You might think that the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has been significantly upgraded over the S20 Ultra, but it’s undeniable that the company has made minor changes to the camera setup. The most notable change is the replacement of the 48MP periscope zoom camera with a dual 10MP telephoto setup, which promises up to 10x optical zoom. Except for these two, the specifications remain the same on paper. There are 108MP primary cameras, 12MP ultra-wide, and 40MP selfie cameras.
However, the camera system has some updated sensors, and there are some new software tricks that are partially enabled thanks to the Snapdragon 888. All cameras now support 4k60fps video capture for the first time on a Galaxy phone. There is also a 12-bit RAW file option to help you edit the details of your S21 shot.
108MP primary camera
The number and specifications of the main camera’s megapixels are about the same for the S20 Ultra and S21 Ultra, but Samsung shared that it’s actually a brand new sensor. ISOCELL HM3.. It promises 3x wider dynamic range and 64x richer colors.
In dark situations, Samsung advertises improvements in pixel binning technology that combine nine pixels into one to increase the amount of light captured. This produces a brighter, less noisy image compared to the S20 Ultra. There are also appropriate night mode enhancements. Samsung says the new sensor’s AI has been improved to automatically capture multiple frames with different exposure times to create bright images of, for example, night skies and dark caves. Improvements have also been made to photos with backlight and motion blur. The camera automatically takes multiple frames and combines them to create a uniformly illuminated, preferably blur-free image.
Like the S20 Ultra, the new phone will support 8K video at 24fps.
Space Zoom: Two 10MP Telephoto Lenses
Unlike the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which comes with a single optical zoom lens, the S21 Ultra splits the optical zoom function into two 10MP telephoto lenses, both with 3x and 10x zoom with dual pixel (2PD) AF. Offers. Again, Samsung claims that the camera array can achieve 100x digital space zoom, but has not yet proven that this is more than just a marketing strategy. The 100x digital zoom doesn’t look good, and even Samsung’s own marketing footage doesn’t look exactly flattering — see below.
Samsung’s AI is trying to save the details, but the S21 Ultra still doesn’t look 100 times better.
Samsung has added a new zoom lock option to help you get better images with digital zoom levels over 30x. This is basically a super-charged electronic image stabilization method that can fix the subject to the frame. It will be activated automatically if you pause for more than 2 seconds while zooming, but you can also tap the new zoom lock option in the camera app to start the function manually.
12MP ultra wide, autofocus, 40MP selfie
The 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens doubles as a macro camera and automatically activates when autofocus notices that it is within 30 cm (12 inches) of the subject. Besides that, it provides a 120 ° field of view for dramatic photos that everyone loves to share on Instagram. The last sensor on the back is the laser AF sensor. Given that the Note 20 has significantly improved the terrible autofocus performance of the S20 Ultra, I hope Samsung has learned that lesson forever.
Samsung doesn’t talk much about the 40MP selfie cam, so I think the lens is pretty similar to the one used on the S20 Ultra. Again, the camera is placed in the punched hole notch in the top center of the display to produce a pixel-binned 10MP image.
Smart function
Like other modern smartphones before that, the S21 Ultra has a number of smart photo features, most of which are already known on the S20 Ultra. There were some improvements in the single take. A video / photo mode that allows you to take 5 to 15 seconds of shots from different cameras at the same time and filter them now includes a new “Dynamic Video” option. There are also some video goods like Super Steady Mode, and as mentioned above, you can also use Night Mode, Astrophotography Features, Space Zoom, Zoom Lock and more.
In contrast to the S20 Ultra, the S21 Ultra doesn’t add many groundbreaking new photographic features. Instead, Samsung is focusing on iterating and improving the S20 camera, abandoning the non-working approach. That is, replace the 48MP zoom lens with two 10MP telephoto lenses and a new autofocus sensor. Stay tuned to let us know if Samsung has successfully reviewed it.
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