All the new Galaxy S21 Ultra camera tips and how to use them

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Which one is officially on sale, with the rest of the Galaxy s21 line), has already proven to pack a terrific camera, full of features to help novices and professionals take brilliant photos on the go. This is not a dramatic overhaul of the Galaxy s20 ultra, with key features like the 108 megapixel sensor and 100x zoom being common to both phones. But there are new tips to be aware of.

Let’s see what features are new and how to use them.

Single shot

Single Shot is a feature that allows the phone to capture multiple images and video clips – each with a different effect applied – just by pressing the shutter button once. Its purpose is to allow you to capture a variety of interesting photos and videos of, say, your child unwrapping a birthday present, without having to decide in advance on a style, zoom or size. ‘a particular filter.

It was a feature launched on the Galaxy s20, but it has been extended to produce even more effects. It sounds complex, but it is very easy to use. To get started, tap the Single Shot camera mode in the mode dial next to the shutter button. Then all you have to do is press the shutter button and wait the 10 seconds it takes to capture everything. The idea is that you’ll move around, maybe pan the camera between faces, so that the phone has more material to work with to create all the different options for you.

Once done, you can go to the gallery and find your Single Take file and drag up to see the different items it has produced. There will be still images, different cuts of videos, GIFs – all of which will have effects applied. You can save them all or choose your favorites to share with your friends and family.

Using the zoom

The S21 Ultra has 3x optical zoom, 10x optical zoom and can take digitally zoomed images up to 30x and 100x. Using them is extremely easy. In standard camera mode, you’ll see small leaf icons next to the shutter button. A single leaf means to zoom in (that is, to get closer to the leaf); the three leaf icon means to use the super wide lens (i.e. capture more leaves in one shot). Tapping on the icons will quickly take you to 3x or 10x zooms, but you can also tap the numbers that appear next to them.

It works the same whether you zoom in while taking a still image or recording a video.

Night mode

The correct Night Mode on the S21 Ultra can be frustrating if you’re new to the phone and may not even know it’s there at first. The phone can take great low-light images in its standard camera mode, but when things get really dark, scroll down to More on the mode panel next to the shutter button and you’ll see a wide variety of shooting options.

One of them is called Night and is represented by the image of a moon. In this mode, the phone will take an image for several seconds in order to capture more light. Although it uses image stabilization to keep the photo as sharp as possible, you can help it more by keeping a hand as steady as possible, or even better by stabilizing your hands on a wall or other object nearby. to minimize hand tremors.

The director’s point of view

New feature of the S21, Director’s View is a video feature that shows you thumbnails of what the scene you are shooting will look like using the different zooms. You will find it in the same menu screen as Night mode (press More on the mode dial). Once there, you will instantly see the different thumbnails and can tap on them to start recording the video in each zoom length.

Director’s View, however, has an additional feature that allows you to record video simultaneously with the front and rear cameras. The idea is that you can film a scene in front of you, while still capturing your own reaction. In the director’s view, you’ll see a square box at the top right of the screen (when held in portrait orientation, or at the top left if held in landscape). By tapping on it, you will be able to select how you want your front-end video to be displayed; as a split screen view where your face takes up half the screen, or as a smaller picture-in-picture style, where you appear as a small window overlaid on the view main.

By tapping on either of these, your face will appear in the image, and hitting the recording will allow you to capture video with both sides at once. Keep in mind that the phone is constantly turning both videos into one file, so don’t shoot with the front and rear cameras both in the hopes of breaking them up into individual videos later.

108 megapixel images

The 108 megapixel resolution of the main camera sensor is huge and while it’s the same resolution as the S20 Ultra, it’s been tweaked to improve it, so it’s worth checking if you haven’t already. made. To enable it, start in standard camera mode and you will see a few icons at the top of the screen (or to the left, if you keep it in landscape mode), one of which will be for the aspect ratio and will be indicated by numbers like 3: 4, 1: 1 or Full.

Tap on it and you will see the 3: 4,108 MP option. Pressing this will enable high resolution mode, but keep in mind that with this asset you will not be able to use any of the zoom lenses as it relies solely on the main camera’s image sensor.

12 bits raw

Samsung has apparently given the S21 Ultra a boost in its raw shooting skills with support for 12-bit raw files. RAW files are essentially “digital negatives” that do not save information like white balance or digital sharpness, resulting in a better base image for editing the photo later. Raw files are typically used by professional photographers who want the best control and quality of their images.

12-bit raw files, in theory, capture more dynamic range, which means more detail in highlights and shadows. It might be a professional feature, so it’s no surprise that you have to get into More then activate the Pro fashion. This will bring up all of the manual settings for exposure, white balance, and autofocus, so it’s only worth a try if you’re sure you know your photography skills. However, activating raw mode takes an additional step; press the settings cog, go to Format and advanced options and light RAW copies, which will allow the phone to take a raw image as well as a standard JPEG.

Keep in mind, however, that raw files take up much more space than JPEG images, so if you’re running out of space, make sure you haven’t left this mode on and accidentally fill your gallery. high – resolution raw images of your pet. Unless that’s what you like.