The Pixel 8 Pro has always impress us on it’s low light computational photography. Although there are no major upgrades to the camera and video system, there are subtle changes to it.
The 50MP main sensor remains the same for it’s excellent day or night shots. The new 48MP ultrawide sensor with a wider f/1.7 aperture, which should improve a tiny bit in low light performance but has a lesser 123 degree field of view. The telephoto is able to do the same 5X zoom with Super Res zoom of up to 30X. (We have enclose some pictures below both for day and time shot).
As for the front selfie camera, the Pixel 9 Pro XL upgrades to a 42MP sensor which should give you sharper images. For those who don’t take selfies, this doesn’t matter.
On the Pixel 9 Pro XL, it supports 4K with Super Res Video Zoom of up to 20 X. So you can get better zoom in videos. If you want to spend time publishing 8K videos, well Pixel 9 Pro allows you to shoot in 8K with upgraded Video Boost feature.
Photo shots in Day and Night, Super Res Zoom
In the photo gallery below (which auto-scrolls), you’ll find images captured with up to 30X digital zoom, showcasing both daytime and nighttime scenes. Additionally, there are several night shots that highlight the exceptional quality the Pixel series is renowned for.
4K/30 Video Recording
We took the opportunity to test the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL in low light conditions for night video shooting. Since we didn’t use a gimbal and recorded while walking, some minor light flickering is expected. This issue could be mitigated if the phone offered 25 fps or 50 fps recording options.
Additionally, since we didn’t enable the video boost feature, the video might not be as smooth as our previous recordings where video boost was used.
It’s a bit puzzling why video boost is necessary when the Tensor G4 chip should be capable of handling noise reduction and frame smoothing effectively. The video boost feature requires processing time, which can be quite lengthy for longer videos—potentially taking hours. While it may be useful for short clips, it’s less practical for longer recordings. Ideally, I’d prefer real-time video boosting instead.
8K Video Recording with Night Sight Video Boost
One of the more interesting feature is Video Boost Night Sight. It is finally ready for prime time after it first debut on Pixel 8.
We took another video in 8K with Video Boost and Night Sight. The youtube video presented is unedited and uploaded directly from the phone.
The result is impressive. Dark avenues are lit and the video is way brighter than before.