Most fashionable smartphones are fairly good at taking photos in good lighting. Excessive-end telephones have gotten actually good at taking photos in virtually any state of affairs, however for as superior as cellular pictures has gotten, physics nonetheless places a tough restrict on what your telephone’s native optics are capable of seize.
That’s why, relating to a number of the greatest digicam telephones round proper now, producers have began to push past the confines of their star units’ inherent imaging {hardware}, augmenting the expertise with equipment that permit for much more photographic versatility. To not point out, by doing so, they inject a sorely wanted component of enjoyable again into the photographic expertise; take Honor’s new Skilled Imaging Package for the Magic 8 Professional, for instance.
Honor’s new star participant is already an achieved digicam telephone in its personal proper, with a big 1/1.3-inch 50Mp important sensor and a sizeable 200Mp 3.7x telephoto too, granting as much as an 85mm equal focal size of optical high quality lossless zoom and AI algorithm-enhanced zoom between 10x and the telephone’s most 100x magnification (equal to between 230- and 2300mm).
Add within the Skilled Imaging Package, although, and the included 2.35x teleconverter grants you 200mm equal optical zoom, AI-backed zoom above 400mm and the utmost focal vary of 5400mm (roughly 235x).
What’s within the field?
Honor partnered with Shenzhen-based digicam and smartphone accent maker Telesin to create the Magic 8 Professional’s Skilled Imaging Package and it marries a lot of the performance of the separate Pictures and Filter Kits that China-based consumers of final yr’s Honor Magic 7 RSR had entry to.
First, there’s a polycarbonate case. Its silver edge and textured fake leather-based black again actually communicate to basic digicam aesthetics, whereas the silver quantity and metallic pink energy button caps add a satisfying click on to the usual really feel of the 8 Professional’s native facet buttons, when pressed.
For the value, the silver components do feel and look a little bit low-cost, although.
There are additionally anchor factors for the included, braided neck strap, a cutout for the telephone’s AI Button (which already doubled as a shutter button and capacitive zoom management), a latched mounting ring that encircles the telephone’s cameras and a MagSafe type magnet association, with a “cooling grille” within the centre.
As a case, it feels protecting sufficient, and the addition of MagSafe-compatible magnets opens up compatibility with an entire world of equipment; nevertheless, when within the case, my Magic 8 Professional wasn’t capable of cost wirelessly on an ordinary Qi2 charger I needed to hand, which is a disgrace. I’m additionally unconvinced that the cooling grille makes any important distinction to efficiency in prolonged use.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
That latched digicam encompass comes pre-fitted with a beauty steel ring, that offers the telephone a passing resemblance to the brand new Leica Leitzphone Powered by Xiaomi and acts as a pleasant level with which to stabilise the telephone when capturing, however it will also be swapped out for a 67mm filter adapter – equally to Xiaomi’s previous couple of pictures kits – or the lens mounting bracket for that all-important 2.35x teleconverter lens.
The adapter itself is good as a result of, in contrast to the equal plate that attaches to the Oppo Discover X9 Professional‘s digicam system, when related, the Magic 8 Professional’s important and ultrawide sensors aren’t obscured, so you’ll be able to nonetheless shoot throughout all the telephone’s important lenses, with out having to fuss along with your setup an excessive amount of.
Then, it’s only a matter of lining up and twisting the teleconverter into the mount, and also you’re practically able to go.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
The teleconverter – with its steel barrel, silicone grip and 13 glass lens components – is certainly the place the majority of the package’s price ticket goes, and feels nice to deal with.
Whereas the silicon cowl on the base protects the latch mechanism properly, in contrast to the squeeze-release latch discovered on the Oppo Discover X9 Professional’s pictures package, the plastic lens cap right here merely rests on the tip of the teleconverter and feels far too unfastened to be reliable. If I didn’t maintain the lens wrapped up throughout transport and when not in use, I’m sure the lens cap would simply fall off after I wasn’t wanting.
The Skilled Imaging Package as an entire, appears virtually similar to the system Vivo gives up for its X200 and X300 collection smartphones, except for the digicam grip, which as an alternative of latching onto the tip of the case, makes use of that MagSafe-style ring to connect magnetically, permitting for straightforward use and extra management than Vivo’s package, in both panorama or portrait orientations.
Controls & options
Whereas it feels a little bit low-cost contemplating the package’s general value, I actually just like the design of the magnetic digicam grip. The textured thumb relaxation provides a shocking quantity of management and added confidence when capturing one-handed, whereas the highest face gives extra bodily controls than some other equal pictures accent package on the market.
