OnePlus has rolled out a new update for OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro users. The new XPan Mode comes through an OTA update that will allow users to create photos similar to Hasselblad Camera. We already know that this year’s OnePlus Series gets the benefit of Hasselblad’s partnership with the company. But the latest update will extend the supports of the 35mm set up along with the ability to switch to full panorama mode.
The news comes by way of a forum post by OnePlus which says, “We’re so excited to finally bring this update to OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro users. With this upcoming OTA update, in addition to multiple regular system optimizations, we also greatly improved the camera performance for its Hasselblad Camera for Mobile – including the brand new XPan Mode and multiple image quality optimizations.”
The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro used will get a new XPan Mode which is co-developed by OnePlus and Hasselblad. The new feature will allow users to recreate the classic experience of Hasselblad XPan in a smartphone. This includes the unique 65:27 aspect ratio, two different focal lengths (30mm and 45mm) just like the original XPan, a special animation of developing negative film, and two colour profiles – an updated colour mode and a unique B&W simulation of the classic ILFORD Delta 400 film.
According to the company, the XPan Mode was popular in the mid-1990s where cameras used the 35 film system but later on, the entire camera industry had begun the transition to a new era of digital imaging. Also, people are increasingly interested in this aspect ratio. Therefore portable cameras that could take “wide-format” photos became more and more popular. But the format only covered the upper and lower parts of an image, and by using cropping it produced a wide photo.
But now the XPan mode on the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro cameras are presented in black and white by default, restoring the tone and style of the classic black and white film “Ilford Delta 400”. This feature is suitable for photo shooting of different subjects, whether it is portraits, street photography, or architecture, with comfortable, high-quality performance.
The colour profile of XPan has also been improvised giving a more lifelike image quality. The feature also allows shooting with colour, and users can choose two focal lengths: 30 mm and 45 mm, corresponding to the classic 30 mm and 45 mm lenses of Hasselblad XPan cameras. Moreover, photos taken in this mode will carry a photo ratio of 65:24 (about 2.7:1), which is completely different from the traditional 3:2 or 4:3 photo ratio and will look like an ultra-wide movie. It will also let you create new photo forms such as “three stories in one photo” and “cutting the main picture into three parts”.
The XPan Mode will also use a 65:24 ratio on the OnePlus 9 Series to offer a border field of view and brand new composition ideas. When users shoot in XPan mode, they can still get a picture of about over 20MP, with a 30 mm focal length of 7552 × 2798 resolution and a 45 mm focal length of 7872 × 2916 resolution.
The interesting part is when the user presses the shutter, the frozen picture will first be presented as a negative film, and then it will turn into a normal photo and be saved on the phone. OnePlus has tried to give the feel of the ritual of film development.
Besides this, the OTS update will also optimize HDR frame retrieving algorithms and reduce noise in multiple scenes while fixing the over-sharpening issues in some scenarios in auto-mode. The update will also improve the stability of the auto white balance. Optimized auto white balance shift between the main and ultra-wide cameras and reduced the over-brightening of photos taken in Nightscape mode in some scenarios, for more natural night photos. Dynamic range in low-light conditions has also been improved.
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