Last edited by mail2ronit on 2017/2/3 09:36
The Zenfone 3 Max line up was introduced just a short time back with two distinct models. These models are known as the Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL (the 5.2 inch variant) & Zenfone 3 Max ZC553KL (the 5.5 inch variant). Now, ASUS is adding a new member to this line up & it is called the Zenfone 3s Max ZC521TL. This is an upgrade over the lower end Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL. So, the Zenfone 3s Max has also received some upgrades on the Camera segment. Though, in the back it still got a 13mp sensor but, in the front it now has an 8mp sensor that is a step up from the 5mp sensor of the ZC520TL. But, how does this Camera fair when it comes to day to day Photography ? In this article, let's find out.
Let's come to the cameras one by one. We will first check the images & then I'll give my review for the Camera. Something to be aware of is that, the Camera is running on the latest version of PixelMaster (i.e. PixelMaster 3.0 )
The Zenfone 3s Max is rocking a 13 Megapixel sensor with f-2.0 Aperture. I don't have any confirmation about what kind of sensor it is using. But, it's probably not a Sony Sensor. Anyway, here are some sample shots that I took. It was Swaraswati Puja in Kolkata so, I have clicked a few shots of some pujas as well. Look for the color details on those shots while checking out the samples.
So, these are some Daylight shots.
These are from Macro distance with Manual Focus,
This is a shot in a Shady area And this one is in Extreme low light condition
In the front the Zenfone 3s Max is rocking an 8 Megapixel sensor with f-2.2 Aperture. Here are some of the shots from the front facing camera. First one is infront of direct sunlight & the second one is in a shady area.
The Review
Rear Camera: The pictures shot on the Rear Camera of the Zenfone 3S Max were good. The colors looked decent, the saturation & exposure were well balanced, the Macro shots came out to be great. Anyway while clicking macros & other close shots, I found that Manual Focus was doing a much better job compared to using Tap-to-focus. In other conditions, Tap-to-focus gets the job done. I prefered using the Manual Mode more often compared to the Auto Mode as that gives much better results in some conditions.
However, something I noticed was that, the details in the images were on the softer side. It's normally not noticable that much but when I zoomed in, I noticed it. So, the segment where the camera was losing points was in terms of Sharpness. And the Dynamic Range could have been better as in the shady areas, the shadows look very deep & often end up by missing small details.
Front Camera: The Front Camera was surprisingly good. The selfies came out to be great. The Beautification Mode is set as default. That does some softning on the images as well. Now believe me or not, in this case the softning on the images were actually helping the Front Camera to get better Selfies. It actually helped to hide the imperfections of the skin. Some more tweaks can be done manually in the Beautification Mode. So, selfie freaks will probably love this camera. Anyway, if you don't prefer that post processing, you can keep the Auto Mode as default. I didn't find any major issues that I can complain about, in the front facing Camera.
The Final Verdict
The Camera on the Zenfone 3s Max is a performer of the Medium Segment. It's good for Day to day photography. A normal person will be pretty much satisfied with it. However, if that softning issue in the Rear camera can be solved via. future software updates, that would be great.
If you want to do casual Photography, it'll get the job done. The 5000 mah battery will also give a good shooting time. But, if you want to do some Pro grade smartphone Photography, look at the higher end models of Zenfone 3 Series or wait for the upcoming Zenfone 3 Zoom as it is packing Dual Cameras, an IMX 362, f-1.7 aperture & it also has that 5000 mah battery .
That's pretty much it. Thanks for reading. Give me a thumbs up if you liked it. Also, tell me your views on this Camera in the comments section below & I'll catch you with the Full Review of the Zenfone 3s Max.
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