The streets were filled with energy of excitement. Of people with painted faces eager to experience the revelry going through the mid-day. A group of performers in their shimmering blue attire dances to the beat under the bearing sun. “Viva Pit Señor!!!” they shout as they raise their hands to the sky. Their festival queen dances gracefully, arching her back incredibly far and deep while raising the Sto Niño to the sky. How she retains her smile through this is a wonder as I try to capture this moment. My DSLR takes a back seat. From my pocket, I pull out the Asus Zenfone Zoom. I like the feel of the leather at the phone’s back cover which also helps with the traction on my hands.
The Asus Zenfone Zoom
Last weekend finds us in Cebu City, not only for the Sinulog Festival but also for the Philippine launch of the Asus Zenfone Zoom. An attractive 5.5” Retina screen phone in the same mould of the sleek looking and award-winning Asus Zenfone design. The Asus Zenfone Zoom has an impressive camera specification:
- 10-element HOYA Lens at f/2.0 aperture
- 3x optical zoom
- 13MP Panasonic SmartFSI image sensor
- 4-level OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
- Laser Autofocus
- Dual color real tone flash
- Dedicated shutter button
All those optical hardware meticulously infused in a thin 5mm full-metal unibody frame. Keeping everything running smooth is an Intel Inside Super Quad Core CPU coupled with the world’s first 4GB RAM smartphone and powered by a 3,000 mAh li-Polymer battery.
Shooting with the Zoom
We had an opportunity to shoot with the Asus Zenfone Zoom during the Sinulog weekend. We only had a few hours of handling the phone but it did gave us a feel on how it performs. Like the Zenfone 2 Laser which I previously reviewed, the PixelMaster is the main app that is used to capture images. It has numerous modes optimized for different situations. It also includes a powerful Manual Mode that can keep shutter open for 32seconds for low-light shooting. This sinulog though, we were shooting more using the 3x optical zoom, laser-focus abilities for action shots and macro modes.
The Asus Zenfone Zoom has a dedicated shutter button on the side making it quicker to take the shot than pressing on the screen. In good light conditions, focus was quick, utilizing the Laser Autofocus. I like that there are multiple options for burst-modes. Low-light is a different story though, several times, there was trouble in tracking moving subjects but I did manage to get clean shots after several attempts. Close-up focus is still exceptional on this phone and can produce some bokeh as well.
Conclusion and sample images on the next page…
Conclusion
Based on the images I have taken, image quality, for a smartphone caliber is exceptional. The Asus Zenfone Zoom really retains plenty of detail throughout its 3X Optical zoom unlike other mobile phone zooms which simply crops the photos. Colors are quite pleasing too with a well-balance saturation. Exposure on high contrast situations can be rather off with occurrence of highlight clippings but good thing here are adjustments to compensate. On my post processing workflow, I managed to squeeze out some details from the shadows which is quite good for a smartphone quality.
I feel there is still a lot more I can do with the Asus Zenfone Zoom given more time. I wasn’t able to use the 32seconds exposure feature which I thought would be cool to use for landscapes, light trails and waterfalls. So will I leave my DSLR or mirrorless behind for this cameraphone? The details aren’t refined enough to go toe-to-toe with image quality from dedicated photographic tools yet but it is considerably better than most cameraphones in the market at the moment.
The Asus Zenfone Zoom is available in the Philippines with a suggested retail price of Php 26,995.
Sample images
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