Google Pixel 9 Pro VS. A Professional Photographer (camera test and review)

Start your free Squarespace trial today at www.squarespace... and use code evanranft to get 10% off your first purchase.
Today we are testing the camera capability of the google pixel 9 pro.
LINKS TO SUPPORT THE CHANNEL
- Edit Like Me- www.evanranft....
- My New Book- www.evanranft....
- My Hat- www.18twenty6....
FREE RESOURCES
- Free Products and Free Course- www.evanranft....
- Photography Instagram- / evanranftphoto
- Main instagram- / evanranft
Additional website resources
How to make a course- • How To Create and Sell...
How I Built My Site and make money on Instagram- • How my Small Photo Ins...
Portfolio video- • How to Build a Profess...
Digital products- • How I Made $50,000 in ...
Physical products- • How To Build a Online ...
Promotion/ mailing list help- • Complete Guide to How ...
Automation email marketing- • How I Use Instagram to...

[@RanftEvan]

Let me know if you want to see a comparison between this pixel 9 pro and the new iPhone 16 pro when I receive it. Thanks for watching!

[@andre_bastos]

absolutely !!!

[@kebab_boi]

I do!

[@muhammadfakhriaziz1731]

I wish

[@MAILKANE]

YES PLS!

[@iamnzk]

please do it

[@kshayarsha5450]

That is what I wanted from a camera review. Tech reviewers simply show you the computational capabilities of the phone, while if I am buying a flagship then I want to see the raw capabilities of its camera system. Glad you made this. More camera comparison reviewers must do this. Won't be buying this because I think Pixel will have a Far better chip next year. I wish for more smartphone makers to have a 50mm focal length telephoto (roughly 2x) camera. That would really help in better portraits in raw mode.

[@Shift4g]

"Far better chip next year" That's what many said about Tensor G1, but I feel you. I don't do 1st gen anything myself. Real world use with the G4 is pretty nice right now.

[@gelade]

@@Shift4g it's cuz it will be made by TSMC. Not the junk foundry Samsung. yes it will still be designed by google but manufacturing does make a big difference. The process they will be using also won't be the "first" from TSMC. They will help google getting a far superior tensor G4 100% sure.

[@Shift4g]

@@gelade That's cool. I'll probably care by the G6. My current experience gives me no reason to hate the G4.

[@BuffaloRangers]

I consulted with Google on their build out back in 2021 and the main thing we “the photographers in the group” was a better sensor and better glass, Google listened hard, this isn’t new for Google and the best thing is their updates actually improves the phone ( who knew a company would do that)

[@WhosThere26]

Literally every flagship phone improves their cameras and phones with updates.

[@dobleuxyz]

Well they don't make any of those, they buy whatever is available from Sony and Samsung so improvements in that regard are to their credit, but Google has picked a good set for sure.

[@MG_Z71]

@@WhosThere26 no they dont, google used the same sensor from like 2-5 on the pixels and the iphone has forever only had a 12mp camera, they may say it takes better pictures after computing but the hardware wasnt changed as you claim

[@edkftw]

Was waiting for this. Love the breakdowns, examples, and opinions. I have the XL myself and absolutely love the photos this phone produces. Your examples keep me motivated to keep taking photos around Atlanta and north Georgia in general. Really ready to capture the colors about to pop up in the mountains.

[@cdnr6311]

I've been shooting for over a decade and have always relied on more compact mirrorless cameras for my daily driver while reserving my bigger cameras for more demanding photography. BUT, the Pixel 9 Pro XL might just be the first phone ever that will replace my compact mirrorless cameras as my daily driver

[@UweRoclawski]

Still loving my Pixel 6 Pro. The night mode is the most impressive thing for me, because it's so much easier to do nightshots without a tripod. Action mode and the cinema mode for video are great twoo. Bokeh and this raw-thing is not everything. The Google Pixel 6 Pro and my Nikon Z 6II are big friends living together in harmony.

