Google’s Pixel 5 does not bring any major changes to the camera hardware. The Pixel 4’s 2X telephoto camera has been replaced by a new 16MP ultra-wide camera with f / 2.2 aperture and 1 µn pixels. Meanwhile, the main camera remains unchanged from the Pixel 4. It’s a 12.2MP 1 / 2.55 ”sensor with f / 1.7 aperture, Dual Pixel AF, and OIS.
We don’t yet know how much image quality can be improved solely based on software advancements, as we don’t have the device yet. Until then, let’s go over the camera features debuting with the Google Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G (they have identical camera setups).
Google touted HDR + with Exposure Bracketing, which Google promises will deliver “clearer and sharper photos.” However, we know that Google has been “bracketing exposure” since the original Pixel. We can only hope for incremental improvements on this front.
Here’s something important: you can now take portrait photos with Night Sight. Currently, there are not many smartphones that can combine these two functions, so this is an interesting aspect: the camera will not only have to calculate the subject and create a synthesized bokeh effect, but it can also do it with limited lighting available.
Portrait Light is a new feature that allows you to illuminate the face of a subject where there may be too much shadow or if the subject is facing a brightly lit sky. You can manually select where in the photo to add light to your subject’s face and Google Photos will update to allow you to do this with old photos as well.
In the video camera, there are three new stabilization modes: Locked, Active and Cinematic Pan. The latter is the one that Google focused the most on during the live broadcast. Google says it took notes from both Hollywood directors and YouTube cinematic videos to create Cinematic Pan. This mode will basically shoot at 60fps and then slow down the video 2X to create more fluid and dramatic videos.
We’re eager to test the Pixel 5’s camera to see how much software can take advantage of essentially the same main camera hardware that Google has been putting on phones since the Pixel 3a.
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