Shooting skylights is a top-of-the-line mobile photography experience that requires understanding sensor and optics. Xiaomi smartphone owners often find that when the camera is pointed at the sun, the image becomes a white spot with no detail, due to the re-light of the matrix, which does not cope with the dynamic range of the scene.
To get a detailed shot where you can see prominences or cloud structures, you have to take control completely. Standard automatic mode is powerless, because AI algorithms tend to shine shadows, destroying the already overexposed center of the frame, you need to switch to manual mode and use specific composition techniques.
In this article, we will explore how to turn your Xiaomi or Redmi into an astrophotography tool. We will look at shutter speed settings, ISO, focusing and the use of additional accessories that will allow you to capture the beauty of our star without risking eye health and camera.
Shooting Safety: Eye Protection and Matrix
The first and most important rule is never to look at the sun through a smartphone viewfinder without protection. The optics of a smartphone work like a magnifier, focusing the sun's rays to a single point, which can cause retinal burns or damage to the camera matrix during prolonged exposure. Although modern sensors have protection, the risk of burning out pixels during prolonged shooting in zoom remains high.
⚠️ Please do not use maximum zoom (especially if you are not using it). 50x or 100x in the "Space" mode for aiming at the sun without a set ND-The concentration of light can damage the optical stabilization or the sensor itself.
For safe shooting, it is strongly recommended to use external dimming filters that are wound up on the lens or attached to the clip. If there is no such filter, shoot only at dawn or sunset, when the light passes through the thick layer of the atmosphere and becomes less aggressive. In the afternoon, it is better to refrain from direct experiments with zoom.
Also, remember that the processor and sensor when actively processing HDR and video stream in 4K/8K strongly heat up. Direct sunlight falling on the case, aggravate the situation, which can lead to emergency shutdown of the camera. Keep the phone in the shade or use light diffusers.
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For the bright sun, neutral gray filters (ND) with a density of ND1000 to ND32000 are ideal, reducing the amount of light, allowing you to use long shutter speeds and low ISO even during the day.
Setting up Pro mode for the perfect frame
The key to success is in manual mode, which is labeled Pro or Manual in MIUI and HyperOS shells. Going to this section, you turn off automation and you have full control of exposure. The first thing you need to do is set the minimum possible sensitivity value.
The ISO setting should be set to a minimum, usually 50 or 100, which will provide the minimum level of digital noise and the dynamic range necessary to keep the details in bright areas, and then the shutter speed line, which plays a crucial role.
- 📸 Extract (S): Set the values from 1/1000 before 1/4000 The brighter the sun, the shorter the shutter speed must be to freeze the light and avoid white spots.
- 🎯 Focus (MF): Put the focus in manual mode and move the slider to the far right position (infinity), then slightly back if the sun is too small.
- ⚖️ White balance (WB): Select a value around 5500K-6000K for natural color or lower to 4000K, to make the disc more orange and contrasting.
Once you've set up the settings, take a test shot and evaluate the histogram. If the graph is shifted to the right and it's on the edge -- there's too much light, you have to shorten the shutter speed. If the graph has dips on the left, the shadows are too deep, but the sun can do that because the disk is important to us.
☑️ Pro-mode settings
Use of filters and accessories
The built-in capabilities of a smartphone are not always enough to tame the powerful light flux, and external accessories come to the rescue, which can dramatically improve image quality. ND-Neutral Density filter, which evenly darkens the entire frame without distorting the color.
For Xiaomi smartphones, especially the Mi series, Xiaomi 13/14 Ultra or Redmi Note models with a protruding camera, there are special clips with threads. You can wind a full-fledged photographic filter on them, which allows you to use a shutter speed of a few seconds even in the daytime, turning the sun into a detailed object with a visible structure if you use very dense filters (ND100000 and above).
Polarization filters (CPLs) are also worth looking at, and while they primarily remove glare from water and glass, they can also slightly reduce the overall brightness of the sky and increase the contrast of clouds around the sun. The combination of CPL and ND filters gives the best result for landscape photography with the sun in the frame.
| Type of filter | Density (Stops) | The effect | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| ND8 | 3 degrees | Light blackout | Cloudy weather, dawn |
| ND64 | 6 steps | Medium blackout | Clear day, sunset shooting |
| ND1000 | 10 steps | Extreme blackout | Bright sun, long exposures. |
| CPL | 1.5-2 degrees | Removes glare. | The presence of water, grass, sky |
Where to buy filters for the phone?
Shooting with the Google Camera (GCam) app
Xiaomi’s regular camera app has its limitations in HDR processing algorithms. Many enthusiasts install a portable version of Google Camera (GCam), which offers more flexible dynamic range settings. GCam often has Astrophotography mode available, which can be adapted for shooting the sun if you adjust exposure correctly.
In the GCam settings, you need to find the Advanced partition and enable manual ISO and shutter speed control. The feature of GCam ports for Xiaomi is to support additional sensors, so it is important to choose the right configuration (xml file) for your phone model, which will allow you to use all the capabilities of the telephoto lens.
The advantage of GCam is also better noise reduction: When shooting the sun at high ISOs (if you still decide to raise them for short exposure), Google's algorithms often produce a cleaner picture than Xiaomi's standard image processor. However, the stability of the work can vary from version to version.
⚠️ Note: When installing GCam from unknown sources, make sure you download the file from a proven resource (e.g. Celso Azevedo).The inappropriate version may not run stable or run on Snapdragon or MediaTek processors.
To activate hidden menus in some versions of GCam, you need to click on the logo at the top of the screen several times, and you can find tonal compression settings that help keep the details in bright lights without making the sky completely black.
Processing RAW-files for maximum quality
To get a professional result, shoot in RAW (DNG) format, which stores all the information from the matrix without compression and noise cancellation. RAW files take up more space, but provide tremendous post-processing opportunities, allowing you to pull out details from the overlights and shadows.
Use the mobile versions of Lightroom, Snapseed or VSCO. In Lightroom Mobile, working with RAW-You can use files to locally adjust exposure, so you can only darken the area of the sun using a mask, and add heat to the rest of the frame.
The main processing steps:
- 📉 Light tones: Lower the White and Light sliders to a minimum to show the disc structure.
- 🌡️ Temperature: Adjust balance to make the sun look natural, not like a yellow circle.
- 🔍 Clarity: Add texture and clarity to highlight surface or cloud details.
Remember that over-processing can lead to artifacts and halos around the solar disk. Try to keep the image natural by using masking tools to selectively apply the effects.
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Shooting in RAW+ is the only way to get a professional quality comparable to SLR cameras using only a smartphone.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Beginners often make a number of mistakes that negate all efforts, the most common being using digital zoom instead of optical zoom. Digital zoom simply stretches the picture, turning the sun into a blurry square spot. Always use only optical modules (2x, 3.2x, 5x) switching between lenses.
Another mistake is to ignore stability. When shooting at long shutter speeds or high zoom, even shaking your hands leads to lubrication. Use a tripod or slam your phone against a stationary object. In extreme cases, use a 3-5 second self-start timer to remove the shaking from the press of a button.
Avoid shooting through dirty glass or a protective film with scratches, the sun hitting the lens will highlight all the micro-scraps and dust, creating a lot of artifacts and rays in the photo that are not in reality.