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Modern smartphones do a lot more than point-and-shoot.
Simply point, shoot and youre done.
iPhone 15 Pro Max.(Image credit: Future)
My testing involved taking 2 photos on each phone at a time one regular, and one on Zerocam.
How does Zerocam work?
It seems as though zero processing also means zero anything else.
iPhone 15 Pro Max.(Image credit: Future)
Yes, there is a limit, because Zerocam is a subscription-based app.
You get to shoot 5 free photos everyday, and if you want more youll have to pay.
How much depends on whether youre on Android or iPhone, with the latter charging more.
iPhone 15 Pro Max.(Image credit: Future)
When film was king and you had hard limits on how many photos you could feasibly take.
The other weird thing I noticed was that the zooming capabilities were different between Pixel and iPhone.
I dont know, and it doesnt make a whole lot of sense.
Zerocam.(Image credit: Future)
Still the camera itself was super-easy to use.
Photos are then saved to your photo gallery for easy access.
From an ease-of-use standpoint, Zerocam does it all right.
Pixel 9 Pro.(Image credit: Future)
Does that count as processing?
People dont want AI in their images?
Especially if they’re being asked to pay for it.
Zerocam(Image credit: Future)
How do the photos compare to the official camera app?
Pets arent always cooperative models, and love to move around between shots.
The Pixel ended up producing pretty similar results, though the images werent identical for obvious reasons.
iPhone 15 Pro Max.(Image credit: Future)
On Pixel, however, Zerocams quality is noticeably lower than Pixel Camera.
Perhaps thats testament tohow well Apple has designed its cameras compared to Google.
Its a pretty similar story with the photo of my dog lying in his bed in my spare room.
Zerocam.(Image credit: Future)
Zerocam on the iPhone isnt as bright, and the colors are more muted than the iPhone.
However the final iPhone shot almost looks a bit overexposed, with the colors washing out a bit.
In reality that scene was more of a middle-ground between the two.
Pixel 9 Pro.(Image credit: Future)
Weirdly the results on Pixel were almost the opposite.
Zerocams picture is more washed out and overexposed.
Thankfully the quality issue experienced on the tree hasnt made a return here.
Zerocam.(Image credit: Future)
Obviously no post-processing means theres no specialist low-light or night-sight modes on Zerocam.
The Pixel photo is darker, but clearly my hand was held a little steadier when I took it.
The iPhone and Pixel cameras look almost like theyve been taken at a totally different time of day.
iPhone 15 Pro Max.(Image credit: Future)
With the dogs in the park things are back to the previous trends.
Its a similar story with the Pixel.
But things are sharper compared to Zerocam which has left a haze over both my dogs and the grass.
Zerocam.(Image credit: Future)
Now for the selfies, which wasnt particularly easy because of Zerocams lack of front camera support.
Its a similar story again, with Zerocams photo coming out darker and with slightly less vibrant coloring.
The Pixel results are interesting, because the Pixel camera shot actually looks darker than Zerocam.
Pixel 9 Pro.(Image credit: Future)
At least not on the iPhone 15 Pro Max or Pixel 9 Pro, at any rate.
Some of them were pretty close in quality, while others weren’t.
Unfortunately Zerocam’s other failings mean that its pretty hard to recommend.
Zerocam.(Image credit: Future)
Having to pay at least a dollar a month to take zero-AI photos seems crazy to me.
Especially if they’re being asked to pay a subscription for it.
More from Tom’s Guide
iPhone 15 Pro Max.(Image credit: Future)
Zerocam.(Image credit: Future)
Pixel 9 Pro.(Image credit: Future)
Zerocam.(Image credit: Future)
iPhone 15 Pro Max.(Image credit: Future)
Zerocam.(Image credit: Future)
Pixel 9 Pro.(Image credit: Future)
Zerocam.(Image credit: Future)
