Wired
Xiaomi’s new flagship Xiaomi 12S series with Snapdragon 8+ chipset was released in China earlier. In addition to its top performance, another selling point is the addition of Leica lens and imaging functions. Among them, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, which is equipped with a 1-inch sensor IMX989 main lens for the first time, is even more impressive for its image performance.
The main lens group on the back of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra occupies a lot of positions in the rear. Its IMX989 main mirror adopts an 8P eight-lens structure, which can output four-in-one 3.2 μm large pixels, support OIS anti-shock and Octa-PD phase focus; coupled with 48 million It consists of an equivalent 13mm ultra-wide-angle lens and a 48-megapixel 5x focal length OIS periscope telephoto lens. The default camera interface adopts the upper and lower photography parameter setting pages, and adds a playful “Leica Custom” photo watermark (only photos taken in “Photo” and “Pro” modes can be added to the watermark).
▲ First equipped with 50 million pixel 1 inch IMX 989 photosensitive element F1.9 OIS main mirror
▲ Pull up and down the photography parameter setting page, add the fun “Leica Custom” photo watermark
Due to its large 1-inch sensor, Xiaomi 12S Ultra also added 50MP full-pixel output in the “More” tab. Test photos were taken and cropped at the original ratio. You can see that the output image has the industry’s top lens resolution at the same time. There is almost no obvious image loss in the four corners, and the detail is quite high.
▲ 50MP mode original photo screenshot location
▲ Full pixel original ratio screenshot
As the Xiaomi 12S Ultra with the strongest lens specification among the three phones in the 12S series, its three-lens combination provides 13-120mm optics, plus up to 120x digital zoom capability. When the camera interface is zooming, there will be 6 groups of fast-shooting focal length switching keys from 0.5x to 120x displayed at the bottom. During outdoor test shooting, the default OIS image stabilization function, although it has not reached the level where the Samsung S22 Ultra can stabilize the composition with a pure hand. However, it can still output clear images at long focal lengths without a tripod.
▲ Preset 6 groups of focal lengths from 0.5x to 120x
Xiaomi 12S Ultra test shots at each focal length (dot image can be enlarged):
▲ 0.5x focal length test shot
▲ 1.0x focal length test shot
▲ 5.0x focal length test shot
▲ 50x focal length test shot
▲ 120x focal length test shot
In addition to providing 13-120mm optical focal length and a 1-inch large photosensitive element main mirror on the hardware, Xiaomi 12S Ultra also has rich Leica color and filter effects. The color part of the device includes teaching the “Leica Vivid” color mode that meets the taste of the public, and the “Leica Classic” color mode that is full of “Leica flavor”.
▲ Has the signature “Leica Classic” and the new “Leica Vivid” color mode, which can be quickly switched on the top bar of the camera interface
Xiaomi 12S Ultra color mode test shot (click to enlarge):
▲ “Leica Vivid” color mode test shot
▲ “Leica Classic” color mode test shot
As for special effects filters, this time Xiaomi 12S is pre-loaded with four sets of special effects with the Leica M digital rangefinder camera, including “Leica Vivid”, “Leica Natural”, “Leica Monochrome” and “Leica Monochrome” which emphasizes the gray level. “Color HC”, so that people who are more sensitive to color language can easily find a suitable picture when creating images.
▲ The filter mode adds four sets of Leica filter effects, including the signature “Leica Monochrome HC (High Contrast)”
Xiaomi 12S Ultra filter test shot (click the image to enlarge):
▲ “Leica Vivid” filter test shot
▲ “Leica Natural” filter test shot
▲ “Leica Monochromatic” filter test shot
▲ “Leica Monochromatic HC” filter test shot
In the Xiaomi 12S Pro and the 12S Ultra tested this time, the manufacturer has added a more playful “Master Lens Pack” function. Users can select three types of “Master Lens Pack” functions in the “Portrait” mode of the camera interface. Shooting with different focal lengths and different image special effects lenses, bringing more light and shadow effects to portraits and other photographic creations
▲ “Portrait” mode has built-in master lens package function, preset three groups of different focal length lens effects
Xiaomi 12S Ultra “Master Lens Pack” test shot (click the image to enlarge):
▲ 35mm black and white lens mode test shot
▲ 50mm rotary focal lens mode test shot
▲ 90mm soft focus lens mode test shot
Xiaomi 12S Ultra photo test (click the image to enlarge):
Taking photos with Xiaomi 12S Ultra, we can see that the camera module brings very clear images, and the detail and signal noise suppression performance are also at the top level in the industry. The main Leica lens not only gave excellent answers in the hardware part, but also enriched color modes, filters and even master lens packs, which also allow the public users to experience the image features of Leica cameras more intuitively.
Although some small details such as the lens package special effects occasionally appear slightly “broken”, and the special effects are scattered and the Leica functions cannot be selected in a centralized manner, it may take longer for new users to get started, but overall it is a purchase based on photographic performance. For targeted users, Xiaomi 12S Ultra will be one of the best choices in the near future and even in the first half of the year.
When this article was published, Xiaomi 12S Ultra could be found in stock in the local street market. Some companies listed the National Bank 12S Ultra at the price of $8,680 (12+256) and $9,480 (12+512) respectively, and they also had fir green and classic black options. . Enquiry: 2374 0618 (Sanhe Electric)