[@isabelvalerio7962]

I've had iphones and Samsungs, switched to the pixel 8 pro last year and it's the perfect photo balance between the two; not going back to other phones 😍 getting 9pro xl

[@LTEAndroid]

This made me soo happy about my Pixel 9 Pro XL purchase!

[@gelade]

you are the one I go for for these phone camera reviews. you know what really matters. thanks!

[@papigatitoASMR]

I would love this but for video creators. Really good video!

[@Ampedup562]

The Pixel 9 Pro XL simply has the best RAW mobile camera you can purchase it captures more data and I bet it will beat the iPhone 16 Pro ProRaw photos. There is one thing that Apple does better though. And that’s marketing, you have so many so-called reviewers on KZbin endorsing the iPhone camera promoting the lies of multiple focal lengths when it’s just cropped. All they are doing is screwing over the photography community by continuing to repeat Apple’s misleading marketing as if it was true.

[@draganbogdan4267]

What about Vivo x100 pro and ultra or the x200 that will come this year ?

[@Ampedup562]

@@draganbogdan4267 more than likely it will have a killer camera. But Chinese phones are not optimized for American users, and those little issues add up and make it an awful experience. The Pixel gives you stock Android software as it was intended to be with amazing cameras as shown here in this video.

[@Ampedup562]

@@draganbogdan4267 Those Chinese phones are not available here in the US

[@kakasixtytwo]

Hello, also Xiaomi 14 Ultra is banned in the US? ​@@Ampedup562

[@AnthonyRaynor]

I left Android and Pixel to come to iPhone, because of the family. Pixel is so much better than iPhone.

[@MaximilianKlotz]

Really nice video. I'm looking forward to see a comparison between this one and the 16 Peo

[@JakeChambersOy]

Regarding bokeh, it is the same as with regular cameras. Bigger sensor, larger aperture, more bokeh. The sensors used in the latest Pixels and iPhones aren't even that big in comparison to what we already got in other Android phones in the past. Even the Huawei P30 Pro had a larger sensor and aperture in comparison, and that was in 2019. At this point we have 1.0"-type sensors with variable aperture (e.g. Xiaomi 14 Ultra, Huawei Pura 70 Ultra) and even this size was already used on a few other phones in the past. Google and Apple are late to the party in terms of the raw camera specs, but leading in terms of processing (Google is for photo, Apple for video).

[@judeemclaughlin]

I've been looking to swap out my iPhone for an Android. Camera/video capabilities are second priority because I've been using it to attempt my videos. I am also curious about the audio.

[@JustinDufrene]

Great phone and amazing camera. I'd be interested to see what you can do with the fold 9 pro. I have both and shooting with the main camera sensor, it's hard to tell the difference between the 9 pro xl and the 9 pro fold

[@markshirley01]

I've been a Google phone owner from the days of Nexus. I have two clients I work with both are Apple users and often have been on the road and asked to do searches because their iPhones can't get the information they need. It's becoming a joke between us on how the iPhone and Siri just doesn't work as well

[@kevinj834]

I would love your thoughts on pixel vs the new iPhone pro. Just found your channel and definitely subscribing

[@SarahBecker]

The camera is the most important part of my phone to me. I love photography I have been in the hobby for many years. I have had a few DSR cameras and old school film . This camera is for the person that really appreciates a good shot. It really is amazing.

[@KandidVision]

Ibactually just got a pixel 9 earlier this week and loving it so far. Its a change from my a71 samsung but still has great ai photo features and camera quality

[@RanftEvan]

The depth of field on the pixel really impressed me, and the wide angles added resolution was a nice touch as well. I decided not to mention the AI stuff in this video because I keep talking about it with each new phone release, excited to see how that gets better in the future

[@rodimousa9503]

The edit and colour amazing of your video What app are you using for Editing

[@wilhelmsvideon9206]

Vivo X100 Ultra is on totally other level and it is just to order them and it did come for exampel to Finalnd in 4 days. Where ever you are, Giztop delivers.

