The Pixel 8 Pro’s New Camera: A Rocky Start but Potential for Greatness

Troubleshooting the Pixel 8 Pro Camera Tips and Tricks to Avoid Glitches

The Pixel 8 Pro’s camera glitches can be sidestepped with this guide.

As a photography enthusiast, I had high hopes for the Pixel 8 Pro’s new high-end camera technology. However, my initial experience with the flagship smartphone left me with some unpleasant surprises. But fear not, my friends! There is hope on the horizon. Google has already addressed one major issue and promises to fix another “very soon.” Plus, the camera hardware looks solid.

Let’s dive into the details. I spent hours scrutinizing test photos, conversing with Google camera designers, and exchanging files with my colleague Andrew Lanxon, who happens to be a pro photographer. In short, the Pixel 8 Pro is an improvement over its predecessor, with superior light-gathering capabilities and remarkable detail, often surpassing Apple’s iPhones. In ideal lighting conditions, it captures stunning landscape and architecture shots.

But, my dear technology fans, there are some trouble spots. We have our shadows haunted by pesky pixel patches, silhouetted tree branches haunted by color artifacts, and performance hiccups caused by those high-resolution sensors. Don’t despair, though! With some judicious usage, you can bypass these limitations and go beyond 12-megapixel JPEGs.

Now, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of these trouble spots, along with tips on how to navigate them and the likelihood of Google mending them.

Beware, High-Contrast Scenes at 50 Megapixels!

Google has performed an enchanting feat by extracting impressive image quality from these petite smartphone cameras. One of their notable accomplishments has been dealing with the dreadful dynamic range of smartphone sensors—struggling to capture both shadow detail and bright highlights. With their HDR Plus technology, they ingeniously merge multiple underexposed frames to reveal the hidden gems in the shadows while preserving the sky’s beauty.

However, on the Pixel 8 Pro, Google’s algorithms haven’t quite tamed their new high-resolution sensors (50 megapixels on the main camera and 48 megapixels on the ultrawide and telephoto cameras). Here’s the conundrum: when merging frames, Google breaks each one into a 16×16 grid of tiles to address scene motion. Alas, in high-contrast scenes, the phone sometimes loses its way in the shadows, resulting in misaligned tiles and, consequently, unsightly pixel blotches that audaciously obliterate details and splash rainbow color speckles. These processing artifacts are more troubling than the natural noise speckles that other cameras produce in low light.

Fear not, my friends, Google is aware of this issue and assures us that a fix is imminent. With time, we shall escape this shadowy nightmare!

Pixel 8 Pro: The Slow Snapper at Top Quality

Like millions of photography enthusiasts, I adore shooting in raw format for its supreme quality and editing flexibility. Google’s Pixel 8 Pro stores raw files in Adobe’s DNG format, adding its own computational magic while preserving the raw composition’s malleability. However, there’s a trade-off: raw files are bulky. If you enable raw shooting and opt for full resolution, be prepared for sluggishness. In comparison, my iPhone 14 Pro, shooting raw at 48 megapixels, handles it more smoothly.

Now, my dear readers, prepare for a “hold still” message to grace your Pixel 8 Pro’s screen for a few seconds when shooting raw at full resolution. While it won’t take the agonizing 6 seconds required for data-hungry Night Sight photos, it’s slow enough to hinder capturing action-packed moments like your dog frolicking or your child’s wild antics. Google recommends not using full resolution for subjects in motion, like sports.

On a brighter note, the Pixel 8 Pro can be snappy and delightful if you step down to 12 megapixels or shoot 50-megapixel shots exclusively in JPEG. It all boils down to a choice between prioritizing image quality or speed. So, my friends, consider your photographic intentions when selecting your resolution setting!

Dingy DNGs: Lightroom to the Rescue

When I first laid eyes on the Pixel 8 Pro’s glorious DNG files, I was struck with disappointment as no software could read them. But hark! Google swiftly fixed this issue with a camera software update. Alas, my preferred software for editing and cataloging photos, Adobe Lightroom, still failed to fully embrace the Pixel 8 Pro’s DNGs. Fret not, for Adobe shall catch up soon!

In the meantime, allow me to shed some light on an editing process to banish the DNG’s initial haze and orange-tinged appearance. First, apply Adobe’s auto settings to adjust the tones, and then reduce the whites setting to 0. Boost the texture and clarity settings, playing with the values until you achieve a natural-looking outcome. Lastly, sharpen the image to your heart’s content, and if desired, tweak the orange and yellow color channels. Remember, my friends, this bit of work is only necessary for raw images, so you JPEG enthusiasts can rest easy!

Moderate Your Megapixels at Night

Pixel binning technology allows modern sensors to shoot at high resolution in ample light, meticulously grouping pixels to capture more light. Apple gracefully adjusts its newer iPhones to lower resolution in low-light scenarios, but good ol’ Google hands over the reins to us, the users. Let me advise you to switch the Pixel 8 Pro to 12-megapixel mode for nocturnal adventures.

Dark areas of nighttime scenes tend to be plagued by image noise, my friends. I conducted several tests, and the noise at 50 megapixels obscured details that were still visible at 12 megapixels. Brave souls may argue that 50 megapixels capture more detail, thanks to hefty processing in the dark. However, my personal preference is shooting at 12 megapixels in dim lighting. Even with Night Sight activated, I found that a higher ISO and faster shutter speed—a trade-off for increased noise—yielded better results. The finer pixels seem to heighten the challenge of counteracting those pesky camera shakes.

But fear not! The Pixel 8 Pro’s light-gathering abilities surpass its predecessor, especially with the ultrawide camera and those wider aperture lenses. So, if you’re yearning to capture unforgettable city skylines and mesmerizing wilderness landscapes, set sail with the mighty 50 megapixels!

Rainbow Shards of Stained Glass

Ah, my friends, here’s another pitfall to avoid when snapping away at zigzagging branches, twigs, or leaves with the radiant sky as your backdrop. In certain corners and edges of these whimsical scenes, the Pixel 8 Pro adds vibrant colored patches, reminiscent of stained glass adrift in the trees. This conundrum arises from Google’s relentless pursuit of sharpness, which introduces aliasing—creating complications when the structure of the details matches the fine scale of the image sensor’s pixels.

Take heart, dear readers, for Google acknowledges this issue and vows to enhance their image processing pipeline to eliminate this artifact. Impressive, is it not? In the meantime, you can tame the rainbow colors by playing with Lightroom’s chromatic aberration controls. Fear not, for this inconvenience is only visible when zoomed in or cropping.

In conclusion, my dear technology fans, the Pixel 8 Pro bestows upon us a host of thrilling hardware upgrades that will surely delight even the most discerning photography enthusiasts. However, let us keep hope alive for Google’s software updates to tackle these pesky obstacles that may try our patience. Remember, my friends, even the mightiest warriors face hurdles on their path to greatness.

• artificial intelligence
• google
• thought leadership