Smartphone users might see an interesting development with the release of the Samsung Galaxy 11 next year as the phone is rumored to feature a camera sensor that is specifically designed for low light photography.
Like many smartphone manufacturers, current Samsung models feature “Bright Night,” a software-based feature that uses AI to stack multiple images to create a better exposed photograph. By contrast, this would be a dedicated low light camera on the back of the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy 11. It’s said that Samsung is also working on a “Night Hyperlapse” mode for capturing low light time lapses.
This could mean that the back of the phone would feature a total of five cameras, one of which is said to pack a somewhat crazy 108 megapixels. It’s thought that this might also bring the ability to record video in 8K.
The rumor has emerged as a result of a trademark filing placed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office that was first spotted by Let’s Go Digital. It’s not clear as yet whether this technology will come to the Galaxy 11, but amateur astrophotographers will be excited to learn that smartphone camera manufacturers are focused on developing low light performance.
Have you had any success shooting astrophotography on a phone? Is this a feature that will appeal? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
I am wondering if and when smartphone photography will reach a de facto plateau. Comparing my iPhone 7 to my iPhone 11 Pro there really was quite a bit of progress. A lot in the software department, I am sure, but the hardware also got beefier. At some point, the space will be a limiting factor, both for sensor size as well as optics.
I did the exact same shift (Plus to Pro Max) and I agree the difference is substantial.
I hope Samsung gets rid of the curved screen. I love their cameras though and yea it's awesome having a camera that can capture the night sky and fits right in your pocket.
Oh I have no idea. I meant it'd be awesome not it's awesome. 😁
I've taken some photos with my Google Pixel 4 XL. I think they came out alright, but I am not a professional or anything, nor do I have an actual camera to check the difference.
If anyone wants to see my photos, and give me some feedback, check out my Instagram @Rios_jku.
And the next step would have AI recognize the sky in the picture, get the same area of sky from whatever Astronomy picture database (I am sure NASA/ESA... have some) and use it for sky replacement adjusting for cloud and lighting... voilà! If you want to make it really right, you'd have to move around a couple of planets to the right place in the replacement image, which shouldn't be particularly difficult either. Then you can have everyone be amazed by the capabilities of that new cell phone that packs so much science in Astropphotography.
Maybe I should have taken a patent on that idea before posting it? ;)
I was thinking the same thing.... I'll race you to the patent office!
For the first time, I signed up for Apple's upgrade program because I really want to do some mobile astrophotography and can't imagine they won't introduce it next year. It's frustrating that Apple is always 1-2 years behind Pixel, but at least we have Google to force Apple to keep up. If it weren't for Google, Apple would be content to push their gimmicky "Slowfies" and "Animojis" instead of features that actually take better photos.