There are also special modes for long exposure, for photos of moving objects and night shots. The smartphone uses the ultra wide-angle camera for this, with a slightly different color balance to the main camera. This enables clear shots from short distances. If the software detects a close object in front of the camera, it automatically kicks in. The smartphone has a macro mode, which is activated by default. This works well at 2x magnification, but at 5x magnification the images are heavily overdone and image noise is visible. Unlike the Pixel 8 Pro, the normal Pixel 8 does not have a zoom lens the zoom is only implemented digitally. Nevertheless, the shots from the ultra-wide-angle camera are also pleasing the sharpness decreases slightly towards the peripheral areas. The setup corresponds to that of its predecessor, the Pixel 7. Only the Pixel 8 Pro gets the new 48 MP ultra-wide-angle camera.

Google equips the Pixel 8 with a 50 MP main camera and a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle lens. Some of the images are heavily processed by Google's software, giving them a high dynamic range and strong contrast. The Pixel 8 continues this tradition and delivers impressive results. The cameras are traditionally a strength of Pixel smartphones.