How to take a picture of the moon on Xiaomi: the secrets of clear shots at night

Why are photos of the moon on a smartphone often blurred?

Have you ever tried to photograph the moon on Xiaomi, but instead of a clear crater, you get a blurred bright spot? The problem is not your glaze, it's about physics and settings. The moon, despite its apparent brightness, is actually a dark object (reflects only 12% of sunlight), and its details require proper exposure and focus. Smartphones are optimized by default to capture close objects, so automatically "miss" the celestial bodies.

In this article, we’ll break down the specific settings for Xiaomi models (from the budget Redmi Note to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra), learn how to bypass the limitations of automation and choose the best time to shoot, and find out why photographing the moon at full moon is the worst idea to detail, and how to use manual mode, even if your smartphone “hidden” it.

Which Xiaomi models are best for shooting the moon?

Not all Xiaomi smartphones are equally good for astrophotography, but key parameters that affect the result are:

• 🔍 Telephoto lens with optical zoom (from 2x Without it, the moon will be a tiny speck.Best options: Xiaomi 13 Ultra (5x optical zoom), Xiaomi 12S Ultra (5x), Redmi Note 12 Pro+ (2x).
• 📸 Matrix size: the larger, the better the light absorption. Flagships (Xiaomi) 14 Pro) have matrices 1/1.1"–1/1.3", The budget model (Redmi) 10A) — everything 1/2.9".
• 🌙 Night mode with manual settings: the ability to set shutter speeds up to 30 seconds and ISO Budget models often make night mode easier.
• 🎛️ Support RAW: The format allows you to then pull out the details of the moon in editors. MIUI on flagships and some medium-budget models.

If you have a model without a telephoto lens (like a Redmi 9A or POCO M3), don’t despair – you can take pictures of the moon with the main camera, but you will need additional processing and framing tricks.

The best time to shoot the moon: why not a full moon?

It would seem that the full moon is the perfect moment to take pictures: the moon is big and bright. But this is a common misconception.

• 🌕 Sunlight falls perpendicularly, which is why there are no shadows – craters and mountains on the surface become almost invisible.
• 📛 The brightness of the moon is maximum, which leads to re-light even at minimal exposure.
• 🌅 Atmospheric distortion is stronger due to the low position of the moon above the horizon (in mid-latitudes).

The best time is the first or last quarter (7-10 or 17-20 lunar day).

• 🌓 The shadows from the craters are as long as possible, which emphasizes the relief.
• 🌌 The moon is visible high in the sky (less atmospheric distortion).
• 📱 You can use a longer shutter speed without the risk of overlighting.

It is convenient to check the phase of the moon in the applications Moon Phase Calendar (Android) or PhotoPills (paid, but with the calculation of the time of sunrise / sunset). It is also useful to monitor the transparency of the atmosphere: after rain or wind, the frame will be clearer.

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Use Time and Date to find out the exact time of the moonrise in your area, and shooting in the first 2-3 hours after sunrise gives you less atmospheric distortion.

Step-by-step setting up Xiaomi camera for shooting the moon

Now, let's get to the point. Importantly, all the settings are for the MIUI stock camera, and if you're using GCam or other modified firmware, some of the things may be different.

1. Switch to Manual Mode (Pro Mode)

Open the Camera app, swipe left to Professional (or Pro) mode.

• 🔧 Go to Camera Settings → Additionally. → Modes and Enable Professional Mode.
• 📱 On budget models (Redmi 9, POCO M4) You may need to install GCam with support for astrophoto (e.g., version of the BSG Wichaya).

Exposure settings

We set the parameters manually:

• 📐 Focus: Translate to MF (manual focusing) and set the runner to infinity (∞). On some models (Xiaomi) 12T) The focus can be "swimming" - then use it. AF-S (A single autofocus and point to the moon.
• ⏱️ Excerpt: from 1/200 before 1/50 Longer, the risk of lubrication due to the movement of the moon (it moves to the moon). 0.5° minutely!).
• 🌡️ ISO: 100-400. If the frame is dark, you can raise it to 800, but there will be noise.
• 🔘 White Balance: Daylight (5500K). Automation often makes the moon yellow.

