"Leica to re-invent smartphone photography" with Huawei!

[Lss]

many of them at a much cheaper price.

This is the key reason for Android's dominance today and tomorrow. Assuming you want more than you get out of the retail box, there are exactly two OS ecosystems that currently make sense to buy into (meaning for example that they have enough user and developer mindshare). Apple is the high-end, while Android is every price point. In most markets, Apple costs way too much for the average consumer. They may still buy one, as the phone is the device to have in modern world if you can only have one. Android is anyway bound to have the biggest market share globally. The only question is by how much.

 

[lynnb]

Does the IIIc have a rotary dial, or do you press the shutter release and ask for the operator?

No, you spin the wind knob rapidly to energize the magneto. Then the operator answers and asks who you want to connect to.

You are both partly correct. It has two rotary dials, one for slow calls and one for regular calls. However there are only a limited number of numbers you can dial, plus something called B, which I think is for operator connection.

It works as a prepaid, in that you have to pre-load credit cassettes called "film" before you can make a call. The magneto-thingy charges the phone with the next credit. For some reason calls to most numbers last only a fraction of a second.

 

[jschrader]

I always thought the problem of phone-photography is the small sensor and diffraction, not so much the lens. But maybe they know a way to bypass fundamental laws of physics at Leica

 

[nightfly]

Images from the latest iPhones look pretty good to my eyes. I think as much as many purists who come from film and rangefinder backgrounds hate to admit (myself included), you can do a lot of digital trickery to overcome the limitations of small sensors and produce a good looking image if you throw enough brain and processing power at it.

I suspect the next true innovations in photography are going to come from this multi-lens, small sensor approach combined with computing power and that entire categories of cameras are going to disappear. Probably not full frame DSLRs and Rangefinders, but a lot of what currently lies between the smart phone and the full pro setups will no longer exist.

Something like this is going to be inside every smartphone:

http://www.gizmag.com/light-camera-combines-16-sensors/39764/

To bring it back on point, it would be great if Leica was a truly intimate part of this, as they were in popularizing 35mm film photography, but I suspect they are just lending their name to the innovations happening elsewhere to appeal to the upscale Asian market which loves branded luxury goods.

 

[noisycheese]

Smartphone photography leaves me cold but I can see why Leica may travel this path. Suffice to say i won't be traveling it with them though! 😀

I could not care less about smartphone photography but I hope Leica makes a killing in this joint venture. The more financially sound Leica is, the better for we Leica connoisseurs.

If they come up with a smartphone that has a 24x36mm CMOS sensor and an M lens mount, I could conceivably develop some interest. 😀

 

[Keith]

I have an HTC smart phone but it seldom leaves the house. If I'm traveling any distance I'll take it with me in case of emergency but generally I hate the thing and what it presents which is the breakdown of one on one communication between human beings, face to face.

I can't forgive the technology for that sorry!

 

[kuuan]

just bought a new handphone, Huawei Nova 2i, elsewhere also sold (or soon to be offered, it's a very new model) as Huawei Mate 10 light, Honor 9i and Maymang 6.

it doesn't say Leica on the lens, but its camera, or rather 4 cameras, dual front and back, and what they can do is one of its highlights, e.g. open aperture mode with bokeh generated by second lens, my first sample at ISO 400


First trial new handphone Huawei Nova 2i by andreas, on Flickr

Generally technically it is amazing for that price point. Cost me just below 6 million Vietnamese Dong which equals to about 260 usd. in comparison an iphone x, here, would set me back usd 1500. Ridiculous comparison? Technical Specs of the midtier Huawei imo actually are comparable with those of the top apple iphone x, with 4GB Ram and octacore it's blasting fast, screen looks great: https://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/Huawei-nova-2i,Apple-iPhone-X/phones/10682,10414?ft=2
sleek, similar looking body: http://consumer.huawei.com/my/phones/nova2i/

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

FWIW, I see significant and relevant photography innovations in the smartphone space.

To wit:
1. Fill flash that adjusts its color temperature to match the ambient light.
2. Two tiny lenses, software creates artificial bokeh in areas more distant than the prime subject

More basically, the small diameter lens is a game changer too. For DOF with flowers, product shots, etc., the tiny lens of my iPhone is about the best simple tool I've found. Seriously, to list a camera body here in classifieds, I always shoot it with my iPhone.

So, more than a prestige marque, I'm interested in the innovations to come.

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

just bought a new handphone, Huawei Nova 2i, elsewhere also sold ( or soon to be offered, it's a very new model ) as Huawei Mate 10 light, Honor 9i and Maymang 6.

it doesn't say Leica on the lens, but its camera, or rather 4 cameras, dual front and back, and what they can do is one of its highlights, e.g. open aperture mode with bokeh generated by second lens, my first sample at ISO 400

That's the kind of innovation I'm talking about. Nice sample shot, thanks!

 

[Lux Optima]

The picture is excellent! Well done!

Frankly, I am mostly interested in film photography right now and very glad that I do not have to think about if or when the next generation of digital cameras will make my own old and obsolete. Film ist it!

And I think that the future of mainstream amateur photography will remain digital. Facing the strategies of smartphone designers I do not have any doubt that in the very near future smartphones will all have about 30MP and produce superb pictures.

So I see my personal future in a hybrid way: Still shooting film and always having a (leica-)smartphone with me for the everyday shot I use to love...

Frankly, why should I need a conventional digital camera any longer if shooting film is greatest fun to me and using my cell to have a camera around all day would be normal?

 

[kuuan]

That's the kind of innovation I'm talking about. Nice sample shot, thanks!

