Oppo’s Find N3 was announced in October, and we got to review the large foldable late last month. In the midst of all this we also spent a few days with the phone while traveling around Europe – and the Find’s camera proved to be a great companion, whether it was the sunny streets of Seville, or the hustle and bustle of cloudy Paris .
The Find N3’s camera system features a new Sony imager: the LYT-808, part of Sony’s new LYTIA range, which benefits from the latest stacked architecture for improved light-gathering capabilities. It wasn’t particularly tested in this respect in the bright Andalusian sun, but it excelled in terms of dynamic range in the often high-contrast scenes we encountered. The bright colors of the photos also do a good job of conveying the atmosphere of the city.
Main camera (1x)
The story was different when we arrived in Paris, which did not welcome us very warmly. Color was harder to find in the French capital, but the cloudy weather was another test that highlighted how adept the Find N3’s main camera is at handling difficult lighting.
Main camera (1x)
The 50mm equivalent focal length is a popular choice for street photography, and we found ourselves tapping the 2x button in the Find N3’s viewfinder quite often. Although it uses the main camera for this task, the phone manages to capture reasonably well-detailed shots – we wouldn’t say we missed a dedicated 2x camera at any point.
Main camera (2x)
Main camera (2x)
That said, it was the 3x telephoto that recorded most of the action. The high-resolution 64MP sensor captures finely detailed 16MP shots with almost no noise. The perspective and compression of the 70mm equivalent focal length, meanwhile, make for very eye-catching compositions.
Telephoto (3x)
The telephoto seemed better able to glimpse the color of Paris: the tighter framing allowed us to focus on details rather than panoramas, and we found more life in the details.
Telephoto (3x)
One of the main selling points of the telephoto lens is its ability to take photos at double the native zoom level: 6x total zoom, if you count from the main camera’s 24mm. These are some commendable shots that illustrate the benefits of a large, high-resolution sensor over a phone’s telephoto lens. Maybe this makes more sense than two separate dedicated modules.
Telephoto (6x)
At the other end of the zoom range, the ultrawide camera didn’t disappoint either. Interestingly, it left us with a more positive impression of its dynamic range than we observed with standard local scenes during our review: as simply put as possible, it was an “excellent” rating compared to “ok” of the review. Of course, extreme coverage and distorted perspectives are also visually striking.
Ultrawide camera (0.6x)
Again, we had to resort to indoor scenes or close-ups to get some color out of Paris, but the Find’s ultrawide copes well with both.
Ultrawide camera (0.6x)
We had fewer opportunities to take low-light photos on this trip, but the Find rose to the occasion when we were presented with some… classic Paris points of interest. A flamenco show, on the other hand, showed that the phone was just as capable of dealing with low internal lighting – and was quite difficult with white balance too, but the Oppo remained unscathed.
Low light samples, assorted cameras
Low light samples, assorted cameras
Being a large foldable, the Find N3 is pretty versatile in most areas you could think of. And as it turns out, it also excels when viewed strictly from the perspective of a travel cameraphone. Its triple camera set covers all types of shooting situations across a wide range of focal lengths and does so with minimal compromise. Now, if only its price didn’t bring that foldable premium…
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