WTF Wide angle lens?

[Law2138]

It seems like if Google added a wide-angle camera, 4K 60FPS video, and manual controls, alot of us would be sold.
Pixels have a reputation of producing the best images, so why not equip the phone to blow everything else away in all categories when it comes to photo and video?

Pixels are great for stills, iPhones are great for video, and Huaweis/LGs offer great manual controls.

 

[Jeremy8000]

While nearly every other flagship offers wide angle and telephoto lenses, most of them are of lesser quality than the main shooter. I certainly would prefer having both, but given the choice between a mediocre pair or just having one of very good quality, I'll generally take the one.

In this case, there's going to be a divide between those who would rather telephoto over wide angle, and vice-versa. No absolute 'right' answer as there are situations in which either can do things the other cannot, being specialized lenses.

As to why they opted telephoto over wide angle, I imagine part of it comes from their belief they could really push the envelope further with a telephoto, given the boost their development of AI zoom would provide in tandem with the better optics. It's possible that their current models of HDR+, etc, would require a bit more optimizing than they may have had time to put to good effect with a wide angle lens.

I wouldn't be terribly surprised to see it in next year's model, though I also wouldn't be terribly surprised to see it omitted once again.

 

[Mike Dee]

It seems like if Google added a wide-angle camera, 4K 60FPS video, and manual controls, alot of us would be sold.
Pixels have a reputation of producing the best images, so why not equip the phone to blow everything else away in all categories when it comes to photo and video?

Pixels are great for stills, iPhones are great for video, and Huaweis/LGs offer great manual controls.

Out of the 3 features you mentioned I think the average person and even many here wouldn't care about manual controls. Having said that it would be a very minor cost to make a software change.

 

[Torisen1]

Now I feel a little like an A#$$$__. I once again was just seeing things from my use case. I am sorry. I still personally prefer the telephoto but there are some great arguments for a wide angle. I appreciate all of the replies in this thread.

On a side note, I realized this just a bit ago. There is only one front facing camera this year but they acknowledged that people really liked the wide angle of it so they included a wider angle front facing camera, not quite as wide as the second wide angle on the three but still wider.

This seems to indicate that Google does know that people like wide angle.

 

[SupraLB]

Now I feel a little like an A#$$$__. I once again was just seeing things from my use case. I am sorry. I still personally prefer the telephoto but there are some great arguments for a wide angle. I appreciate all of the replies in this thread.

On a side note, I realized this just a bit ago. There is only one front facing camera this year but they acknowledged that people really liked the wide angle of it so they included a wider angle front facing camera, not quite as wide as the second wide angle on the three but still wider.

This seems to indicate that Google does know that people like wide angle.

I'm glad they kept somewhat of a wide angle on the front. Google set it to a 90-degree field of view. The Pixel 3 had 75-degree and 97-degree FoV lenses, for comparison.

 

[Only1Z]

What's so inaccurate here. You can buy 40x optical zoom camera for like few hundred bucks. Most good cameras today are 24mm minimum and go down all the way to about 12mm. Pixel 4 lens is 28mm main and tele is only 45mm. No 28mm is not wide enough for most and no 45mm is not good enough for tele. That's what every single Pixel 4 hands on will tell u (about 28mm not being enough)

Last year Google said telephoto is not needed because they have great digital zoom, this year they said 2x optical is perfect and wide angle is unless, next year with Pixel 5 they will give you wide angle and tell you how great it is. Its almost a fact lol

40X optical zoom cameras suck. Don't even go there. That means all small zoom phones suck if people are to follow your statements because nothing reaches to 20X to 40X, not just the Pixel 4. Regardless, it doesn't make 2X optical worthless. As I said, real photographers that shoot normal stuff and people will have most pics in that 24-70mm range. So 2X optical is quite useful. Move along.

 

[moo53]

People like to use wide angle lens for close quarters with group shots and that's not what wide angle lens are meant for. There is too much distortion.

I only shoot wide angle for landscape photography with my Sony a7iv. Street photography is best at 35 - 50mm, portrait 50 - 70mm and everything else I shoot at 70mm or greater.

Telephoto has more use case scenarios than wide angle. I get why people want wide but most people are using the lens wrong and creating distorted images which looks bad.

