Samsung phone means a mention-worthy camera. And the latest Galaxy S22 Ultra is no different. It is the first non-note device of Samsung that has an S pen inside it. The display is Dynamic AMOLED, 6.8 inches. Unlike the Galaxy S22 and S22+, it does not have the issue of the camera bump, though the lenses are still inflated out. As the edges are covered with aluminum, you might face a problem gripping while clicking photos. The internal storage is pretty huge, with a 1TB variant available in its stores. As a photographer, you must be interested to know about only one thing- the camera. And in this article, you will get all the information that you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Camera.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Camera Review: Is It Worth Buying?
Camera Specifications
It has a quad-camera setup, with a 108-megapixel main camera, a 10-megapixel periscope telephoto camera that has 10x optical zoom, a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera with dual pixel PDAF. Samsung’s very own image sensor, ISOCELL HM3 is used in the main rear camera. The front camera is 40 megapixels.
Software
Samsung used Artificial Intelligence (AI) very intelligently to exchange your photography experience. For example, Adaptive Pixel is a feature that helps to have more light in the photo when the resolution is high, keeping the file size small. It works by taking two pictures at a time with 108 megapixels and non-binned 12 megapixels and merging them into one picture. It works by the collaboration of the image signal processing and NPU chip of the phone.
Image Quality And Nightography Features
Though shooting in low-light conditions is better, it is not always consistent. The camera produces the best results when the light source is optimum, and preferably more than one. But in low light, you will face pixel bleed and noise issues, especially while zooming. There are some issues with image processing too. For example, white balance and color temperature are often affected and vary greatly during indoor and outdoor shots. But you can fix this problem by shooting in Pro mode. Also, if you do not want your photo to look artificially sharpened, turn the Detail Enhancer off.
Nightography feature is something Samsung takes pride in. It provides extra light during the shooting in low-light conditions to improve photos by 23%, and it is effective in front camera too. If you enable the portrait mode, you will find a designated night setting for it, for both front and back cameras.
Ultra-wide And Telephoto Lenses
With the same 123-degree field of view, it is almost as it was in its predecessor concerning angles and perspectives- only slightly better at things like shooting in low-light conditions. The ultra-wide lens has the feature of zooming in and out to keep people in the frame with the auto framing mode. But it is not applicable in pro-video mode, even if you are using the same lens. The issues with distortion and chromatic aberration persist, just as Galaxy S21.
The changes that Samsung has brought in the telephoto lenses are mostly the features related to software. The 30x hybrid zoom produce really good results in the right light. But the narrow aperture and smaller sensor make the lenses unfit for shooting that well at night. The same goes for any other zoom, be it 3x or 10x.
The Expert RAW mode
According to Samsung, the post-production of photos will be much easier and more effective with the introduction of the Expert RAW, an app available in the Galaxy Store. It will offer a 16-bit RAW capture. This app is not available on Google play. It is not pre-installed on the phone either. All four lenses can be used in this mode.
Video
The company claims 58% improvements in video features in Galaxy S22 Ultra. Some of them are in better stability to shoot a moving object and optimum performance in low light. It adds extra frames per second automatically if required to keep a video consistent while shooting. But you need to keep in mind that these features are not applicable if you use Pro video. Like its predecessor, the Galaxy S22 Ultra possesses Single Take and Director’s View options.
What Are The Alternatives?
As mentioned earlier, you can consider Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra as an alternative to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Vivo X70 Pro+ is also a phone you can choose for its photography features. Google Pixel 6 Pro is another good alternative. In iOS, the iPhone 13 Pro can be a worthy competitor to Galaxy S21 Ultra.
If you already own a Samsung Galaxy, you can go for upgrading it to S22. But if you want to buy it, consider the price, which starts from Rs. 109,999. Though the picture and video qualities are excellent, they are not hugely different from their predecessors. So, buying it only for the camera might not be a good decision.
Written By Sanga Basu, Content Writer, WPC.
