo compositions.<\/p>\n Enter the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL<\/p>\n When I started thinking about photos in this way, it changed my priorities. Having an objective of what I wanted to show before pressing the shutter button upped my photography game.<\/p>\n This process made me realize that, while clicking photos, what we usually want to show is something small or specific, rather than the whole frame. The native 1x focal length of phones, which is around 24mm, is a little too wide for that.<\/p>\n Without getting into the technicalities of focal length conversions, what you need to know is that the most appealing zoom length is around 2x or 50mm, as it closely matches the perspective of human vision.<\/p>\n
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