How to take a picture of the moon on Xiaomi phone: a complete guide with settings and life hacks

Photographing the moon on a smartphone is a task that seems easy only at first glance. Even with Xiaomi’s powerful camera (be it Xiaomi’s flagship 14 Ultra or the budget Redmi Note 12), many users get blurred spots instead of a clear crater. The problem is not the technique, but the wrong settings and lack of knowledge about the specifics of astrophotography.

In this article, we will analyze the step-by-step instructions for shooting the moon on any Xiaomi phone, including mode selection, manual settings (ISO, And then we'll reveal the secrets that professionals use, from stabilization to timing, whether you're a beginner or an experienced photographer, after reading, you can take a picture of the moon that you want to share on social media.

Which Xiaomi phones are better for shooting the moon?

Not all Xiaomi smartphones are equally good for astrophotography, but the key options to look out for are:

• 🔭 Optical zoom: Minimum zoom 5× (Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Mix Fold 3, but better 10× 30× (Like Xiaomi 14 Ultra, digital zoom is a big loss of quality.
• 📸 The size of the matrix: the larger, the better the light absorption — 1/1.1" or larger (e.g., Xiaomi) 12S Ultra with Sony matrix IMX989).
• 🌙 The Moon Mode: Built-in function is in MIUI 13+ On flagships (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Pro) it automatically adjusts exposure and focus.
• 🔋 Stabilization: OIS (optically EIS (electronic) will help to avoid "lubrication" during prolonged exposure.

If you have a budget model (e.g. Redmi) 10C or POCO M5), Do not worry – high-quality photos of the moon can be done on them, but you will need more effort in settings and post-processing.

Important: Even Xiaomi’s flagship models won’t replace the telescope, but with the right settings, they can produce a result comparable to an entry-level DSLR.

Preparation for shooting: time, weather and equipment

The moon is visible almost every night, but not all days are suitable for photography.

• 🌕 Moon phase: optimally, the first or last quarter (crescent moon), full moon too bright, and thin sickle is difficult to focus.
• ⏰ Time of day: The best shots are at dusk (first hour after sunset) when the sky is not yet completely dark. The moon is pale during the day, too contrasting at night.
• 🌤️ Weather: avoid clouds, haze and smog. Perfectly clear skies with minimal humidity (check the forecast on Yr.no).
• 📍 Location: shooting in the city is complicated by light pollution. Go to the outskirts or the park, away from the lights.

Equipment that will be useful:

• 📱:: Required for more sustained 1/10 Even a mini-state with a clip will do (for example, Xiaomi Mi Selfie Stick Tripod).
• 🔧 Bluetooth remote: for non-touch shooting (vibrations spoil the frame). You can use volume button headphones.
• 🔍 Teleconverter: increases zoom (e.g. Xiaomi Lens) 2x Teleconverter for Xiaomi 12S Ultra).
• 🔋 Powerbank: shooting in the cold quickly drains the battery.

⚠️ Warning: If the temperature is lower +5°C, the smartphone can automatically shut down. Warm it up in your pocket before shooting or use a heated case.

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

Now, to the most important thing, the camera settings, even if you don't have Moon mode, you can actually do great things manually.

Step 1. Open Pro Mode (Professional)

Run the Camera app, swipe left to Pro mode (or M on some models). If not, turn on the camera settings: Settings → Regimes → Pro.

Step 2: Set the settings manually

Use these basic settings (adjust to your model):

• 📸 ISO: 100-400 (lower, less noise, darker frame).
• ⏱️ Excerpt: 1/200–1/500 (for the bright moon) or 1/50–1/10 sec (for the dark sky).
• 🎯 Focus: MF (Manual - set to infinity (image) ∞).
• 🔄 White balance: 5,000–5500K (or "Daylight" mode").
• 📏 Zoom: use optical (not digital!) for example on Xiaomi 13 Pro - 10×, On the Redmi Note 12 - 2×.

Step 3. Take test shots.

Take 5-10 shots with different settings ISO The moon moves across the sky, so check the focus before each shot. If the frame is over-lit (the moon is white without details), reduce the focus. ISO or shorten the shutter speed.

