When one camera is not enough

Smartphones with cameras or cameras with smartphones: Huawei Honor 6, Huawei Honor 8, Huawei P9, Lenovo Vibe and LG X Cam.

A new trend has started to re-appear among new smartphones in recent months. A number of mobile phone vendors are beginning to incorporate dual cameras into their handsets. It's not really new since a few ones that were released a few years back had this feature but they were really intended for 3D imaging.

Recent smartphones that carry two cameras offer a more specialized approach to mobile photography. We look at each one of them in this article and explain what their uses are for.

Huawei made the Honor 6 Plus with two eight-megapixel cameras at the back in an attempt to create a super-image by combining the data collected by each sensor. This resulted in a brighter output and better image detail with the ability to refocus the image from f/0.95 for a nice soft bokeh right up to a crisp f/16 aperture. The front camera also sports another eight-megapixel sensor for a triple combo.

Around the same time, LG also released the LG V10 with a dual front-facing camera. The two front-facing cameras in five megapixels each and a decent f/2.2 opening aim to deliver better selfie photos. One of the cameras has an 80-degree field of view for normal close-up shots while the other has a 120-dgeree field of view for wider shots or group selfies.

Lenovo also made the Vibe S1 with two front-facing cameras to deliver better selfies shots with creative effects. The Vibe S1 has an eight-megapixel primary camera and another two-megapixel secondary shooter that works in tandem. The main camera has a BSI sensor for better low-light performance and the secondary camera helps to refocus the output to create a better bokeh effect. The second camera can also indentify photobombers and remove them from selfies easily. More photography tricks are made available from the camera app.

LG announced the LG X Cam back in February. The device has two rear cameras – one with a five-megapixel sensor and another with 13 megapixels. The bigger camera takes standard photos with the companion 5MP sensor has a wide-angle lens for a wider field of view.

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Just recently, Huawei introduced the much-hyped Huawei P9 with Leica optics. As mentioned before in our previous article, the approach is quite unique. One is the typical RGB camera while the other is a monochrome camera. When taking shots, both cameras will capture the image and combine them. The RGB camera will take the color details and the monochrome camera takes in more light and details. The output image is a combination of the two, producing a really crisp and nice image.

The monochrome sensor takes up to 300 percent more light. Like the Honor 6 Plus, the two cameras help produce a really nice, deep bokeh, simulating the famed f/0.95 of the Noctilux.

Of the lot, the Huawei P9 has managed to attract a lot of interest because of the participation of Leica in engineering the optics.

Just last week, Huawei also announced another mid-range smartphone, the Honor V8. The device carries a dual 12-megapixel cameras that will mimic the features and effects of the Huawei P9 but this time without the Leica branding.

Emphasis on two cameras has become more and more pronounced in recent months. What's more surprising is that the effort in putting two front-facing cameras for better selfies indicate that many people consider that the front shooters are equally important as the main camera.

As dual front cameras on smartphones become the standard, in time we will probably see models with dual rear cameras as well.

Source: When one camera is not enough