We subjected the Sony Xperia 10 IV to our rigorous SBMARK camera test suite to measure its performance in terms of photo, video and zoom quality from an end-user perspective. This article explains how the device performed in a variety of tests and different common use cases and aims to highlight the most important results of our tests with an extract of the acquired data.
Overview
Key Camera Specifications:
- Primary: 12MP 1 / 2.8 ″ sensor, lens with f / 1.8 aperture, PDAF, OIS
- Ultra-wide: 8MP, 1 / 4.0 ″ sensor, lens with f / 2.2 aperture
- Telephoto lens: 8MP, 1 / 4.4 ″ sensor, f / 2.2 aperture lens, PDAF
Pros
- Skin tones that are generally pleasant in low dynamic scenes.
- Fairly high level of detail in photos taken in outdoor conditions
- Quite well controlled noise level in indoor and outdoor conditions in both photos and videos
versus
- Crop visible in all conditions and very limited HDR capabilities in photos and videos.
- Inconsistent autofocus; in the video, the occasional visible focus pumping and autofocus sometimes doesn’t react
- Ghost often seen in moving scenes
- In bokeh, visible problems with estimating the depth around the subject
- Uneven stabilization, with often visible shifts of the keel and frame
The Sony Xperia 10 IV’s main camera takes satisfying landscapes and portraits when the lighting conditions are good. But as lighting conditions become more complex, such as backlit portraits or videos with a lot of motion, the resulting images may show limited dynamic range or some problems with autofocus.
However, the Xperia 10 IV’s camera performance still makes it an attractive option in this price range.
Test summary
About SBMARK Camera Tests: SBMARK camera assessments take place in labs and real-world situations using a wide variety of subjects. Scores are based on objective tests for which results are calculated directly by the measurement software on our laboratory settings and on perceptual tests in which a sophisticated set of metrics allows a group of image experts to compare aspects of quality image that require human judgment. Testing a smartphone involves a team of engineers and technicians for about a week. The quality of photo, zoom and video is evaluated separately and then combined into an overall score for comparing cameras from different devices. For more information on the SBMARK Camera protocol, click here. More details on the smartphone camera scores can be found here. The following section collects the key elements of SBMARK’s comprehensive testing and analysis. Comprehensive performance evaluations are available upon request. Contact us to find out how to receive a full report.
Sony Xperia 10 IV vs high-end camera scores
This chart compares the SBMARK photo, zoom and video scores between the tested device and the references. The average and maximum scores of the price segment are also indicated. The average and maximum scores for each price segment are calculated based on the SBMARK database of tested devices.
Photo
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Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
About SBMARK Camera Photo Tests
For scoring and analysis, SBMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 2,600 test images in both controlled laboratory environments and natural outdoor, indoor and low-light scenes, using the camera’s default settings. The photographic protocol is designed to take into account the main use cases and is based on typical shooting scenarios, such as portraits, family photographs and landscapes. Evaluation is done by visually inspecting images Cons a natural scene reference and making objective measurements on graphical images captured in the lab under various lighting conditions from 1 to 1,000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K.
Sony Xperia 10 IV Photo scores vs High-End
Photo tests analyze image quality attributes such as exposure, color, texture, and noise under various lighting conditions. Autofocus performance and the presence of artifacts on all images acquired under controlled laboratory conditions and in real-life images are also evaluated. All of these attributes have a significant impact on the final quality of the images captured with the tested device and can help in understanding the main strengths and weaknesses of the camera.
Sony Xperia 10 IV – The skin tones are quite nice but the dynamic range is very limited
Autofocus irregularity and speed: 1000Lux Δ0EV Daylight Handheld
This graph illustrates focus accuracy and speed as well as zero shutter lag capability, showing edge sharpness versus shutter speed measured on the AFHDR setting over a series of images. All photos were taken at 1000 Lux with the Daylight Highlighter, 500ms after blurring. Edge sharpness is measured on the four edges of the Dead Leaves graph and shutter speed is measured on the Universal Timer LED.
SBMARK CHART (DMC) detail retention score versus lux levels for tripod and handheld conditions
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail retention score with the lux level, for two retention conditions. The DMC detail retention score is derived from an AI-based metric trained to evaluate texture and detail rendering on a selection of crops from our SBMARK chart.
Evolution of visual noise with lighting levels in handheld condition
This graph shows the evolution of the visual noise metric with the lux level under portable conditions. The visual noise metric is the average of the visual noise measurement across all Dead Leaves chart patches in the AFHDR setting. SBMARK visual noise measurement is derived from the ISO15739 standard.
Enlarge
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Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Learn about SBMARK camera zoom tests
SBMARK engineers capture and evaluate over 400 test images in controlled laboratory environments and outdoor, indoor and natural scenes in low light conditions, using the camera’s default settings and zooming in at various zoom factors, from ultra wide angle to ultra-long range zoom. Evaluation is done by visually inspecting images Cons a natural scene reference and making objective measurements of graphs captured in the lab under different conditions from 20 to 1000 lux and color temperatures from 2300K to 6500K.
Sony Xperia 10 IV Zoom Scores vs High-End
This graph illustrates the relative scores for the different zoom ranges evaluated. The abscissa is expressed in a focal length equivalent to 35 mm. The zoom-in scores are displayed on the right and the zoom-out scores on the left.
video
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Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
About SBMARK Camera Video Tests
SBMARK engineers capture and evaluate over 2.5 hours of video in controlled laboratory environments and natural low-light scenes, indoor and outdoor, using the camera’s default settings. The assessment consists of visually inspecting natural videos taken under various conditions and carrying out objective measurements on graphical videos recorded in the laboratory under different conditions from 1 to 1000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300 K to 6,500 K.
Sony Xperia 10 IV Video vs High-End Scores
Video tests analyze the same image quality attributes as still images, such as exposure, color, texture, or noise, as well as temporal aspects such as speed, exposure uniformity and stability, white balance, and autofocus transitions.
Sony Xperia 10 IV – Limited dynamic range and stabilization
Spatial evolution of visual noise with the level of illuminance
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with the level of lux. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise graph in the video noise setting. SBMARK visual noise measurement is derived from the ISO15739 standard.
Time evolution of visual noise with the level of illuminance
This graph shows the evolution of temporal visual noise with the level of lux. Visual temporal noise is measured on the visual noise graph in the video noise setting.
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