QuoteThe IMX557 is installed in the main camera, as in the predecessor. The lens are optically stabilized and offer good results in daylight, even if subjects are heavily resharpened. In dark surroundings, photos are reasonably illuminated, but with lots of noise and the image sharpness is not very pronounced - not really ideal for this price range. On the other hand, the image quality can still be optimized via the very extensive camera software. Like the Xperia 1 III, the current Xperia flagship not only offers numerous parameter adjustments, but also the well-known Alpha camera features, such as eye autofocus with real-time object tracking and continuous HDR shooting at 20 fps.
The highlight of the Sony flagship is clearly the variable periscope optics with loss-free zoom between 85 mm and 125 mm. Behind the variable telephoto lens is an optically stabilized 1/3.5-inch sensor that works steplessly between a magnification of 3.5x and 5.2x. However, we are not very impressed by the image quality. The sharpness could be much better and details are not accentuated either. Even an iPhone 13 Pro with the 5x hybrid zoom (3x optical) produces a sharper picture of our test subject than the Xperia 1 IV.
The 16 mm ultra-wide-angle camera of the Xperia 1 IV has good dynamics and a solid level of sharpness. However, the camera optics with EIS also produce some image flaws and other high-end smartphones offer more in terms of details.
The people have long been a belief that for a completely inexplicable reason, the manufacturer of top sensors on the planet - Sony, does not know how to make cameras in his own smartphones.
Although everything should be exactly the opposite and it is better for their smartphones by photo/video units simply should not be on the planet. But apparently this is a kind of "gentleman" agreement with companies specializing in the smartphones so that they buy sensors from Sony and further...