my pixel could never take pictures

Vivo made a splash in the smartphone photography space last year with the Vivo X200 Ultra, as it offered an optional telephoto extender. This external lens, attached to the 200MP periscope camera, enables a native 200mm or ~8.7x zoom. The company has also introduced the same lens in the globally available X300 Pro.

Now, Vivo has launched the X300 Ultra, and it sports an optional 8.7x lens. However, the manufacturer has also launched an even larger telephoto extender that enables 400mm or ~17x zoom.

With this setup, I can capture legitimate (i.e., not generative) photos that I wouldn’t have been able to on a Pixel phone. The whole package is truly ridiculous for more reasons than one.

I need to get one thing out of the way. If you thought the original 200mm external lens was too big, you’ll have a heart attack when you see the 400mm version. This thing is absolutely huge, and Vivo has crossed a line in my book. The size of this lens is particularly notable compared to the second generation 200mm extender (see third lens in the image above), which is slightly smaller and significantly lighter than the original lens.

Things get worse when you attach the 400mm lens to the phone via the required case and adapter ring. This time too we get a bayonet mount, but the new lens is significantly heavier than the 200mm lens. This makes the phone extremely heavy when the lens is attached.

Once you’ve connected the lens and opened the camera app, you’ll notice that the X300 Ultra follows the X300 Pro by offering a telephoto extender toggle across multiple camera modes. This is a more versatile approach than the dedicated telephoto extender mode of the X200 Ultra and OPPO Find X9 Pro. Dedicated modes meant that a lot of features and modes didn’t actually work with external lenses.

However, the big difference with the X300 Ultra is that tapping on the telephoto extender icon will now show you three external lens options. You get to choose which lens you’re attaching: the original 200mm lens, the smaller, second-generation 200mm lens (also known as the G2), or the 400mm extender (G2 Ultra). This is an understandable move, as it presumably configures the camera UI and other settings accordingly.

OK – but how are the pictures?

The first thing I notice about using the 400mm telephoto converter is that its minimum focusing distance is very long. To photograph a subject you literally have to stand four or five meters (13-16 feet) away from it. By comparison, a 200mm lens has a minimum focusing distance of about one meter (~3 feet). This is an understandable limitation given the long distances, but it does make the lens less versatile.

Thankfully, I found that the 400mm lens helped me take some great long-range zoom shots. I took the phone and lens to the beach and captured people on a nearby mountain. seriously.

I’m still not a fan of over-sharpening here (especially on rocks), although you can use the image profile to reduce it if needed. Still, it’s a very good demonstration of what’s possible with this lens. And the 800mm shot gave me room for some cropping, as you can see in the image above. Yes, that’s a hiker taking a selfie on the top of a mountain.

How far can you go before things start to seem chaotic? I found I could still take great pictures at 800mm. Image quality was a gamble at 1,600mm, with edge fringing and lack of real detail being the two biggest issues at this range. Meanwhile, 3,200 mm photographs were often garbled. Even 800mm shots can be spoiled by the inevitable heat haze if you’re photographing a distant subject on a hot day (see the third photo and the cropped version below). This may be obvious to many, but it’s still worth keeping in mind.

Like many other phones, Vivo’s algorithms and AI-powered enhancements can also struggle with complex textures over very long distances. Check out the brickwork in the second shot below, which looks as if it was drawn onto the building.

Still, the 400mm add-on lens lets you capture some high-quality photos from a distance. It doesn’t hurt that it provides some pleasant shallow depth-of-field effects. Again, we do see some issues at very long distances, but I was happy with most of these snaps. And you typically won’t get these types of long-range photos from your Samsung or Pixel phones. See gallery below.

Another thing I really like about the 400mm lens is that it supports Vivo’s new custom image profiles. The company lets you create image profiles by choosing a base style and then making changes to up to 12 parameters. These variables include exposure, halo, grain, warmth/color, highlights, shadows, and sharpness. I opted for a profile with dramatically less sharpness and abundant grain. As a result, I captured some amazing photos at the race track. The graininess may not be for everyone, but I especially liked the snap of the orange Porsche. Also, you can always use the grain slider to reduce the effect.

I haven’t actually spent any time with the 400mm lens in low-light scenes, but my time with the original 200mm teleconverter showed darker images than the equivalent lens-free shot. This is likely because Vivo cannot use a more capable main camera for image fusion in these circumstances. So I’m not expecting anything different in that regard.

In any case, you will have no shortage of equipment when a 400mm lens is attached. This includes support for full-resolution 200MP shots, ultra-stabilized video (up to 2.8K/60fps), 4K/120fps capture, log video, preset and custom audio capture profiles, and Pro Video mode. This is in addition to the above support for color profiles. However, given its wide 2.4:1 aspect ratio, you obviously can’t use the film style video capture mode.

When I tried the Vivo X200 Ultra and its 200mm lens for the first time a year ago, I felt the disadvantages outweighed the advantages. Then the X300 Pro came along with an improved software experience, making external lenses a better, more viable proposition. Unfortunately, I would argue that the 400mm lens has more disadvantages than advantages.

You can take really great long-range zoom photos, with no shortage of options to get that perfect photo. However, I think a 400mm lens is too heavy and awkward for most people. if you begrudgingly Have accepted the 200mm lens size, then I guess the 400mm option is out of the question for you. The new lens is larger and heavier, while making your phone even bulkier than the older add-on. This is especially notable since Vivo has also released a smaller, lighter 200mm lens.

However, this doesn’t mean you should buy a dedicated camera and lenses. Your phone will always be with you, so carrying a 400mm lens is much more convenient than carrying a digital camera and lens in addition to a smartphone. This means the phone and lens combo will remain useful for travel and sightseeing, or for smartphone photography enthusiasts who may already be carrying extra hardware.

However, the biggest challenger for this 400mm add-on lens may be the Find X9 Ultra. The upcoming phone from Oppo will be equipped with a 50MP 10x camera and is also entering the global markets. So you might want to wait for this phone with its integrated camera rather than splurging on the X300 Ultra and its bulky telephoto extender.