Camera test: Sony Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact

Sony has yet again used the same camera module that was seen on the Xperia Z1 and Z2 on its latest flagship smartphones; the Z3 and Z3 Compact, which were recently launched in India. We were impressed with the cameras on the predecessors but now that we have the third generation, the crucial question is, what has changed?

Well to be honest not much. The cameras on both the devices have a maximum effective resolution of 20.7MP which is available only in manual mode. Both the phones sport Sony's G-lens and of course the Exmor RS sensor. You also get 4K video with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 which comes out to be really sharp and vivid. The only improvement to the cameras is the ISO boost which, in auto mode can go up to 12800. This is by far the highest ISO levels seen on any smartphone. Sadly though you can not choose this in the manual mode as you get only 800 as the highest ISO level. Also, just like the older Xperia devices the camera in the auto mode can take only 8MP pictures where you can only choose the aspect ratio.

Pictures are sharp although saturation is a bit low giving slightly neutral colors. The auto white balance manages to do a good job but there is some scope of improvement as other flagship smartphones come with better algos for controlling the white balance. The HDR mode, which is only on manual mode, is effective but again we hoped for a better output as it doesn't look all that different from a non-HDR picture. The auto focus and shutter speeds are excellent and the overall speed of the camera app has also improved over the last two generations. A small feature that we wish Sony had implemented was the combination of touch to focus and exposure, a feature that is seen on a few flagship smartphones. This helps in improving the exposure of your subject by just tapping on the touchscreen. The camera also has a few hiccups when shooting under tube lights where bands appear. Macro shots come out really good and we were quite impressed with the depth of field the cameras offer. In low light, there is a good control over noise and the camera manages to retain some details.

Here are some sample shots of the Xperia Z3 (click to enlarge):

 
 
Colour reproduction is pretty good and is slightly neutral
 
Shots taken under low and extreme low light. The camera still manages to retain some details.

Here are some sample shots of the Xperia Z3 Compact (click to enlarge):

 
 
Shooting outdoors produces sharp images, but the exposure could be more improvised
 
Shots taken under low and extreme low light

Final verdict, the new smartphones from Sony offer great cameras, but they arent a huge update from their predecessors. The picture quality is good and the hardware has a great potential only if Sony could fill in some small gaps.

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Kunal Khullar