**** The Official Google Pixel 2/Pixel 2 XL Thread ****

[AndyCr15]

Sorry, depth of field is what I'm talking about and I found the photo I was thinking of as a great example.



This was taken with my DSLR with a decent lens. The ancient text covers the top of this coffin, but look how thin the depth of field is here, literally a few cm. Everything else gradually blurs as it gets further away from the point of focus. That's all that's happening in that portrait mode photo. It's not a filter that cuts out a subject and makes everything else a blur, it generates a depth of field like a pro camera lens.

What it could be, if iOS doesn't make photos look like that of the car light, perhaps iOS haven't been as aggressive with their depth of field?

 

[chanjy]

I took a portrait selfie of me and my wife yesterday... It had me sharp and blurred out my wife! So it's not perfect

 

[AndyCr15]

I took a portrait selfie of me and my wife yesterday... It had me sharp and blurred out my wife! So it's not perfect

See above. I would expect one of you was closer to the lens?

They could perhaps do with a slider that lets you set the depth of the depth of field.

 

[Cleisthenes]

I took a portrait selfie of me and my wife yesterday... It had me sharp and blurred out my wife! So it's not perfect

It's telling you something

 

[Dirk Diggler]

I took a portrait selfie of me and my wife yesterday... It had me sharp and blurred out my wife! So it's not perfect

I would consider that pretty near to perfect.

Seriously though, looking at Andy's selfie I can see that the camera has done what it's supposed to do, and done it well... but if it where me, I'd like to see the bike in the background clearly too? I take it this bokeh like blur effect is an optional thing, and not the default setting?

 

[ddoubleep]

@AndyCr15 thanks for your Pixel 2 video and posting photos. Any new phone I was looking for had to have a decent camera to capture family moments and this one seems to deliver. I had considered the iPhone 8/8+ but this one keeps me firmly in the Android camp which I was hoping for. I want to pair it with a Zhiyun Smooth Q3 Smartphone Gimbal.

The 4K shoots in 30fps. I am used to shooting in 25p on my DSLR and the 1080p is 60fps. If I mix and match footage will it look odd in post? I usually prefer 25fps as I find 60fps far too fluid but I guess the trend for smartphones is to not offer a multitude of frame rates out of the box? I usually playback footage on my TV.

Thanks.

 

[chanjy]

See above. I would expect one of you was closer to the lens?

They could perhaps do with a slider that lets you set the depth of the depth of field.

It's different. We were maybe slightly different distances from the camera but it applied quite an aggressive blur. I'd post it but she wouldn't let me.

I shoot proper cameras too and the fall off/bokeh is more gradual in reality than the computational method from the phone. I'm not saying the phone effect is bad, but we should also acknowledge that it has flaws. I thought the car one was fine though, which is why I posted it.

 

[AndyCr15]

I think it depends what you use to edit the footage. You usually select the output and it will convert whatever you shot into that format (res,fps etc) so no, it should look fine.

Out of interest, I've added two shots to the album linked above, testing depth of field.

Here I focused on the silver end of the tape measure.

Here I focused on 10cm point of the tape measure.

Looks good to me. By the 7 and the 4, if you zoom in, it's beginning to blur.

 

[AndyCr15]

It's different. We were maybe slightly different distances from the camera but it applied quite an aggressive blur.

You see my coffin pic though? That's pretty aggressive blur too...

Personally I just think it's quite thin depth of field, as shown with the tape measure.

I'd post it but she wouldn't let me.

I would say you could blur her out, but it sounds like Google did that already?

I'm joking, I understand of course.

 

[glenimp617]

I'm really tempted to go out and buy the smaller pixel 2

 

[ddoubleep]

I'm really tempted to go out and buy the smaller pixel 2

Likewise. CPW have it in stock. Annoyingly the CPW local to me did not have it setup on display. The sales rep just gave a nervous laugh and then went to get one from the back and it had a dead battery! It is like they didn't want to sell the damn thing to anyone...Will venture again this lunchtime. I wanted to use it for a family trip next weekend. The XL is a month away and not still sure I want the larger size.

 

[AndyCr15]

 

[glenimp617]

Likewise. CPW have it in stock. Annoyingly the CPW local to me did not have it setup on display. The sales rep just gave a nervous laugh and then went to get one from the back and it had a dead battery! It is like they didn't want to sell the damn thing to anyone...Will venture again this lunchtime. I wanted to use it for a family trip next weekend. The XL is a month away and not still sure I want the larger size.

Well it's the curved screen, side bezels and poled which annoys me the most about the xl2. None of which is present on the smaller one (I mean it's basically the same as last years).

8% currys discount, sell the free home mini and my current xl (which is brand new). The upgrade should cost me around £200 and for that I get.

upgraded processor, hdr chip with android 8.1, better camera with ois, stereo speakers, active edge, ambient display with music recognition, plus all the little software tweaks. Although you can get the software bits from xda, it's nice just having them officially.

 

[Nexus18]

Urgh, camera looks epic, just why the **** did the bezels have to be so big!?



Looks so ******* stupid those bezels in 2017.....

 

[uvarvu]

I'm really tempted to go out and buy the smaller pixel 2

Part of me wants to do the same thing but the other part says wait for the XL and switch if it sucks.

 

[thewanted]

8% currys discount, sell the free home mini and my current xl (which is brand new).

The free Home Mini offer ended yesterday on PCW.

 

[glenimp617]

The free Home Mini offer ended yesterday on PCW.

sounds about right

 

[jonneymendoza]

The free Home Mini offer ended yesterday on PCW.

what about for people who bought it from google store?

 

[thewanted]

what about for people who bought it from google store?

Do you ever research anything yourself?

Limited-time offer applies to redemption of one Google Home Mini device, chalk colour only, with the order of a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL from Google Store in the UK, starting 4 October 2017 until 31 December 2017, while supplies last. After a qualifying purchase of a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, a promo code will be emailed approximately 4-6 weeks from the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL delivery date.

https://store.google.com/product/pixel_2

 

[chanjy]

You see my coffin pic though? That's pretty aggressive blur too...

Personally I just think it's quite thin depth of field, as shown with the tape measure.



I would say you could blur her out, but it sounds like Google did that already?

I'm joking, I understand of course.

I do understand photography pretty well, have had full frame cameras, f1.4 lenses etc. For normal cameras, objects an additional 5 cm further away from point of focus shouldn't be as blurred as background objects a couple of feet away. My point isn't that portrait mode is bad, just that it's not infallible. Even on your bike selfie, the bike and the back wall are equally out of focus when this shouldn't quite be the case with a proper lens and not a computational effect.

Urgh, camera looks epic, just why the **** did the bezels have to be so big!?


Looks so ******* stupid those bezels in 2017.....

I had the S8 for a couple of weeks and I thought '******** I can't reach the top of the screen' way more than 'I wish the bezels were smaller'.