A quick look at the new Sony Xperia Z5 camera

Sony just recently unveiled a trio of high-end Android-powered smartphones, the Xperia Z5, Z5 Compact and Z5 Premium. Along with a great overall design, slightly toned down software experience and many other enhancements, all three of these new devices sport Sony’s new 23MP Exmor RS camera sensor.

Sony tells us that the new sensor is capable of producing the fastest auto-focus experience available on a smartphone to date, with the added benefit of focusing on a subject in just .03 seconds. The new sensor also has some improved Steady Shot features with Intelligent Active Mode for video and the ability to record video in 4K.

That might be impressive on paper, but just how does this camera perform in real life situations? After spending a few hours with the Xperia Z5 and taking some photos, we have some early thoughts that we’d like to share with you. Note that many of these photos were snapped on the show floor in low lighting conditions, so these might not be the clearest photos in the world. With that said, many folks tend to take pictures in restaurants, bars and other dark areas, so we’re hoping this gives you a good idea as to what you can expect from the new camera sensor.

Overall, pictures taken with the camera are actually pretty good. There looks to be plenty of detail in most of the photos, with some slight noise reduction in certain pictures. Low-light shots have a tad smudginess to them as the photo transitions from bright areas to darker areas.

One thing many folks forget about is the dedicated hardware camera button on the side of all Xperia devices, which makes a big difference when snapping a quick photo. The camera app has gotten some improvements, too. It’s as fast as it’s ever been, from taking the photo to file creation. Also, this newer, faster auto-focus experience is no joke. Once you tap on the screen to focus, the camera wastes no time and focuses right away without too much spot metering. These new enhancements coupled with the dedicated camera button on the side actually made this feel more like a compact or quick mirrorless camera, not a smartphone camera.

With that said, in terms of picture quality, photos could use a bit more saturation and sharpness. Overall, thought, we’re really excited to put this new camera through our full tests.

So now that you’ve seen some quick shots from the Xperia Z5, what are your thoughts? Are you impressed with the new camera tech, or do you think you’ll pass? Be sure to let us know in the comment section below.