The picture is excellent! Well done!..

thanks! yesterday night a friend of mine played with my new Huawei and took this photo of me, ISO 1250


me by andreas, on Flickr

(he was blown away when he found that this 260 usd phone is very noticable faster, snappier in operation than his iphone 6. He said, what the heck, for that price and for the camera possibilities he may just buy one)

for what it's worth, since I uploaded that snap of me to my flickr some 8 hours ago it has received 7500+ views and 30+ favorites, a lot because it was elected to be part of what flickr calls "explored".
Taken as jpeg, not as RAW which this phone can but I haven't tried yet.

my model Huawei Nova 2i elsewhere also is called Huawei Mate 10 lite. Now I found out that Mate 10 and Mate 10 pro are Huawei's latest top models, these have lenses that carry the Leica badge, mine doesn't. They are even higher specced phones with e.g. 6 GB Ram (!!) asf. (as compared mine has 4 GB, Samsung 8S has 4GB, iphone X has 3 GB. Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro seem not to be available here in Vietnam yet)

 

[valdas]

I have just checked - it is a bit more expensive here in Europe. 399€ for 64GB model and 799€ for 128GB, so basically on parity with iphone 6, but of course, iphone 6 is an old model already... Nice photos! That bokeh looks a bit artificial in transition areas, but for a smartphone that’s really good.

 

[kuuan]

I have just checked - it is a bit more expensive here in Europe. 399€ for 64GB model and 799€ for 128GB, so basically on parity with iphone 6, but of course, iphone 6 is an old model already... Nice photos! That bokeh looks a bit artificial in transition areas, but for a smartphone that’s really good.

Is that the Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro (both with Leica lens) or like mine, a Mate 10 lite?
Yes, I realized that they are selling (going to sell) more expensively in Europe. Mine that cost 220 Euro here in Vietnam is a 4 GB Ram / 64 GB model, extendable with a 256 GB micro SD

IQ, at the low light / high ISO situation it produced more punchy colors than the iphone 6 that I had compared photos with yesterday. Personally I may prefer those of the iphone. My friend, who carried his iphone, and who is not a photographer much preferred the images taken with the Huawei, above all for the "bokeh options". Me too. (18.000+ views 70+ favs for my portrait by now, ranking #43 in flickr explore) We both preferred the more snappy operation of the Huawei and its bigger screen that looks just as good. (I believe top iphone and Samsungs have an edge for video, stabilization for video, slow mo asf., should try a sample video soon)

 

[valdas]

399€ is Lite model.

 

[kuuan]

399€ is Lite model.

Just checked too, according to idealo.de the lite starts at Euro 319, the"pro" however starts at 799 (!) and somewhere I read that in the US only the pro model is available

 

[raid]

This is very interesting to me. The more we have good phone cameras, the better for photography. They can complement "real cameras" with on-the-go capabilities for travelers with a phone in the pocket. I am most impressed by the panorama mode in my iphone. The resulting images are very sharp and very large too.

The iphone 8 seems to have a very good camera. It has two lenses.

 

[kuuan]

This is very interesting to me. The more we have good phone cameras, the better for photography. They can complement "real cameras" with on-the-go capabilities for travelers with a phone in the pocket. I am most impressed by the panorama mode in my iphone. The resulting images are very sharp and very large too.

The iPhone 8 seems to have a very good camera. It has two lenses.

Obviously I have very little experience with high end smartphone and my enthusiasm must be understood under that light. iPhones, I read, have the dual lens since 7 plus. Huawei seems to have been pushing this technology and come up when comparing best dual lens phones. The latest top iPhone certainly should be superior in more than one way over this "top midrange" Huawei Nova 2i.

( It's tempting to be iphone bashing though: here in Vietnam anybody of status would have either an iPhone or a top Samsung while Chinese phones are a complete no-go, and best it must be imported from the west. Because of Apple protection often local SIM cards don't work, therefore many local iPhone users only can connect their precious "smart" phones through internet via wifi

)

this last photo is really embarrasing: this snapshot portrait of mine, after 30 hour on my Flickr, has been viewed 35.000+ times! That makes it my most viewed flickr photo, more often than any of 13.000+ photos taken with "serious" cameras and prime lenses, by "favs" it rankes 6th. And it was just trial with a modern handphone, and..not taken by me. 😡 Is it my irresistible smile? the fun? the new phone, the surprise it gave us had made us jolly and laugh.

camera is very impressive, I had hoped for that, what surprised me most is it's blasting speed, great display and the feeling of quality.

( noticed that this Nova 2i has 4GB RAM, latest iPhone, the 7 plus, 8, 8 plus and iPhone X, if I am not mistaken all have 3 GB, the top Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro 6 GB RAM. Looks to me as if the specs of this "top of midrange" phone are comparable to those of high end Samsungs and iPhone, some even looking favorably. The front and rear cameras of my Nova 2i have 16 and 13 MP, those of the iPhone X 12 and 7 MP, the top Huawei Mate 10 with the Leica lens got 20 MP )

 

[v0sh]

Funny, I ordered a Huawei some days before this thread popped up in my "New posts" search . It arrived yesterday evening and so far I like the camera.. but I only took some snaps of our cats so far, so no examples 😉

 

[Lux Optima]

We all love cats! Please show us your pics!!!

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

This is very interesting to me. The more we have good phone cameras, the better for photography. They can complement "real cameras" with on-the-go capabilities for travelers with a phone in the pocket. I am most impressed by the panorama mode in my iphone. The resulting images are very sharp and very large too.

The iphone 8 seems to have a very good camera. It has two lenses.

Ditto, Raid, everything you say. I'm blown away by the images from my iPhone 7 Plus.

And, on a nice summer later afternoon at the Boston Public Garden, everyone was taking photos. Everywhere. Photography is alive and well, very much so, largely due to phone cams.