Set up Pro mode|Choose. ISO 100–400|Set up shutter speed. 1/100–1/500|Turn focus to focus MF (∞)|Turn off the flash.|Check the white balance-->

⚠️ Note: on budget models (e.g. Redmi) 10A) manual ISO In this case, use the "Night" mode and manually reduce the exposure (swipe your finger down the screen).

Secrets of shooting: how to avoid blurring and noise

Even with the right settings, it can be soapy. Here's how to avoid it:

• 🧲 Stabilization: Use a tripod or put your phone in a wall/tree. Hold it with both hands, holding your breath while shooting.
• 🔄 Serial shooting: make 10-20 frames in a row (in Pro or Night mode), and then choose the clearest one.
• 📉 Noise reduction: if ISO above 800, enable Noise Reduction in the camera settings (on some models it is AI-noise-canceling).
• 🌐 Format RAW: If your Xiaomi supports shooting in RAW (for example, Xiaomi 12T Pro), turn it on: Camera settings → Format → RAW. This will give you more opportunities for processing.

Another life hack: if the moon is too small, take it against the background of the landscape (trees, buildings).

1. Take a picture of the moon at maximum zoom.
2. Take a picture of the landscape (no zoom).
3. In an editor (such as Snapseed or Lightroom), combine two frames.

💡

If the moon is shaking in the viewfinder, it's not a camera defect, it's just atmospheric distortion. Try to take it down in 10 to 15 minutes, the air may calm down.

Photo processing: how to make the moon clear and detailed

Raw phone footage rarely looks perfect, and post-processing can help you uncover crater details and remove noise.

Step-by-step processing in Lightroom Mobile:

1. Import photos and cut the extra (Crop tool).
2. In the Light section, reduce the exposure to −0.5, raise the contrast to +20.
3. In detail, add Sharpness (+30) and noise suppression (+20).
4. In Color, reduce the saturation of the blue channel (so that the sky is not too bright).
5. Export to JPEG with 100% quality.

Critical point: Never keep the intermediate results in place. JPG — only TIFF or PNG, avoiding quality losses.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even experienced photographers sometimes make mistakes when shooting the moon.

• 🌑 Full Moon: Moon too bright, crater details lost. Solution: shoot in first/last quarter phase.
• 📱 Digital zoom: increases pixels, not details. Solution: use only optical zoom or shoot without zoom, and then frame.
• 🖐️ Touching the screen when shooting: results in lubrication. Solution: use a bluetooth remote or a timer (2-10 seconds).
• ⚡ Automobile-ISO: The phone itself makes it more sensitive by adding noise. ISO manually (max. 800).
• 🌆 Shooting through a window: glass distorts light and adds glare. Solution: go outside or open the window.

Another common problem is, "The moon is too small." That's because the actual angular size of the moon in the sky is only 0.5.°, 10 or so.× Zoom is not always enough:

• Use a teleconverter (e.g. Xiaomi Lens) 2x).
• Take pictures of the moon against the background of objects (trees, buildings) for scale.
• Share a few frames in the panorama (Microsoft app) ICE).

💡

The most common mistake of beginners is to try to shoot the moon on automatic settings. 90% of the time, this leads to over-lit or blurred frames. Always use Pro mode!

Examples of photos of the moon on Xiaomi (before and after processing)

To give you an idea of what you can do, here are some real-world examples from different Xiaomi models (source and processed versions):

Xiaomi 13 Ultra (30× zoom, RAW, Lightroom):

📷 Moon visible, but craters barely distinguishable, a lot of noise.

✨ After: Clear craters, noise removed, contrast increased.

Redmi Note 11 Pro (2× zoom, JPG, Snapseed):

📷 To: Moon blurred, background dark.

✨ After: Increased sharpness, brightened background, added a cold hue.

POCO X5 Pro (5× Zoom, Night mode"):

📷 Previous: Moon overlit, no details.

✨ After: Reduced exposure, restored shadows, added vignetting.

Note that even on budget models, you can get decent results if you process the frame correctly. RAW (If supported, and not afraid to experiment with settings.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions