vivo X200 Extremely Pictures equipment hands-on assessment
Few issues go hand in hand higher with an Extremely, than a Pictures equipment. Xiaomi has been placing these out for a number of generations of its final flagship, whereas vivo had a third-party possibility for the X100 Extremely final 12 months. For the X200 Extremely, they’re making an official one, and it is one-upping Xiaomi.
The vivo X200 Extremely Pictures equipment is made by PGYTech, a widely known firm within the digicam accent area. The set features a protecting snap-on case that additionally serves as a mount for the opposite bits, a battery grip, a number of rings with totally different performance, and some straps. Then there’s the star of the present and what no Xiaomi Extremely has had – a telephoto extender lens.
That lens carries Zeiss branding, extending vivo’s continued collaboration with the German optical glass firm a notch additional. It gives 2.35x magnification over the 85mm-equivalent lens of the telephone’s telephoto digicam (it may possibly solely be used on that digicam, do not get any concepts), taking the optical zoom vary to 200mm. It is a comparatively massive chunk of glass and steel (209g, plus 2.5g and 1g price of caps) and leaves a really stable impression all by itself.
The accent lens mounts onto a bayonet socket in a devoted black steel ring (18g), which itself bayonets to the telephone’s case. When you take away the telephoto extender, however preserve the extender’s attachment mount, you should utilize all three cameras as if there’s nothing mounted on the again. When you mount the add-on lens, nonetheless, it will get into the sector of view of the 14mm and the 35mm cameras.
When you take away the lens mount totally, you may change it with one other steel ring (11.3g) that may settle for common 67mm screw-on filters. Then there are two plastic rings (2.6g every) for these cases when no precise performance is required, and also you’d choose to attenuate dimensions whereas nonetheless utilizing the case.
The case itself is a moderately sturdy and well-made piece (33g). It has a fake leather-based backing, a kick-up stand for propping up the telephone, and two lanyard eyelets. There are additionally two slide-in attachment factors for the battery grip, which latches on in a 3rd spot, contained in the kickstand.
The battery grip (94g) incorporates 1,500mAh price of juice and a handful of controls. The 2-stage shutter launch is surrounded by a zoom rocker (zoom solely, non-customizable at this level, steady versus switching between cameras). There’s additionally a video file button and one other button that allows the battery contained in the grip to work as a powerbank to feed the telephone.
Moreover, there is a dial that defaults to publicity compensation (works in most modes), however can be set to vary shutter velocity, ISO, white stability, or handbook focus (all of those solely in Professional mode), or the extent of background blur (in Portrait mode). The dial is not clickable although – a missed alternative in case you ask us.
The battery grip makes for fairly safe dealing with – it gives wonderful buy on the telephone and extender meeting although you’d nonetheless choose to help the extender itself – utilizing each palms is extra professional anyway. Alternatively, you should utilize the included Arca Swiss tripod collar (57g) onto the lens itself.
In operation, the lens attaches to the black bayonet mount with a constructive click on although it does keep there with a tiny little bit of wobble. In reality, it is the black ring itself that’s considerably extra fiddly to mount onto the case – it takes some wiggling to get it to lock.
At this level, the telephone would not know it is acquired the lens connected so in case you change to the telephoto digicam you will have an the wrong way up and doubtless very blurry out of focus picture within the viewfinder. You have to change to the Telephoto extension mode from the additional modes and it is acquired each photograph and video tabs.
Extender connected, Photograph mode • Pop-up to substantiate going into the devoted mode • Mode UI
vivo Telephoto extender digicam samples
We shot just a few samples with the telephoto extender to see simply how good it’s and the way it compares in opposition to the telephone’s native 85mm telephoto lens plus some added digital zoom.
In case you are taking folks photographs, the 200mm focal size is greatest suited to tighter framing, or for these cases once you simply cannot get nearer to your topic, however both manner the standard is great in these photographs. The images taken utilizing the extender should not solely tremendous sharp, however in addition they have superior topic separation, in comparison with the common ones.
Portraits, 200mm: Extender • No extender (digital zoom)
Now, you may transcend 200mm, although taking pictures distances begin to get out of hand, and 1:1 high quality deteriorates. Possibly it’s best to follow the native 200mm and go away the additional zoom for when no different possibility is out there.
Portraits, Extender: 200mm • 400mm • 800mm • 1600mm
Taking pictures distant topics can also be higher with the add-on lens, in fact. The telephone does alright by itself, notably with topics consisting of straight strains, however in case you go random element within the bricks or foliage, you will discover the benefit within the images taken with the additional glass.
Daylight images, 200mm: Extender • No extender (digital zoom)
Zooming in additional, the 400mm degree is wanting alright, with even 800mm being fairly usable, whereas 1600mm is considerably hazy, however totally throwaway high quality.
Daylight images, Extender: 200mm • 400mm • 800mm • 1600mm
In the dead of night, we might say the extender makes an much more pronounced distinction in high quality, letting the vivo seize very high quality element that is in any other case smoothed out by the mixed results of digital zoom and noise discount.
Low-light images, 200mm: Extender • No extender (digital zoom)
Relying on lighting and material, you could even get away with zooming in even additional, with 400mm being, once more fairly first rate.
Low-light images, Extender: 200mm • 400mm • 800mm • 1600mm
The telephoto extender will even be your good friend for video recording, each through the day, and at night time.
Daylight video framegrabs: Extender, 200mm • No extender (digital zoom), 230mm
Low-light video framegrabs: Extender, 200mm • No extender (digital zoom), 230mm
Wrap-up
The vivo X200 Extremely is a outstanding cameraphone by itself, with a number of the business’s best {hardware} paired with skilled processing. Including an adjunct lens to its telephoto makes for an much more versatile setup. It enhances the telephone’s already nice portraiture capabilities and brings distant topics even nearer – with wonderful pixel-level high quality.
When you’re going by the difficulty of getting your palms on the smartphone, maybe spending the additional money to get the Pictures equipment won’t sound too outlandish. It provides about €200 on prime of the value of the 16GB/1TB model of the X200 Extremely (which is seemingly the one model that vivo will promote you the equipment with), making the full round €1200.
That is earlier than no matter import charges you will must incur to get it to the doorstep, although, and let’s not neglect that you just would possibly wish to simply get the 16GB/512GB telephone at €860 (once more, earlier than taxes and whatnot).
We’ll admit that it requires a little bit of a billionaire mindset to drop that sum of money on a handset with some software program limitations and primarily no after-sales help, however when you have cash to burn, you will not less than be proud of what you get in return, by the seems to be of it.
