Night Mode Discussion for Photographers

C6TX6

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Jun 13, 2014
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Users on 13.2 have you noticed the changes in night mode?
If the device is held steady aka tripod anchored mount, in very dark areas manual time slider sets the "exposure" time much longer, 40 seconds I've seen!

Now the EXIF data always shows a shutter open time of 1,000ms (1 second). Presumably, all the time the "shutter is open" is used to take many images and process them. With 1s exposure that could be 40 12MP images.

In any case I've seen some pretty amazing output from the phone. If you have a way to mount the phone I suggest trying it. Handholding will NEVER have the stability needed just as using the bulb setting on a SLR, one must have the body mounted to a solid object.

Finally, I've seen some artifacts that I cannot explain. It reminds me of summer days of using a really long exposure through a neutral density filter to catch fireflies in flight. I know for a fact that I saw nothing fly around for those 40 seconds yet there are distinct streaks of blue and red. I've tried to repeat it over and over and only have one image with it. I don't believe in ghosts so there's that. :D

Finally, if you live in a rural area devoid of light pollution, this mode will capture the stars like there's no tomorrow. I wish I were further north, the Auroras would look amazing!
 

dollface

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Users on 13.2 have you noticed the changes in night mode?
If the device is held steady aka tripod anchored mount, in very dark areas manual time slider sets the "exposure" time much longer, 40 seconds I've seen!

Now the EXIF data always shows a shutter open time of 1,000ms (1 second). Presumably, all the time the "shutter is open" is used to take many images and process them. With 1s exposure that could be 40 12MP images.

In any case I've seen some pretty amazing output from the phone. If you have a way to mount the phone I suggest trying it. Handholding will NEVER have the stability needed just as using the bulb setting on a SLR, one must have the body mounted to a solid object.

Finally, I've seen some artifacts that I cannot explain. It reminds me of summer days of using a really long exposure through a neutral density filter to catch fireflies in flight. I know for a fact that I saw nothing fly around for those 40 seconds yet there are distinct streaks of blue and red. I've tried to repeat it over and over and only have one image with it. I don't believe in ghosts so there's that. :D

Finally, if you live in a rural area devoid of light pollution, this mode will capture the stars like there's no tomorrow. I wish I were further north, the Auroras would look amazing!

So can I assume you are on a beta version? I'm newly updated to 13.1.3, but I'm very anxious to see this Night Mode. Is it a setting then in the default camera?
 

C6TX6

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13.2 developer beta 3. It was introduced in the original 13.2 (beta1) but beta2 and newer allowed for the slider to control "exposure time" limits. There is no setting, its on all the time. I'm sure this will improve with each release.
 

tekjunkie28

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where can I find the option? I've looked everywhere

Gotta be in a dark place or hole your hand over the cameras. Top left corner comes up a shutter time. Then there’s a slider right above the shutter button. Only difference is that it’s not as customizable in 13.1. I can only get it up to about 13 secs.
 

dollface

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Gotta be in a dark place or hole your hand over the cameras. Top left corner comes up a shutter time. Then there’s a slider right above the shutter button. Only difference is that it’s not as customizable in 13.1. I can only get it up to about 13 secs.

I tried this, nothing. I'm on a 7Plus, should I have this?
 

flyinion

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Gotta be in a dark place or hole your hand over the cameras. Top left corner comes up a shutter time. Then there’s a slider right above the shutter button. Only difference is that it’s not as customizable in 13.1. I can only get it up to about 13 secs.

You can get it up to 28 seconds on 13.1 if you have it on a tripod or similar stable surface. I was doing 28 second shots holding it against a house window.
 

C6TX6

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60 seconds on 13.2B3 here. Basically night time outside in an area devoid of light pollution. Full moon the other day looked like it was shot mid day!

Remember, the max shutter speed is 1 second. Longer times allow for more exposures and better results. Of course ANY movement of the camera AND anything in the frame that moves is going to produce undesired results unless you want them.

For example, in a dark setting outside with just light from a partial moon (or full moon obscured by overcast, stars, et al) one could walk in the middle of the capture area and stand for 10-20 seconds and then leave. They would show up in the photo but be transparent, like a ghost. I've done this countless times with a medium format full frame (35mm) camera and it should work with this setup too.

I also have been using procam since the iPhone 7 days, not sure how well it works on 11 Pro Max.

I will say this, Filmic Pro captures outstanding videos and is well worth the purchase price.

For those wondering about this not working on devices before the A13 SOC was introduced, it's not going to happen. While it may be possible to do some of this in software alone, the earlier silicon simply doesn't have the processing speed and ability to capture in a timely manner.
 

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