 

[kolyan2k]

40X optical zoom cameras suck. Don't even go there. That means all small zoom phones suck if people are to follow your statements because nothing reaches to 20X to 40X, not just the Pixel 4. Regardless, it doesn't make 2X optical worthless. As I said, real photographers that shoot normal stuff and people will have most pics in that 24-70mm range. So 2X optical is quite useful. Move along.

It could be quite useful but 12mm wide angle is more useful to 90% of people and that's pretty much what every review says, not just me. On top of it tele lens is not as good of a quality as main as well, so if I can avoid using it, I do.

Sure, from some pro photographers perspective maybe there are rule to shoot pictures within certain range, but I dont know a single pro who shoots with cellphone lol. When I had relatively expensive semi pro camera, I always used 24mm for most pictures. Before availability of wider angle I relied on stitching panoramas

 

[Mike Dee]

People like to use wide angle lens for close quarters with group shots and that's not what wide angle lens are meant for. There is too much distortion.

I only shoot wide angle for landscape photography with my Sony a7iv. Street photography is best at 35 - 50mm, portrait 50 - 70mm and everything else I shoot at 70mm or greater.

Telephoto has more use case scenarios than wide angle. I get why people want wide but most people are using the lens wrong and creating distorted images which looks bad.

What you're saying is less relative to smart devices, and regardless wide angle lens are not just for landscape. The distortion will vary with the lens and on some smart devices some of it is removed by software processing. It's normally mostly around the edges anyway so there's nothing wrong with using them to take group photos even if you have a little barrel distortion.

 

[moo53]

Well of course, smartphones only have roughly 12mm (ultra wide) to about a 50mm (telephoto) which isn't a telephoto lens, it falls in the portrait range. I never said wide angle lens are "just" for landscape, I said I like to shoot only landscape with wide angles. Architecture and scenic views make great wide angle shots, even people when centered in frame and shot from the hip.

Most photos I see of smartphone ultra wide angles are of tight spaces of groups of people. If you are taking a shot with the normal lens and everyone doesn't fit a wide angle is going to cause distortion. Yes you got everyone in the shot but some people are going to look distorted. Processing does help but it doesn't eliminate it completely.

50mm is more versatile than a 12mm even in smartphone photography to me.

 

[Mike Dee]

Well of course, smartphones only have roughly 12mm (ultra wide) to about a 50mm (telephoto) which isn't a telephoto lens, it falls in the portrait range. I never said wide angle lens are "just" for landscape, I said I like to shoot only landscape with wide angles. Architecture and scenic views make great wide angle shots, even people when centered in frame and shot from the hip.

Most photos I see of smartphone ultra wide angles are of tight spaces of groups of people. If you are taking a shot with the normal lens and everyone doesn't fit a wide angle is going to cause distortion. Yes you got everyone in the shot but some people are going to look distorted. Processing does help but it doesn't eliminate it completely.

50mm is more versatile than a 12mm even in smartphone photography to me.

Some people look better distorted..... Lol

 

[moo53]

Some people look better distorted..... Lol

Hahaha... well I can't argue that.

 

[EMGSM]

Have note 10+ and oh man I don't think I can live without ultra wide angle camera.

Yeah the ultra wide comes in handy for me.

 

[EMGSM]

Have note 10+ and oh man I don't think I can live without ultra wide angle camera.

Yeah the ultra wide comes in handy for me.

I prefer wide angle over telephoto.

+1

 

[ptkelly]

Totally agree. I'm always moving closer to capture a shot. Can't remember when I've had to move back. I'm certain that many of the negative comments are knee jerk reactions to the lack of a wide angle option.

That said, it's still a personal preference.

Less a preference than a shooting choice. This morning I used the wide-angle on another phone to shoot a mural when the wall opposite the mural kept me from backing up. And, I used the wide-angle to shoot the interior of a shrine that went about six feet into the wall of a 400-year old aqueduct. There is a locked grate over the entrance and the camera had to be inside the grate for the photo.

There are also times when you can't get closer. Yesterday I took a shot of a tower on a 400-year old cathedral with a zoom. I also used a zoom with a squirrel and a pigeon within the last week.

What I don't use, almost never, is a macro. But, the fact that one of my phones has excellent macro capability doesn't bother me.