st215

LIFE TECH FEATURE

visit stack.com.au

Photo by Benjamin Sow, Unsplash

TIPS FOR TAKING THE BEST PHOTOS AFTER DARK 1. Choose a phone that has a camera with a large image sensor. 2. Keep the camera as stable as possible when taking the photo – use a tripod if possible. 3. A minimum amount of light is required to shoot great photos at night. Take advantage of available light sources like street lamps, a neon sign, cars, or even the light of the moon. 4. Auto mode will take a good low light photo, but Manual mode will give you a better one. Enable it in the camera’s app for full control of shutter speed, aperture and ISO. 5. When all else fails and if it’s pitch black, use the camera’s flash.

Taking a decent and recognisable photo at night was once a challenge reserved for those with photography smarts or a pro camera. But not any more.Today, anyone can do it with minimal savvy – and no flash – using a smartphone camera, thanks to advances in image processing tech and a handy feature commonly known as Night Mode. Words Adam Colby H ow many times have you tried to capture the glory of a full moon, a twinkling city skyline or a galaxy of a large image sensor that can capture more light sans flash. TAKE BACK THE NIGHT

dynamic range in much the same way that HDR in a smart TV punches up the detail in a movie, by maintaining a proper balance of light areas and dark shadows. Depending on the device (iOS or Android), the camera will use a proprietary algorithm for correct image composition. Some smartphone cameras also use anti-reflective coating on the lens to further reduce any flaring that might occur when using Night Mode.

Moreover, phone cameras that support a Night Mode feature (or similar description) enable users to snap detailed photographs in poor lighting conditions, and some premium models will automatically adjust to the available light levels to give you the best shot. When set to Night Mode, the camera quickly captures multiple images of the same subject at different levels of exposure and shutter speeds. Image processing software then combines them to expand the photo’s

stars overhead, only to wind up with a black smudge in your photo gallery? Or taken a portrait shot at night and then wondered, “Who is that?” Cameras require light to capture an image, and when there isn’t a lot of it, your photos obviously won’t look as good. Taking photos at night traditionally required a flash to illuminate the subject. While smartphones do have one, many now boast

NIGHTOGRAPHY

This current, self-explanatory smartphone buzzword first appeared with the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy S22 flagship phone. It’s essentially an advanced version of Night Mode that uses a large pixel sensor and auto frame rate to overcome light limitations. The big sensor will detect low lighting and subsequently merge the megapixels together, creating blocks to increase the size and pull

in more light. Low noise processing then works to eliminate grain and blur from the image for a clearer and more detailed photo. Similar to the way Night Mode works, Night Solution allows the camera to detect when photos are being shot in low light environments and takes multiple shots in order to combine the best ones for the final image. When shooting video, the auto

frame rate will detect lighting conditions and optimise the fps

speed. Night Solution then cleans up the noise in each frame, and can also be used at any time of the day. Furthermore, HDR adjusts shots to increase the detail and hues, maintaining footage clarity even with tricky shadows and backlighting.

Photo credit Samsung

42 SEPTEMBER 2022

jbhifi.com.au