After powering the grip on by holding the operate button for just a few seconds, pairing through Bluetooth is fast and painless; no extra app or plug-in required. Just like the telephone’s native AI button, the two-stage pink shutter key enables you to half-press to focus and full-press to snap an image, whereas holding it down begins a burst seize.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
The shutter secret’s surrounded by a two-way zoom lever. It’s helpful however has a little bit an excessive amount of impartial play earlier than it prompts in both path, paired to a level of lag that typically simply had me resorting to swiping on-screen, as traditional.
The ‘file’ secret’s one thing of a misnomer, letting you quick-launch the digicam app, bounce to your photograph gallery when capturing or snap stills while recording video. The knurled customized dial on the entrance face of the grip is the primary management that’s seemingly distinctive to Honor’s Skilled Imaging Package, and allows you to shortly swap modes inside the native digicam app (between photograph, video, portrait and many others.) and when utilizing the specialised teleconverter mode (which has solely three settings: photograph, video and stage).
The underside of the grip performs host to a USB port for charging its built-in 80mAh battery. I hoped the grip could possibly be used to cost the Magic 8 Professional wirelessly, however such performance appears reserved for the pictures kits of rival flagships.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
On the flip facet, the low calls for of Bluetooth imply that even after hours of use, my grip didn’t drop under 75% cost, which you’ll be able to verify by urgent a button on the underside, inflicting between one and 4 white LEDs to mild up, relying on cost degree.
It’s additionally right here that you simply’ll discover a lanyard loop level, which is right in the event you don’t plan on utilizing the grip solely with the Magic 8 Professional (it will possibly technically connect with any MagSafe-compatible case or telephone, though solely the shutter appeared to work after I paired it to an iPhone 17 Professional).
Lastly, there’s a 1/4-inch tripod thread, one thing Xiaomi’s pictures kits frustratingly proceed to omit. Whereas its inclusion is each appreciated and downright important – relying in your capturing state of affairs – when the teleconverter is connected, the thread’s place makes the entire 400g meeting very unbalanced; superb if in case you have a heavy-duty tripod, however precarious in the event you’re utilizing a smaller, extra light-weight stand.
Digital camera samples
The obvious profit when capturing with the teleconverter connected is with the ability to seize topics additional away with higher optical zoom, however that’s actually secondary to the kinds of photographs this package permits for.
For one, the inherent compression lends itself fantastically to structure and different situations the place a flatter, extra telecentric look is desired, and that inner lens construction does an incredible job of holding edge-frame distortion and aberration at bay.
Conversely, the pure optical bokeh that comes from portrait capturing with the teleconverter is unmatched in the event you evaluate it to the telephone’s native software-based portrait impact.
Add to that surprisingly quick autofocus and this makes for an outstanding portrait pictures setup, too. As a matter of private style, I believe I choose the look of Oppo’s bokeh when evaluating outcomes with Honor’s equal teleconverter photographs.
The identical software program replace that added the digicam’s devoted teleconverter mode additionally enhanced the Magic 8 Professional’s native optical picture stabilisation from a CIPA-rated 5.5 stops to six.5 stops, which Honor claims is an trade first (this is applicable to each the telephone’s important and telephoto sensors).
Having toyed with the lens connected to my Magic 8 Professional earlier than updating its firmware, I instantly noticed the additional advantage this enhanced stabilisation brings to the capturing expertise, and it’s downright important in the event you’re not capturing from a tripod.
Even in vibrant situations, you’ll be able to see the stabilisation at work at something over 200mm, with the highlights in my handheld photographs of flowers (above) exhibiting a comfortable bloom that comes from stabilisation working to maintain photographs sharp.
Verdict
Whereas rollout appears gradual (with solely Malaysia citing an precise value on the time of writing, at RM 1,499 – equal to round £290 / €325 / $380), the Honor Magic 8 Professional’s Skilled Imaging Package is a severe add-on for individuals who purchased the telephone for its photographic chops initially.
The majority of that price ticket is evidently for the two.35x teleconverter, which is certainly essentially the most premium a part of the package, whereas the case and grip would have benefited from a little bit extra refinement (tighter tolerances, extra premium floor finishes and many others.) earlier than occurring sale.
The Honor Magic 8 Professional isn’t fairly succesful sufficient to switch that RX100 VII in your pocket, however in the event you’re keen to stump up the required money, it does make for some of the versatile capturing experiences amongst the present digicam telephone crop, particularly once you consider options like 4K/120fps video recording and the like, too.