New Pixel 8 Pro Leak Reveals Google’s Latest Camera Tricks
Google’s next-gen smartphone, the Pixel 8, is set to get a significant boost for low-light photography, according to a new report.
The report published by 9to5Google, uncovers code in the latest version of the Google Camera app that supports a new improved Night Sight camera feature exclusive to the upcoming Pixel 8 Pro. According to the report, the Pixel 8 Pro’s Night Sight mode will gain the ability to use both rear cameras simultaneously when zooming in at lower magnification levels.
The Pixel 7 Pro already uses this twin-camera technique, called Multi-Camera Super Res Zoom, to improve the quality of standard shots at zoom levels between 1x and 5x. However, this latest upgrade would bring Super Res Zoom for night vision shooting for the first time.
The addition of the power of a second camera is particularly beneficial for low-light photography, as it greatly boosts the total amount of light that can be captured for a given exposure. However, as with standard multi-camera Super Res Zoom technology, the benefits of the second camera are limited to the central position of the image, where there is an overlap between the outputs of the two lenses.
Google must therefore deploy more advanced algorithms and new machine learning models to provide multi-camera night vision capture that doesn’t visibly degrade at the edges.
Google usually introduces new photography capabilities with each generation of the Pixel smartphone. Some may eventually flow into older models, while others remain exclusive due to increased hardware requirements. It is not yet possible to say at this point which category the new multi-camera night vision mode could occupy.
Anyhow, the Pixel 8 is shaping up to be an exciting release with a powerful new video upgrade also in the works.
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