[@louishiggins8881]

Waiting on my Pixel 9 Pro, due early next month 😀. Certainly would be interested in the comparison with the new iPhone, particularly how well the new camera button works - aways found the onscreen shutter button a little awkward compared to a conventional camera. It would also be good if you did a couple of comparisons between the standard JPEGs and the raw files, to show how well or not Google's latest processing is doing. I'm looking forward to using the "pro" modes, compared to my current Pixel 7.

[@asadwilliams1086]

I love mine

[@asadwilliams1086]

I love mine

[@Jo5ue1]

Amazing mobile camera I would love to learn how to edit pics so I can start taking Raw photos on the Pixel. I hear that the Pixel 9 Pro RAW photos contain more data than those of the iPhone 15 Pro ProRaw and the new iPhone 16 Pro sensors have not changed this year

[@GabeWurtz]

Are these images taken with the pixel 9 pro unedited after you took them? They look amazing!

[@abdecabenam1175]

If you realy sincere about founding the bes camera for smartphone you have to check the Huawei phones... They give you what you want

[@soraygoularssm8669]

Awesome video

[@youphototube]

I have a Nikon Z8 and a lot of Z, S glass. I also have a micro 4/3 OM-1 and a lot of Panasonic OM Pro glass and a Ricoh GR3x. I have just moved from Samsung to the Pixel 9 Pro and I am gob smacked at the quality and natural colours out of the Pixel 9 Pro. Forget the raw files on the pixel it is the computational jpegs that are very impressive. You need to use Topaz AI to get the same detail in the raw images. I have just been to Kent, UK photographing castles and cathedral interiors (Canterbury Cathedral - absolutely stunning). I was shocked to see how good the Pixel is compared to my Z8. On my 32" Ben Q, 4k monitor the Pixel looks very good compared to my Z8 full frame with S glass. Clearly the full frame is better but the pixel is surprisingly good for a small sensor phone camera. I am very happy with the pixel 9 Pro images and I never was with Samsung. I don't panick any more if I leave a camera behinde. The Pixel images are very acceptable.

[@MonticArckeys]

Super interesting viewpoint! My first time seeing you. Very interesting hearing you say there isn't the most computational photograph-y camera system. Focal length stuff is good too! Did you compwre 12mp to 50mp? Because you miss out on Top Shot (motion photos) which can be super interesting in certaun scenarios. I think the processing is slower too, so unless a landscape setting, it might be better to use 12mp

[@JakeChambersOy]

Oh that actually explains why you see the circle animation when he takes a shot, it's the 50mp mode. This is a relict from the "enhanced HDR+" animation back on older Pixels.

[@stuckonurbanstudio]

Good video, it seems this phone has stronger depth of field which is definitely a good thing because portrait mode has always been a big no for me. I even had to go around telling my friends not to use portrait mode but instead learn the depth of field of the smartphone they owns in order to create natural looking bokeh. Good job! Gave you a sub and thumbs up!

[@Galacticat_]

Any concerning shutter lag? I think the Pixel has the best looking photos from a smart phone, but I like to do street photography and shutter lag+long processing time between shots have kept me sticking with iphone. Great video and photos, though!

[@JasdeepSingh-sc4qj]

The shutter lag is most definitely there when shooting 50 MP pictures. Not lag otherwise. How much it matters depends on how much photography you do in that resolution!

[@nickguzman1734]

I know none of this is really feasible or practical, but I'd love to see the image quality on some of those hassleblad and leica cameras that are on some of those Chinese phones. I never see images with them

[@muris60]

great, great nice review beautifully filmed 😮

[@maz3808]

Where the hell can I find a genuine social media test of Pixel 9 pro? Been looking for days now and no one did it!!

[@2Shadow6]

these are some of the best photos!

[@asrarmuzamir4201]

Are those photos taken in Malaysia?

[@mydowntime6850]

The Pixel is my favorite camera in smartphones. Although the Pixel 8 pro does have me waiting for the new Samsung Galaxy I'm glad the 9 was an improvement.

