DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ Night Mode reviewed – nice work, but a bit too late

Jan 24, 2020 by Ole Henrik Skjelstad Add Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

When it comes to adding a night mode camera, Samsung was late to the party. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Samsung Galaxy S10 received that addition through an update last spring, whereas the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 came with a pre-configured Night Mode camera. Night Mode replaced Bright Mode which allowed you to take long exposures in low-light conditions. It was kinda automatic and you had no control whether to turn it on or not.

And this is my biggest issue with Bright Mode. It turned on automatically based on how dark it was. In other words, the software decided which mode to use in low light, not the photographer. Night Mode is a different story.

When turning the camera on, we find the Night Mode option in the regular camera menu strip. This feature is very easy to use as long as you well can keep your hand(s) relatively steady. Once you activate night mode, it’s easy to take a photo: touch the shutter release button, hold the phone steady, and wait while the camera gathers light to the sensor. When the camera has finished the data will be processed and the output is an image with vivid colors. There is a “secret” algorithm that controls highlights and shadows as well as noise reduction.

Below are a few sample images shot using Night Mode with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+. This should give you a certain idea about what Night mode can and can not do.  I am plagued with some handshake, but the software did a remarkable job with the majority of the images which are acceptably sharp.

When you choose Night Mode, you are handing all the control to the camera and the algorithm. The camera decides the ISO, aperture and exposure settings, hopefully, for the best possible result. These parameters will vary depending on the scene and available light. The sample images below vary from iso 80 to iso 640, shutter speeds vary between 1/25 and 1/4 sec and the three lens apertures f1.5/f2.1/f2.4.

I visited Edinburgh at the beginning of November. All images were shot while standing and holding the phone in one hand. In particular, the third image is overly blurry due to my hand shaking, most notably at the edges. A shutter speed of 1/4 sec also explains the blurriness of the image. For such along exposure it is vital that the camera is held very steady.

f/2.1 iso 320 1/5 sec

f/1.5 iso 100 1/4 sec

f/1.5 iso 320 1/4 sec

f/2.1 iso 640 1/17 sec

In a concert: Being seated and having decent light favors the end result. This and the fact that we now are talking about exposures times at around 1/25 sec. Needless to say that shorter exposure times are less prone to be affected by unsteady hands.

f/2.4 iso 80 1/24 sec

f/1.5 iso 160 1/25 sec

At new year’s eve, I thought it a great idea to test Night Mode with fireworks. The resulting images are okay-ish. I do see some blown-out highlights and also some jpg artifacts. These are also around 1/4 of a sec and thus there is some blurriness. It is worth mentioning that if I were to shoot 1/4 of a sec handheld with my regular camera the images would have been more blurry than this.

f/1.5 iso 320 1/4 sec

f/1.5 iso 400 1/4 sec

Conclusion

All images work well being viewed on a cell phone but cannot compete with a decent camera when enlarged to be viewed on a computer screen. You cannot expect to shoot the milky way with Samsung’s Night Mode – the functionality and software enhancements aren’t quite there yet.

What I liked:

  • Isn’t activated automatically
  • Very easy to use
  • Tonal balance (highlights/shadows)
  • Level of details

What I didn’t like:

  • Colors are a too vibrant and saturated
  • Shake reduction could have been better
  • Not possible to shoot the milky way

 

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

iPhone 8 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Note 8: hands-on camera comparison New Samsung Galaxy Note 9 warns you when you take a bad photo Samsung Galaxy Note 8’s camera ties iPhone 8 Plus, DxO Mark says Samsung Galaxy S10 has three rear cameras and a dedicated Instagram photo mode

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: night photography, Samsung, Samsung Note, Samsung Note 10+, smartphone camera, smartphone photography

Ole Henrik Skjelstad: from diyphotography.net

About Ole Henrik Skjelstad

Ole Henrik Skjelstad is a Norwegian math teacher and landscape photographer. He fell in love with photography in 2013 when he got a camera as a birthday present. You can follow his work on 500px, IG, and Flickr, and get his tutorials here.

« How I got my drone confiscated in Morocco (the most important thing you need to know about drones!)
DJI Matrice 300 is coming soon, and here are the leaked specs »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Here’s a bullet time video booth you can build yourself
  • Ricoh has discontinued the HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited silver lens
  • This “stellar flower” unravels the twilight’s evolution in 360 degrees
  • Strobes vs Continuous LEDs – Which is right for you?
  • Wave goodbye to Apple’s My Photo Stream next month

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy