Extreme exposure in Xiaomi phones: designations, settings and secrets of professional shooting

Have you ever wondered why night photos on your Xiaomi sometimes get blurry and sometimes incredibly detailed? Or why photos come out too dark in the daytime despite the bright sunlight? It's all about shutter speed, one of the three pillars of photography along with the aperture and the diaphragm. ISO. But if in SLR cameras this parameter is regulated by a physical shutter, then in Xiaomi smartphones everything works differently.

In this article, we will not only tell you how the shutter speed is indicated in Xiaomi phones, but also understand where to find it in the camera settings, how to set up correctly for different scenes, and why automatic mode is often “error”. You’ll learn which models support manual shutter speed adjustment, how to use Pro Mode for creative shots, and why it’s sometimes better to trust algorithms. MIUI, And then we'll tell you a few secrets that the manufacturer doesn't tell you!

What is shutter speed and why it is important for Xiaomi smartphones

Shutter speed is the time that the camera's matrix captures light, measured in seconds or fractions of a second (e.g., the camera's sensors, 1/1000s or 30s). The longer the shutter speed, the more light will hit the sensor, but the higher the risk of getting a “lubricated” frame due to the trembling of hands or movement of objects.

In Xiaomi smartphones, shutter speed plays a special role for three reasons:

• 📱 Compact arrays. Even flagship models like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra have less sensors than mirrorless cameras, so they need more light to take a good picture.
• 🌃 Night Mode algorithms in Xiaomi often combine multiple frames with different shutter speeds, but manual tuning gives more control.
• 🎨 Creative effects: Long exposure allows you to create silk water, light tracks from cars or blurring motion.

However, there is a caveat: in most Xiaomi smartphones (except for top models), the maximum shutter speed is limited - usually up to the end of the day. 32s This is due to the features of image processing by Qualcomm Snapdragon or MediaTek processor, as well as the risk of overheating the matrix.

⚠️ Note: If you see the shutter speed in the camera settings 1/0s or --s — This means that Pro Mode is disabled or not supported by your model. Try updating your firmware or checking compatibility.

How to Denote Shutter Speed in the Xiaomi Camera Interface

In Xiaomi phones, shutter speed can be denoted differently depending on the mode of shooting and the model of the device.

In Pro Mode, shutter speed is usually displayed in the upper right corner of the screen next to other parameters (for example, ISO and WB). On some models (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra) when touching the shutter speed, a slider appears for smooth adjustment.

In Night Mode, shutter speed can be hidden behind a timer button or only displayed during shooting. For example, on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ When activating the night mode at the top appears the inscription Hold steady (hold still) and the countdown of seconds – this is the current shutter speed.

Where to find shutter speed settings in different Xiaomi models

The location of shutter speed settings depends on the version MIUI Here are the step-by-step instructions for the most popular devices:

Xiaomi 13/14 Pro, 13T Pro, Mix Fold 2/3

1. Open the Camera app.

2. Flick the shooting modes left to Pro or Pro Mode.

3. In the upper right corner, find the shutter speed value (for example, 1/50s). Touch it to open the slider.

4. Move the slider left (short shutter speed) or right (long shutter speed). 1/4000s before 32s.

Redmi Note 11/12 Pro+, Poco F4/F5

1. Launch the camera and select Pro mode.

2.In the bottom panel, find the icon ⚙️ (Settings) → Excerpt.

3. Select a value from the list (for example, 1/1000s, 1/2s, 10s).

4.On some models, you first need to click on the M icon (manual mode) to unlock the settings.

Xiaomi 12 Lite, Redmi 10/11, Poco X4/X5

1.In the cell, go to Additional → Pro Mode.

2.Tap the badge. ⏱️ top-panel.

3. Select the shutter speed from a fixed list (range limited to 4s).

Use a tripod or a stable surface|

Turn off autofocus (switch to autofocus) MF)|

Reduce. ISO before 100-200|

Activate the timer or use the remote (for Xiaomi 14 Ultra)-->

On budget models (e.g. Redmi) A2 POCO C55) You may not have manual shutter speed settings at all, so you can rely on Night Mode or third-party apps like Open Camera.

⚠️ Note: On smartphones with a MediaTek Helio G processor (e.g., Redmi) 9A) more-exposure 2s There may be noise due to poor processing RAW. In such cases, it is better to use the value. 1s raise ISO 800.

How to set the shutter speed for different scenes

There is no universal shutter speed setting, it depends on the lighting, the movement of objects and the desired effect.

🌅 Landscapes during the day (bright lighting)

Use a short exposure (1/500s–1/2000s), If the sky is too bright and the earth is too dark, try it:

• 📸 1/1000s + ISO 100 detail.
• 🌄 1/250s + ISO 200 for soft light (if there is a slight haze).