[@le_bodo]

Respectfully, just a humble note from a fellow pro photog that you are using the term "depth of field" wrong. You said it has a lot of depth of field when referring to how it produces natural bokeh, blurry backgrounds straight from the lens in RAW. It's actually the opposite: a wide (or a lot of) depth of field means a wider zone in focus (ie less blurry backgrounds), whereas a shallow depth of field means a narrower area in focus (ie more blurry backgrounds). Great review either way, this is just a technicality most people won't even notice as your message stays clear and very well illustrated. Thank you!

[@vladimirkraus1438]

Moreover Pixel's "shallow" depth of field is nothing special. Depth of field is a function of sensor size, aperture and focal length. Focal length is about 23 or 24 mm for majority of main phone cameras. And there are other flagship models by other brands which offer much more "powerful" combination of sensor size and aperture...

[@theelectricmile474]

How do you process raw photos on Android

[@JakeChambersOy]

I use Lightroom mobile exclusively.

[@kunze50]

Does the pixel actually shoot bayer raw, vs it's own implementation in the native camera app?

[@malthusg1115]

Watching on my 9 pro now.

[@mattstolzman]

Try Vivo X100 Ultra and you will be blown away

[@ge52001]

No offence but making those bold claims that things look better on Pixel 9 Pro without any comparison either to other phones or mirrorless cameras makes no sense

[@chromegator482]

Haven’t watched but finally a video about a proper google phone

[@RanftEvan]

I got you 👍

[@MrJojoleclodo]

Is lightroom can read the raw file of the pixel 9 pro?

[@RanftEvan]

Yeah and they work great!

[@sindhuvasanth9799]

Was there any shutter lag ?

[@eciv2006]

Yes sir, big time shutter lag. That's what a lot of tech reviewers are saying.

[@dheerajmurthy393]

For 50mp raw photos, yes

[@nicklm5487]

The fact the he wanted to thank the sponcor and the Iphone comes out.. too bad that most of the people are sheeps of Apple and thats it. :D

[@vladimirkraus1438]

Do not do camera testing on overcast daylight, that is the easiest job for them and does not push the limits at all. You should do some more challenging conditions... try golden hour sunsets or blue hour. I was completely let down by Pixel 9 in this. The pictures looked totally fake (naturally yellowish sunset was changed to red by the camera)... using RAW did not help, it was even bigger mess. When taking pictures on sunny day in a forest, the tiny details of greenery (grass or foliage) looks too washed out (because of oversharpening contours) and lose its natural green color. And worst of all, the UX of the photo app is a nightmare... this app just can't be taken seriously. You can't even switch off HDR. You can't define color or processing profiles/filters (many competitors allow this, at least in a limited way). If you do some parameter adjustments and leave the app for a moment, it is all reset so you have to set it up again. This photo app is a total joke. As I say, this app is for an ordinary point-shoot-quickly-share-and-forget type of consumer. Definitely not for photo enthusiasts. After two days of testing Pixel 9 Pro I decided to return it to shop. I am keeping my Xiaomi 14, which is not perfect but is so much better than Pixel in taking naturally looking pictures.

[@JakeChambersOy]

That Leica tuning is something else, I give you that.

[@samuelbeniuga9116]

Smartphones will not beat real cameras, at least not any time soon. Period

[@QuicknStraight]

I am confused. As far as I can see, you haven't tested more than a handful of phones in the last 2 years. In the last 12 months, hardly any. Did you test the Sony Xperia 1 VI? The Oppo Find X6 Pro? Find X7 Ultra? Vivo X100 Pro or Ultra? Xiaomi 14 Ultra? That seems to be a whole lot og "No". Yet you declare the Pixel 9 Pro is the best smartphone camera? Right.

[@patkluivert4110]

poor thing doesn't even touch the feet of the vivo x100 ultra ;(

[@stevewall7044]

Why do you keep saying "porscha" ?

[@brunocaiado]

It's the way "Porsche" is pronounced in German

[@stevewall7044]

@@brunocaiado That is absolutely false.

[@JakeChambersOy]

​@@stevewall7044you are false though. The way Evan says "Porsche" is pretty close and probably as good as it gets for a non native german speaker to pronounce it correctly. Source: German is my native language