This post is brought to you by Samsung.
They say the best camera is the one that’s with you; for most of us, that camera is our smartphone. Not only is it thin and light making it easy to hold, but it’s always on us, whether in our pockets or handbags. So, it’s very easy for us to quickly take it out and snap a photo or record a video.
But one of the defining factors of a smartphone’s photographic versatility is the set of cameras it has. Every scene or moment you want to capture might come with a challenge that one camera with a fixed zoom range cannot tackle. As such, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes packed with a total of 5 cameras, one for every occasion.
12MP Ultra-wide-angle Camera
You might come across a situation where you want to fit the entire horizontal length of a scene in a single frame, but you just can’t go back further enough. Like when you’re trying to take a photo of street art on the side of a building, but you can’t go back enough to fit the entire mural into a frame because there’s another wall behind you.
Switching to the 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will give you a wider 120° view. This can be done by selecting 0.6x on the zoom slider. Now, you can easily fit the entire mural into a single frame without needing too far back.
There are plenty of other situations where an ultra-wide-angle lens might come in handy like showcasing the cityscape.
200MP Wide-angle Camera
Arguably, the camera that many of you will be using every day, hence the reason it’s called the primary camera as well. On the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the primary camera features a 200MP sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS) that is 2x wider compared to its predecessor.
On the zoom slider, this lens is known as the 1x magnification and it’s to capture photos that highlight the subject. For example, taking a photo of your snack, your colleague, a nice scenery, or some 3D artwork.
Running in the background is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sight which uses an 18-bit Triple Cognitive Image Signal Processor (ISP) for Real-Time Semantic Segmentation. Each object, subject, and background in a scene is analysed individually and enhanced using AI and machine learning.
When there is ample light, you can take high-resolution, 200MP photos. With the amount of data that a 200MP image contains, you can zoom in, reframe to focus on a specific subject and crop the image, all while retaining the same clarity and sharpness as the original photo.
In Auto Mode, the Galaxy S23 Ultra uses Adaptive Pixel Sensor to automatically produce the cleanest, sharpest, and brightest looking photos. In normal lighting conditions, the ISP will combine 4 pixels together to produce a 50MP image.
Turn down the lighting and the ISP will combine light and colour information from 16 adjacent pixels to produce a 12MP photo that is brighter and clearer. Moreover, it uses multi-frame processing to capture a series of photos at different exposure levels.
It then removes any photos that contain noise or is blurry, and the ISP combines the rest into a single image with greater detail clarity. The 2x wider OIS also helps to compensate for shakiness in low light conditions as the camera shutter stays open for longer to gather light, improving overall sharpness.
10MP Telephoto Camera
Imagine walking around Kuala Lumpur and finding a bird that doesn’t look anything like a pigeon. So, you decide to take a photo and send it to a friend who is a bird expert. But how do you get close to take a clear picture without scaring the bird away?
Switch to the 10MP telephoto camera on the Galaxy S23 Ultra by choosing the 3x magnification on the zoom slider. This camera uses optics to zoom in rather than performing a digital crop on the primary camera. The camera also comes equipped with OIS, reducing the jitteriness while zoomed in.
10MP Periscope Telephoto Camera
What if you need to shoot something even further away? Say the Malaysian flag fluttering at the tip of the 95-meter flagpole at Dataran Merdeka. Using the 10MP periscope telephoto camera, the Galaxy S23 Ultra can zoom to 10x magnification, getting you closer to the Malaysian flag from the ground, and from the other end of the field.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra also allows to you get even closer thanks to the 30x hybrid zoom capability, achieved by the periscope telephoto and 200MP primary cameras working together. Now you can get a closer shot of the Malaysian flag.
Despite being partially a digital zoom, the ISP uses complex AI algorithms to enhance the overall image quality to produce a photo that is still clear and detailed.
12MP Selfie Camera
On the front of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, you’ll find the all-important selfie camera. The front-facing camera has a 12MP sensor and comes with a Dual Pixel Autofocus. Essentially, this provides the front camera with more points of reference to quickly find focus for a clear shot.
This feature is especially useful in dimly lit conditions where focusing is harder since the camera cannot distinguish the subject from the background due to a lack of light.
Additionally, the selfie camera also gets the same Real-Time Semantic Segmentation as the primary 200MP camera, allowing it to analyse and enhance individual elements in the photo. When you snap a selfie, what you get is a bright and sharp photo that strikes the best balance between the highlights and shadows given the situation.
Experience the camera system on the Galaxy S23 Ultra and its siblings, the Galaxy S23+ and Galaxy S23 today at the nearest Samsung Experience Store or Samsung Authorized Dealers. Alternatively, you can head on over to samsung.com.my to find out more about the Samsung Galaxy S23 Series.