🌃 Night photography (city, stars)

It takes a long time, but with reservations:

• 🏙️ For city lights: 4s–10s + ISO 400 (use a tripod!).
• ⭐ For the starry sky: 20s–30s + ISO 1600 (only on flagships like Xiaomi 13 Ultra).
• 🚗 For light tracks of machines: 8s + ISO 200 (take off a bridge or high point).

💃 Moving objects (people, animals, sports)

To “freeze” the movement, you need ultra-short shutter speed:

• 🏃 Run: 1/1000s–1/2000s.
• 🚴 Cyclists: 1/500s.
• 🐦 Birds in flight: 1/4000s (maximum for most of Xiaomi).

If the object is moving parallel to the camera (for example, the car is driving past), you can slightly increase the shutter speed to the camera. 1/250s wheel-washing.

💧 Water (waterfalls, rivers, fountains)

For the effect of "silk" water, an exposure from 1/4s before 2s. Examples:

• 🌊 Waves at sea: 1/2s.
• 🏞️ Waterfall: 1s–1.5s.
• 💦 fountain: 0.5s (keep the structure of the jets).

💡

Use water on a sunny day to capture it. ND-filter (for example, on Xiaomi) 13 You can attach an external filter to Ultra without it, even if you have a filter. ISO 50 and 1/4s picture will be re-lit.

Secret chips of exposure, which does not tell Xiaomi

In the firmware MIUI Global and MIUI China has hidden shutter speed settings that are not documented, but work on most models:

🔍 Extended exposure range

On some smartphones (such as Xiaomi) 12S Ultra) can be unlocked to the shutter speed 60s, if:

1. Activate Developer Mode (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times press).
2. Turn on Debugging. USB and connect to the PC.
3. Enter the command: adb shell setprop persist.camera.long_expo.max 60000
4. Reboot the phone.

After that, the Pro Mode will have the opportunity to put 60s. But beware: long exposure can overheat the matrix!

📱 Use of excerpts in video

Video Pro Mode (available on Xiaomi) 11T Pro and newer) you can change the shutter speed on the fly:

• 🎥 Cinema effect (1/48s for 24 frame/s).
• 🌅 Smooth transitions of light (1/100s for 50 frame/s).

To enable this mode, go to Video → Pro → Settings → Excerpt.

🔄 Resetting shutter speeds to factory settings

If after the experiments the camera began to “glutch” (for example, automatically resets the shutter speed on the device). 1/30s), execute:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management → Camera.
2. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.
3. Reboot the phone.

Warning: This will also reset all custom presets and Pro Mode settings!

💡

On Xiaomi smartphones with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro) shutter speed is more than 30s It can lead to artifacts due to limitations. ISP (Image Signal Processor).

Typical errors in working with exposure and how to avoid them

Even experienced Xiaomi users sometimes make mistakes when setting up shutter speeds.

❌ Too long exposure without a tripod

If you take off your hands on exposure longer 1/30s, The frame is almost guaranteed to be smeared:

• 📱 Use Night Mode – it automatically takes multiple frames and glues them together.
• 🎧 Connect headphones with a volume button and use it as a trigger.
• 🕒 Enable a delay timer (2 or 10 seconds) in the camera settings.

❌ Ignoring the connection of exposure and ISO

Many users increase shutter speed but forget to reduce it. ISO, It's the noise that makes it:

Double the exposure (e.g., with the 1/100s before 1/50s) — reduce ISO into 2 time 800 before 400).

❌ Photography of moving objects at long exposure

If you are photographing a running person with exposure 1/10s, It's going to be blurry:

• 🏃 For people: 1/250s faster.
• 🚗 For cars: 1/500s (or 1/125s motion-effect).

❌ Overheating of the chamber

Long exposures (especially in summer) can overheat the matrix.

• 🔥 The camera's message overheated.
• 📉 Automatically reduce the maximum exposure to 4s.
• 🎯 The appearance of purple spots in the pictures.

Solution: Let the phone cool for 10-15 minutes or shoot in the shade.

Comparison of exposure in Xiaomi and other brands

How is Xiaomi’s exposure compared to its competitors? We tested several flagships:

Xiaomi is not behind competitors in terms of maximum exposure values, but loses in stabilization (for example, Samsung is better at shaking hands on the ground). 1s–4s). But Xiaomi has unique features like Star Mode (13 Ultra) and support for external lenses.

Xiaomi's biggest advantage is the flexibility of settings, like Poco. F5 Pro can be manually set shutter speed 1/8000s (against 1/4000s many competitors), which is useful for shooting in bright sun with an open aperture.

FAQ: Frequent questions about exposure in Xiaomi