The Redmi Note 9 Pro is a hit with its 64MP GW1 camera module, which allows for detailed images even in low light conditions, which is critical for astrophotography. Many users don’t even know they have a tool in their pocket that can capture the beauty of the night sky without buying expensive equipment.
However, the standard automatic camera mode rarely copes with shooting stars, as AI algorithms try to brighten the sky, turning it into gray porridge. To get a quality result, you will need to go into manual mode and strictly follow a number of technical conditions. In this article, we will discuss all the nuances of exposure setting, focusing and stabilization for your Xiaomi.
The key to success is to strike the right balance between the sensitivity of the matrix and the exposure time. 10-15 minutes to prepare, the result will exceed all expectations, and the resulting pictures can be safely published in social networks or used as wallpaper for the desktop.
Choosing the Right Place and Time to Shoot
The first thing you need to do before you set up your camera is to find the right place. Light pollution is the main enemy of night photography, because city lights create a light that completely covers the faint light of distant stars. Ideally, you should go out of town, away from the lights and illuminated windows of houses.
It's also critical to consider the phase of the moon. A full moon can be beautiful in itself, but its bright light blurs the stars in the sky, making them virtually invisible to the smartphone matrix. It's best to plan for the new moon days or when the moon hasn't risen above the horizon yet.
⚠️ Warning: Do not attempt to shoot stars through window glass or in windy weather. Even minimal vibration or reflection of light from glass will make the picture blurry and fuzzy.
Check the weather forecast, as cloudy conditions can ruin your plans completely. Use specialized astrophotography apps that will show the exact time of moonrise and sunset, as well as the level of transparency of the atmosphere in your region.
Equipment necessary for stabilization
The key to shooting stars is that the smartphone is completely immobile during exposure, and the exposure time of the night sky is 10 to 30 seconds, and it's physically impossible to hold the phone in that position, and any, even microscopic hand shaking will cause the image to be lubricated.
The ideal solution would be to use a tripod, and if you don't have a professional tripod, you could use a mini tripod (octopus) or even lean your phone against a stationary object with a rubber band or a stone, and the main thing is to ensure that the device is rigidly fixed.
☑️ Screening readiness check
Additionally, you should use a self-start timer or Bluetooth shutter button. Pressing your finger on your smartphone screen can cause vibrations that affect the sharpness of the frame in the first seconds of exposure. If there is no such button, just set the timer for 3 or 5 seconds.
Setup of Manual Camera Mode (Pro)
To capture stars, we'll need Pro mode in the standard camera app. Open the app, swipe through the mode menu and select More, and then find the Pro icon, where you'll have full control of the sensor settings.
First thing you need to do is turn off all automatic enhancements. HDR and AI-And we want to make sure that they're turned off, because they're going to try to make stars better by turning them into colored spots.
Now we're going to set up the basic exposure parameters, and you're going to set the following values:
- 📷 ISO: Set the value between 1600 and 3200, higher values will cause digital noise, and smaller ones will prevent the sensor from detecting faint light.
- ⏱️ Exposure (S): Set the exposure time to 10-30 Longer. 30 It is not recommended to put seconds without a tracker, since the stars will begin to turn into devils due to the rotation of the Earth.
- 🔍 Focus (MF): Switch focus to manual mode and move the slider to the far right position (infinity).
⚠️ Attention: Don't trust the infinity icon on the focus scale. Often the perfect dot is just a little to the left of the extreme position. Take a test shot of a bright star and twist the focus for maximum clarity.
Table of optimal settings for different conditions
Shooting options can vary depending on the environmental conditions and desired result. Below is a table with recommended starting values for different shooting scenarios on the Redmi Note 9 Pro.
| Filming conditions | ISO | Excerpt (sec) | Diaphragm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear skies, outside the city | 1600 | 25-30 | f/1.89 (fix) |
| Availability of light exposure | 800-1000 | 15-20 | f/1.89 (fix) |
| Photography of the Milky Way | 3200 | 20-25 | f/1.89 (fix) |
| Moon in frame (large) | 100-200 | 1/100 - 1/200 | f/1.89 (fix) |
Remember, the aperture on your smartphone is fixed, so you can only adjust the amount of light with shutter speed and sensitivity. Experiment with ISO if the images are too dark or overlit.
The process of focusing on infinity
The hardest part for a beginner is focusing accurately, and autofocus in the dark is extremely bad, and it often scours without contrasting boundaries, which is why we put the lens into manual MF mode.
Find the brightest star in the sky, or a distant street lamp (if it's far away), point your camera at it and slowly turn the focus slider. Watch the screen: at some point, the point of light will be the smallest and brightest. That's the focal point.
To make it easier, you can use zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, and get to the maximum value (usually 2x or 10x depending on the zoom), focus, and then bring the zoom back, which will help you get to sharper.
Filming and primary processing
Once you've set all the settings, the phone is fixed and the focus is captured, press the down button. The screen may go out or show the timer -- don't touch the device. At this point, the light buildup process is going on.
After the exposure is complete, the camera will need a few more seconds to process the file (noise reduction), wait until the process is complete before taking the next frame, take a series of 5-10 shots, and then choose the best one.
The resulting photos may appear dark. That's OK. To improve quality, we recommend using editorial apps like Snapseed or Lightroom Mobile, where you can adjust exposure, add contrast and reduce noise.
⚠️ Warning: Do not overdo it with "Clarity" or "Structure" when processing, which can create artifacts and make stars angular, which looks unnatural.