The Vivo 17 Pro is currently one of the company’s most popular offerings in the Philippines.
With the Vivo V17 Pro, you’re getting a device with a large 6.44-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor, generous 8GB/128GB of configuration, and a 4,100mAh battery. You can check our full review of the Vivo V17 Pro to learn how all those features performed in the real world.
But today, in our Vivo V17 Pro camera review, we want to focus on the device’s biggest feature.
The Vivo V17 Pro sports six cameras all around it. We have four on the back. It starts with the 48-megapixel Sony IMX 582 sensor with a bright aperture of f/1.8. We also have the 8-megapixel ultra-wide at f/2.2 and the usual inclusions like the 2-megapixel macro and 2-megapixel depth sensors.
Oh and if you don’t like reading, you can watch our Vivo V17 Pro camera review video below instead.
Let’s start with the 48-megapixel camera. By default, it outputs 12-megapixel images thanks to pixel-binning. This allows the device to output brighter images as four neighboring pixels join forces to form a single pixel to absorb light better.
With that, it’s no surprise that the images from this thing look really detailed. With vibrant colors and deep contrast. Also, the wide aperture makes low-light performance decent. It also provides an authentic shallow depth-of-field look without using Portrait mode.
If you really want that full 48-megapixel image, you can enable the 48MP mode in the ‘More’ section of the camera app. It outputs images at 8,000 x 6,000 resolution, that’s twice more than the 4000 x 3000 pixels on the standard 12-megapixel mode.
The large canvass it provides is great if you want to print the pictures for a poster or any larger format. But if the quality is a top priority, you should just stick with the 12-megapixel default. Ironically, you’d notice a lot of artifacts and noise when you zoom in on a 48-megapixel image.
The Vivo V17 Pro doesn’t have a dedicated telephoto lens. Although there’s a quick toggle on the bottom of the camera app that lets you switch between 1x and 2x of digital zoom, and up to 10x by sliding it in.
You can use the 2x zoom if you want to get a tad bit closer or if there’s any distraction on the foreground. It will still output a relatively clean image. However, jumping to 10x results in really dull-looking pictures.
Just like most devices today, the Vivo V17 Pro has a night mode feature. It takes decent night shot, although we’ve definitely seen better. Let’s just hope Vivo rolls out a software update to make it better.
Next stop, we have the 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens. The f/2.2 aperture might not be as open as what the primary one has, but this it’s actually fitting since a smaller aperture means everything will be in focus.
With that, you’d really want everything in focus since the wide field of view allows you to capture group shots, tall buildings, or an entire dinner table. The colors and overall quality might not be the best, but still worth sharing online.
We also have a macro camera. The 2-megapixel sensor is enough to capture well-detailed close-up photos. The colors are also fine.
Meanwhile, the 2-megapixel depth sensor does a good job of separating the foreground from the background. This results in good edge detection, creating an authentic-looking shallow depth of field.
Moving on, we have two front-facing cameras on the Vivo V17 Pro. They are cradled in a large pop-up mechanism that provides a really novelty look.
Aside from the unique look it provides, the cameras themselves take really good selfies and even groufies.
See also: OPPO Reno 2F vs Vivo V17 Pro: Specs Comparison
The pixel-packed 32-megapixel sensor captures really sharp images, which is rare in devices like this. It offers decent colors and contrast. It also comes with tons of novelty features like Face Beauty, AR stickers and more.
We also have an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera. Again, the overall quality is not the best, but it sure lets you capture more subjects in a single frame. You and your friends don’t have to squeeze tightly to make it on the shot.
The Vivo V17 Pro uses a pretty familiar camera app. You can easily switch between the Video mode, Portrait, and Night by sliding the toggle on top of the shutter button.
Probably my only main complaint is when you have to switch to the ultra-wide camera. Instead of having it next to the 1x and 2x zoom, you have to press a separate button on the lower right to access it. It sits next to the Bokeh and Super Macro modes.
To sum it up, the Vivo V17 Pro’s six cameras sure makes it one of the most enjoyable smartphone to take pictures with. Although I just wish that the camera app gets updated soon.