Install the smartphone on a tripod or support |

Switch to Pro Mode|

Focus on infinity (∞)|

Disable stabilization (EIS) |

Reduce exposure by -1.0 EV-->

3. Additional tricks

To improve the outcome:

• 📵 Turn off the digital zoom, it only makes the quality worse. Better take the moon as it is, and then cut the frame.
• 🎯 Use serial shooting (hold down the down button) to then select the clearest frame.
• 🔋 The battery should be charged. >50% – When low charge, the camera can automatically limit performance.

How to photograph the moon without a telephoto lens?

If your Xiaomi is not equipped with a telephoto lens (for example, Redmi 10 or POCO M5), you can go for a trick:

1. Shoot video in 4K resolution (3840×2160) at 30 fps. The moon will be small, but you will get hundreds of frames, from which you will choose the clearest one.
2. Use external optics: attach a teleconverter lens (for example, a 2x magnification Xenvo Pro Lens) or even binoculars (hold it in front of the lens at a distance of 1-2 cm).
3. Cut and zoom in on the editor, and programs like Lightroom or Topaz Gigapixel AI can build parts with AI.

Example: on the Redmi Note 8 Pro (without a telephoto lens), you can get this result:

Important: When shooting through binoculars or a lens, turn off autofocus, it will be lost. Focus manually, slowly rotating the ring on the lens (if any) or moving the binoculars closer/farther from the camera.

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Even on a budget Xiaomi, you can get an acceptable photo of the moon if you shoot a video in 4K and then pull the frame out of it.

Processing photos of the moon: from raw frames to a masterpiece

Raw footage from Xiaomi's camera almost always needs to be reworked.

1. Trimming and alignment

Use Lightroom, Snapseed or Photoshop Express:

• 🖼️ Cut the frame so that the moon occupies ≥50% of the area (but don’t lose resolution below 1000 px on the long side).
• 📏 Align the horizon (if it was in the frame) or the moon itself - it should not be "buried up".

2. Exposure and contrast correction

Parameters for manual editing:

• 🌓 Exposure: reduce by -0.3..-0.7 EV, craters to emerge.
• 🌑 Shadows: Lift up to +50 to see details in dark areas.
• 🔆 Contrast: increase by +20..+40 to emphasize the relief.
• 🎨 Clarity: add +15..+30, but don't overdo it - there will be noise.

Noise removal and sharpening

To combat noise (especially if filmed at high ISO):

• 🛠️ In Lightroom: Use the Noise Reducing Slider (value 20–40) + Improved details (10–20).
• 🤖 Topaz Denoise AI: Choose Clear model for astrophoto.

Warning: Do not use the standard sharpness filter in Instagram editors (e.g. VSCO) to add artifacts around the edges of the moon. Instead, use Lightroom's sharpness mask (radius 0.8-1.2 px).

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If the moon is flat, add a gradient filter to Lightroom with a darkening of the edges (+10 vignette) to the image, which will visually increase the volume.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even experienced photographers sometimes make mistakes.-5 Failures in the shooting of the moon on Xiaomi:

⚠️ Attention: If you are shooting the moon through a window, double glazed glass creates optical distortion (double image effect.

• 🌫️ Shooting through clouds or haze — even thin clouds scatter light, making the moon blurry. Check the transparency of the sky in the Clear Outside app.
• 📱 Twitching your smartphone when you're shooting -- even micromotions lubricate the shot. Use a delay of descent (2-10 seconds) or a timer.
• 🔋 Low battery charge - at the level <30% Smartphone processor can limit camera performance, leading to artifacts.
• 🌕 Translight of the central part of the moon - automation MIUI It often overstates the exposure. EV before -1.0 or -1.5.
• 📲 Using real-time filters -- they spoil the details. RAW (if supported) or without filters.

Another common problem is "chromatic aberrations" (rainbow halos at the edges of the moon) that appear on cheap lenses (like Redmi 9) because of imperfect optics, which can be removed in Lightroom with the Optics Correction → Remove chromatic aberration tool.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions