Just a few years ago it was unthinkable that a perfect image of the sky could be taken at night with our mobile. Today, there are already many terminals that allow us to take these photos. Although, there are also some tricks to be able to photograph the starry sky if you do not have some of the devices that we will mention.
And it is that it will not only depend on the ability of the phone to take pictures since, with proper technique and some accessories, you will be able to capture the best images of the stars whenever you want. Pay attention and don’t miss anything to get the most out of your smartphone’s camera.
Any mobile works?
If you have a more or less new mobile and of a medium or high range , maybe you will be able to take images with good quality. This is because in the last two years we have seen how companies have bet on improving technologies for astrophotography.
Although there are three key factors that will determine whether or not our mobile can achieve acceptable minimum results. First, we must know if the terminal camera has image sensors with photodiodes large enough to be able to capture photos in low light without noise. Then we will have to check that it is capable of taking a wide angle of view. After this, it will be necessary to verify that the phone has the so-called ‘ night mode ‘. For those unaware, this mode works by shooting a large number of photos in low light for one or more seconds. In addition, something that we do not perceive is that, these are merged into a single photo with a high level of light.
But that is not all. We must also take into account that the device comes with pro or manual mode. Something fundamental for your mobile to let you access a manual mode with which you can play with the different sensor parameters such as ISO, focus or shutter. Although, today, almost everyone has this option. And finally, it is recommended that you have at least a 12 megapixel sensor . However, the aperture will also influence when achieving good results with lower resolution sensors.
The best mobiles for astrophotography
Oppo Find X3 Pro
One of them is the Oppo Find X3 Pro. This terminal comes integrated with a camera that has an ultra-wide-angle lens far superior to those we saw a few months ago. In addition to being equipped with a half-inch image sensor, its 50 megapixels make our lives easier .
And that’s not all, because the lens of this camera has a brightness that is not bad for a camera of this type: f / 2.2. The most curious thing of all is that there is another mobile that has the same parameters, the One Plus 8. But, the difference is that the viewing angle is slightly wider in the latter compared to the Opp Find X2 Pro.
Huawei P40 Pro
The next one that could not be missed is the Huawei P40 Pro . This mobile has an image sensor of 1 / 1.54 inches and 40 megapixels. Very similar numbers to the Oppo, but the lens reaches a brightness of f / 1.8. In addition, the difference that we will find in terms of the angle of view of these cameras is minimal, since the Huawei lens is 18mm, while the Oppo has 17mm that of the Oppo.
Galaxy S21 Ultra
Another terminal that could not be missing is the Galaxy S21 Ultra, since it has an ultra wide angle lens , although it is true that it is common to all Galaxy S21s. The remarkable thing about this camera is that it manages to further widen the angle of view compared to the two previous models, reaching up to 13mm. It also has a brightness of f / 2.2, the same as that of the Oppo Find X2 Pro.
However, we will find the difference in its technology. This is because Samsung has opted to have a sensor resolution of only 12 megapixels , instead of choosing to add pixels. And we will also run into this camera with the night mode.
iPhone 12 Pro
Finally, we highlight the iPhone 12 Pro camera . Since we have a 12 MP dual camera system that is composed of a wide angle camera f2.4 and a main camera, where the large aperture f1.6 stands out. A great novelty regarding its previous Pro version is that the iPhone 12 already has a night mode in its ultra-wide angle camera.
Phones with a special mode to take photos of the stars
Luckily, many users will have a special mode to take the best photos of the starry skies. Depending on the manufacturer, this mode will be called differently. In the image that you will see later, we can see how in the vivo X51 5G , it is called “supermoon” mode. Which will help us greatly to take a good snapshot at night.
There are other devices that also have this mode to take photos. Among them, we find the Realme X3, the Realme 8 Pro or the Google Pixel 5. In addition, Xiaomi phones with MIUI 12 will have an astrophotography mode in the cameras of their smartphones.
Useful apps
Do not you have any of the mobiles that we have mentioned above? Don’t worry, because you can use your mobile to take photos at night. Of course, you will need a little help from a camera application . We recommend the following options:
- ProCamera (iOS).
- ProCam X (Android).
- Manual Camera (Android).
- Camera FV-5 (Android).
In addition, in these apps you can have absolute control over the exposure of the phone, ISO and focus. In addition, they will save the photos in raw formats to later lighten their post-processing.
GCam and its astrophotography mode
GCam is one of the most popular applications on Android for taking photos. And how could it be otherwise, it has a mode for astrophotography . Although not all mobiles are compatible with this app. In order to get functions in our terminals we will need to have a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. You can check this with an app to find out what components our smartphone includes.
Do you need any accessories?
As for the accessories that will help us get the best shot of the starry sky, we will need to have a tripod. You can get any tripod for your mobile for little money, since you can find them for less than 10 euros in any online store or Chinese bazaar in your neighborhood. What will it do? With it, we will achieve the best possible stabilization when the mobile starts to work. And the ideal thing would be to have a remote shutter release so you don’t have to touch the mobile screen when taking the photo. But, if you don’t have it, you can always configure the mobile so that after a few seconds he takes the photo himself.
How to set the options
To take the best snapshots we must know how to play with the different possibilities that our mobile phone gives us. First, you will have to set the ISO or the exposure . To do this, we will move the parameters between 1600 and 3200 ISO in order to capture the stars well on a dark night. But, we will have to be careful with the background noise that is generated in the image, so we will have to do several tests until we get the best balance. It will also be important to shoot the photo in RAW format, in order to preserve the scene in a file to later convert it into an image file.
Then we will have to adjust the white balance. Since the photos at night have a totally different temperature than the daily shots. In the case that the night sky is more bluish, we will have to move the number until we get a colder tone, while if the night sky is rather reddish, it is advisable to move the configuration until we get a warm tone. In addition, we must take good care of the focus of the camera.
