Huawei P30 Pro Vs DSLR (Canon 80D): How Good is The P30 Pro?

Smartphone cameras are getting better each year and the camera has been the center of attraction for consumers. Recently, Huawei has upped its smartphone camera game with its P series and Mate series. The P20 Pro and the Mate 20 Pro were undoubtedly one of the best camera smartphones. And, now there’s P30 Pro!

P30 Pro has a ridiculous 50x digital zoom and is one of the best camera smartphones of 2019. But we wanted to see how well it could do against a DSLR. So, in this shoot out we pit the P30 Pro against Canon 80D with a Zoom lens + Prime Lens. Let’s see how it did!

Daylight Outdoor Photos

Let’s take a look at our first sample. We were just trying to take a wide shot of Patan durbar square. Aight, right off the bat, let me know which one do you like? First or the Second one? Aight, if your answer is first, then just know that it is shot with the Huawei P30 Pro, whereas the second one is shot by the DSLR.

Well, the P30 Pro has more popping color, if you look at the sky, it is bluer and the picture isf also sharp, it looks crisp. Whereas the picture shot with the DSLR is more neutral and it’s obviously not as sharp.

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But if you zoom in and take closer then obviously the DSLR preserves much more details, whereas we can see some noise on the P30 Pro and it’s also due to the post-processing sharpness which it applies to all of its pictures.

Well, P30 Pro does pretty well here, but if you are someone who likes to spend some time for post-processing to make it look better you can opt for DSLR. But full marks to P30 Pro for doing a good job with this image. On social media, you could upload both of these and will not really be able to tell the difference.

Zoom Shots

Now, let’s test the Zoom on the P30 Pro, so we zoomed on this bell, from the same position from where we shot the first image. On a first glance, the one-shot with the p30 pro looks more appealing because of the colors. The DSLR shoots a flatter image, whereas we have a post-processed sharper and popping image from the P30 Pro.

Talking about exposure, the P30 Pro’s image is darker and if we zoom in slightly, we can see it loses details on those darker areas. Whereas we have an overall brighter picture from DSLR, and the details are preserved in the darker areas as well.

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But exposure is something we can easily control on the DSLR and its much natural to do so while not so much on the smartphone However you could also control the exposure to some extent on the p30 pro as well.

But the P30 Pro has done well to stay along the DSLR. If you zoom in on both of the pictures, you’ll see that there are not much difference in terms of the noise level. Whereas we saw a vast difference in the earlier picture. This one is kinda balanced.

Overcast Outdoor Photos

Now onto the next image, we shot this one slightly darker on the DSLR, just to showcase that we can have control over the photos in the post with the DSLR than a smartphone. But take nothing away from the P30 Pro, it does an excellent job with maintaining the balanced exposure.

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5x Zoom

And as we zoom in with the 5x Optical Zoom on the p30 pro, and also we try to match the same zoom level on the DSLR. Look at that, side by side. P30 Pro does really well with the zoom lens. It has a sharper image, and also that contrasty look. Which is also the reason that it loses slight details on the darker part of the pictures. But, on overall if you put these pictures side by side and show it to a normal person. They’ll find it hard to find out which one’s which.

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10x Zoom

If, we go further in with the 10x hybrid zoom and try to match that on the DSLR as well. And this time we can see the difference, the DSLR has better details and more natural picture While we lose some details on the P30 Pro as we go really up close with the 10x Hybrid Zoom. But, I would say P30 Pro does an admirable job here. To stand up side by side a DSLR. It’s a tough job.

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Night Shots

Now, let see how it holds up with its night mode. So, I switched to a portrait lens with f1.4 aperture for night time shots with DSLR. But well I don’t need to do such thing on P30 Pro. I was really interested to see how the night mode could do.

READ ALSO: Huawei P30 Pro Review: The Most Versatile Camera Smartphone

Well, this first sample was shot at my home. It was at night, around 8 PM and there’s a vast difference between two shots. With the DSLR we have a great depth effect whereas we get everything on the background with the P30 Pro.

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On the overall, the P30 Pro has a brighter image and all but if you want a photo with such depth effect at night, then it’s not possible on a smartphone. I had to use the max 1.4 aperture, and this is shot at 1/25 of a sec shutter speed on the DSLR, so it’s kind of a long exposure. But still, I was surprised that the shot was not too blur as I was shooting handheld. But, we have to admit the night prowess of P30 pro.

On to the next shot, this is a storefront. First, I shot without night mode on the P30 Pro and it is good but on overall the DSLR has a better image as it is brighter and also has better details. You will realize the fact if you take a closer look. You can even see that “open” sign which we cannot on the P30 Pro.

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Then with the night mode turned on, the P30 Pro has a brighter image on overall. Well, I could turn up the ISO to the max on DSLR but it would result in a really bad photo. So, I’m trying to balance everything here on the DSLR. So at a first glance, p30 pro is a better image but if you talk about detail then we have better details with the DSRL, but it’s obvious.

Conclusion

So, if you summarize this comparison. It might look a little silly, comparing a smartphone camera with a DSLR but it was interesting and especially the results. I was impressed with the P30 pro. We all know it’s near impossible for a smartphone to beat a DSLR, but P30 pro can certainly deliver exciting results even against the DSLR.

Especially the zoom lens and the night mode. So in the end, I would say that P30 Pro can be your must-have camera phone if you are into photography.