May 26, 2021
I Tried to Shoot Astronomy Photos With a Samsung S8 Plus
The results were not that good…
I always liked admiring the night sky from the village of my grandparents, because it is so crisp and clear, especially after midnight. Away from the pollution of all types (fumes, dust, light, etc), you can scan the stars with the naked eye or look through a telescope.
Check the minimum telescope size needed for this in one of my last articles:
Since I was constantly changing smartphones in the last years, I was curious about what kind of astronomy photos you can shoot with a regular phone, such as an S8 Plus, the phone that I had at my disposal.
The Moon in Daylight
With the Photo camera settings, which is the default, I could only manage to catch the moon during the day, but the quality is quite poor, as you can see in the picture.
The Moon at Night
After many adjustments, I succeeded in catching the best view of the moon that you can catch with an S8 Plus. It can be seen in the next image.
In another attempt to see what you can do with the camera of this smartphone, I tried to photograph the Moon in its crescent phase when it was near planet Venus during summer.
The Moon and Planet Venus After Dawn
If you have a decent smartphone, such as a Samsung S8 or S8 Plus, you can obtain a clear view of the stars or the moon, but you have to use the pro mode of the camera, with some serious adjustments. Otherwise, all you will see is diffuse light.
The results are not spectacular, but considering that they are made with a phone, you cannot expect too much, unless is one of the latest smartphones. The sky was clear and the images were taken from an area that has almost zero light pollution.
There are photographers who have succeeded to catch the milky way with their phones, using a tripod with the pro mode of the camera, and knowing when the milky way will be visible. Also, they know a few tricks on how to adjust the settings of the camera in professional mode, in order to amplify the light from the stars and at the same time reduce light distortion to a minimum. One day I will try this…
Would This Work on an S7?
An S7 may work too, I haven’t tested it. Samsung S8 and S8 Plus have the same camera, which is actually the camera from S7 with some improvements. When I will have a newer phone, I will test it as well.
