Brand Realme Today, the new Realme 8 series smartphones have officially started to be sold on the Czech market. In addition to the basic model, which attracts with a very interesting price-performance ratio (especially in pre-orders, when it is still CZK 500 cheaper) For whose main attraction is to be a 108Mpx camera.
We are already testing Realme 8 Pro in the editorial office and we will offer you a detailed review tomorrow. In today’s article, we will focus on the camera (s) and the two unique modes that this novelty offers. The manufacturer definitely did not skimp on the lenses and we can find five of them on the body:
- main lens: 108Mpx Samsung GM2 sensor, f / 1.88, PDAF focus, without OIS
- wide angle lens: 8 Mpx, field of view 109 °, aperture f / 2.25
- macro lens: 2 MPpx, aperture f / 2.4, minimum object distance 4 cm
- black and white lens: 2 Mpx, luminosity f / 2.4
- front lens: 16 Mpx and again luminosity f / 2.4
The 108Mpx camera offers 3x zoom and thanks to the 9-in-1 Pixel Binning technology, it promises better results especially in poor lighting conditions. Classic photos taken with the main lens can be enlivened using AI mode, but otherwise the colors are true and correspond to reality.
–Realme 8 Pro
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In normal daylight, the results from the main lens are very good and even at night they are not bad at all, and the use of Night Mode is also offered. If you want, you can, of course, shoot at a full 108Mpx – a special mode is prepared in the application for these needs. Photos in such a high resolution (12000 x 9000 px) have a size ranging from 20 to 60 MB (depending on the type of scene). You can use images in this resolution, for example, when creating photos, which you will then want to hang on the wall, or when creating cut-outs.
You can get three sample photos in full 108Mpx resolution view / download here (these are the first three images in the gallery). In normal shooting mode, the phone saves images in 12Mpx resolution (4000 x 3000 px).
–Wide angle camera (worse light)
–Wide angle camera (worse light)
–Wide angle camera (worse light)
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Of course, the wide-angle lens loses quality in poor light, but during the day it is sufficient in its price category. The triple zoom works by taking eight 12Mpx images, which then composes the resulting image and applies a specific brightness adjustment algorithm to it. In the case of Realme 8 Pro, this method replaces the telephoto lens, and I must admit that the results are not bad at all, which you can see from the attached pictures.
–Macro mode
–Macro mode
–Macro mode
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The 2Mpx macro camera is absolutely useless on the phone and it is more of a marketing attraction. A photo with a resolution of 1600 x 1200 px cannot promise any miracles and reality only confirms it. Macro shots that can be taken from a distance of about 4 cm have faded colors and minimal sharpness. As a result, the images look roughly as if you had taken them with your phone in 2013. The equipment is completed by a 2Mpx black and white sensor, which is used to enhance photos when shooting in portrait mode.
Tip: all images in full resolution you can view / download here
Tilt-shift: welcome to the world of miniatures
One of the interesting novelties is the so-called Tilt-shift mode, which creates the impression of miniatures. Blurred transitions can be created for both shooting and video recording, with the subjects in the center of the frame standing out better and creating a shot that you can only create with special cameras with special lenses. Realme 8 Simulates software for a similar effect.
The result may not be bad, but it is necessary to devote some time to the shot, find a suitable place at a greater distance from the subject and set the transitions appropriately. Then a very successful video or photo can be created.
–Photo taken in Tilt-Shift mode
–Photo taken in Tilt-Shift mode
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Conversely, this mode does not work very well when capturing nearby objects. Samples of various scenes can be found in the attached video, which shows that it really makes sense to use this mode for more distant objects.
Night mode and starry sky
Realme 8 Pro takes very good photos even at night. Compared to some other smartphones, there is no such strong artificial overexposure of night photos and the images do not lose their realism.
In addition, a special Night Scene mode can be activated, in which several pictures with different exposures are taken in a few seconds, which the software then combines into the final photo. Of course, this is not suitable for moving objects, but it is definitely suitable for a static shot of a night street.
–Star mode (with light pollution)
–Star mode (with light pollution)
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In addition to a high-quality night mode, the phone can also use the interesting Stars mode. In this mode, it is possible to take pictures of the night sky or record time-lapse videos of the night sky. Here again, a little patience is needed to set the correct angle of the sensor, and it is also necessary to take into account that the capture of time-lapse video takes some time.
Even though we tried the regime for several evenings, nature did not want us and the shots were always spoiled by relatively heavy clouds. It is ideal to use this mode, for example, in nature without light pollution and, of course, in clear weather. At least the official video from Realme shows what such a shot can look like in ideal conditions.
Video recording
Video can be captured in HD, Full HD and 4K quality. In 4K / 30 fps mode, however, it is no longer possible to use a wide-angle lens. This is not possible even at lower resolutions with a higher frequency of 60 frames per second. For video quality settings, I would appreciate some simple buttons right between the main controls. Now you need to enter the settings when changing the video quality, and the process is unnecessarily lengthy.
In terms of electronic image stabilization, it is possible to choose between Ultra stable and Max ultra stable. Although I don’t see a fundamental difference between the two modes, stabilization as such works well for video, and nice videos can be achieved even on foot.
Overall, it is possible to evaluate the camera and video quality positively, especially taking into account the price level in which the new Realme 8 Pro is moving. Although some flagships will certainly take better photos, you probably won’t find much better photographic equipment in the given price category.
Realme 8 Pro is starting to be sold on the Czech market from today. The recommended final price was set at CZK 7,999, however, until April 20, you can use the discount code “as part of the early-bird promotion”REALME8“, Which will reduce the final price to CZK 7,499 including VAT. You can buy a phone, for example in the e-shop of our partner MP.cz.
In cooperation with the Czech representation of Realme, we have prepared a competition for the Realme 8 Pro smartphone for you. You will learn more in the evening, so don’t forget to follow us.
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