First of all, I own a white Xperia Z. And here is my short review of the camera.
Firmware used: 10.1.1.A.1.253
Okay, so my favourite shooting mode in the camera of my xperia z is normal auto mode with HDR, exposure value of 0-0.7, auto white balance & ISO.
I don’t really like the superior auto mode because most of the time, it produces images with less contrast, noticeably more noise, and average level of detail. But I don’t mind the slightly oversaturated colours
Most of the time, my customised normal mode with HDR produces images with more natural look, higher contrast, less noise, and slightly higher level of fine detail.
But even at the best shooting mode, the camera of xperia z suffers from:
- The lack of fine detail which is caused by image file overcompression and excessive noise reduction. Let me tell ya, lack of detail is inexcusable for high resolution 12-13MP cameras
- Underpowered flash
- Sometimes a white balance error (even at outdoors where bright light is present) causing the image to have a watercolour effect and purplish tint
- sub par low light imaging capabilities. And what makes things worse, enabling night mode/low light mode only makes images worse, i sticked to normal mode to make better shots. Oh come on sony, getting worse images by enabling night mode is untolerable. What is the use of night mode then?
But despite the bad things of the camera, it was able to beat some of the most capable shooters such as:
- Samsung Galaxy S3
- Iphone 4s
- Xperia Arc S
- Xperia SL
- Sony Vivaz
Yep, I tested and compared them myself. Compared to the capable shooters I mentioned above, xperia Z's camera has the edge in terms of better colour saturation, low noise levels, and contrast.
I have compared the camera of my xperia z and that of my friend's galaxy s4. And xperia z lost, miserably.
Conclusion: The camera of xperia z is good, but not very good or even great. It was able to beat some capable shooters but it is not what I expect from 13MP camera.
Overal score: 75 out of 100. It is a shame consodering SONY is a world famous camera maker.
I hope SONY tweaks the camera software again in the future updates so the camera can be as good as galaxy s4 or even better.
Sorry for my bad english.
Seriously sony, READ THIS.
Sincerely, your customer.
