Attention, photographers: RAW images from the X9 Ultra are computationally altered
I've read a lot about how the Oppo Find X9 Ultra manipulates RAW files instead of outputting true RAW files from the cameras' sensors. To test this, I took some comparison shots on the Find X9 Ultra (software version CPH2841_16.0.7.204, global version) using:
- Oppo's stock camera app [Master Mode]
- a third party app [Open Camera]
Plant shots:
ISO 640, 1/30 shutter, 230mm (10x)
Tripod shots:
ISO 1000, 1/100 shutter, 70mm (3x)
I've included unedited .jpg files here, saved directly from the .dng files. Hopefully Reddit compression doesn't obliterate them.
Unfortunately it appears that the RAWs from Oppo Master Mode are computationally altered at the point of shooting. They are unnaturally smooth, denoised and more saturated than expected. The RAWs from the Open Camera app are much more what you'd expect from a typical untouched RAW from a camera sensor - grainy, noisy, and desaturated.
I hope this is useful to some of you who were hoping to use this phone for shooting and editing your RAWs. I'll file a request with Oppo in the hope that they'll make it possible in a future update to just get untouched RAWs from the sensors, but it's disappointing to see this in such a capable camera phone.