Among all other foldable phones, Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold 6 ranks highest in terms of camera performance, according to independent review website DxOMark. Interestingly, the Fold 6 even beats the Pixel Fold in the zoom department, even though Google's foldable phone technically has a superior telephoto camera.

By camera performance, DxOMark ranks the Galaxy Z Fold 6 1st among all other foldables and 45th in the global ranking. Its camera setup scores 133 points, which is the same as devices like the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, Pixel 7a, Galaxy S24 and S24+, and Galaxy S23 and S23+.

By sub-categories, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 scores 135 points in the zoom department, which is substantially higher than the 117 points achieved by the Google Pixel Fold.

Interestingly, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom capabilities, whereas the Pixel Fold boasts a 10.8MP telephoto shooter with 5x optical zoom. The latter is superior on paper, but DxOMark suggests the Fold 6's telephoto camera wins over Google's despite the hardware differences.

What other things does the Z Fold 6 do well

Across other camera characteristics, the independent review website praised the Galaxy Z Fold 6 for its fairly wide dynamic range and good exposure, low noise in bright environments, good depth estimation in bokeh photos, effective video stabilization, good colors in video recordings, decent telephoto details in long-range shots, and good video detail in most conditions.

The story continues after the video

On the other hand, no camera is without fault, and DxOMark criticizes the Galaxy Z Fold 6 for things like autofocus errors in low light, some luminance and chroma noise in low light, occasional color rendering inaccuracies, luminance noise in ultra-wide shots, underexposed night shots when not using the flash, unstable autofocus and refocusing in video mode, and a few other issues.

There are many more camera-related details in DxOMark's test, so you should check it out if you want the full picture — no pun intended. And if you'd like to hear more about the Galaxy Z Fold 6 beyond camera performance, you can check out our full review, which covers everything about the phone, from displays and performance to design and software.

The post Galaxy Z Fold 6 has the best camera among foldables, DxOMark says appeared first on SamMobile.

Ten years. Two countries. Multiple redesigns. Some US $80 million invested. And, finally, Zero Zero Robotics has a product it says is ready for consumers, not just robotics hobbyists—the HoverAir X1. The company has sold several hundred thousand flying cameras since the HoverAir X1 started shipping last year. It hasn’t gotten the millions of units into consumer hands—or flying above them—that its founders would like to see, but it’s a start.

“It’s been like a 10-year-long Ph.D. project,” says Zero Zero founder and CEO Meng Qiu Wang. “The thesis topic hasn’t changed. In 2014 I looked at my cell phone and thought that if I could throw away the parts I don’t need—like the screen—and add some sensors, I could build a tiny robot.”

I first spoke to Wang in early 2016, when Zero Zero came out of stealth with its version of a flying camera—at $600. Wang had been working on the project for two years. He started the project in Silicon Valley, where he and cofounder Tony Zhang were finishing up Ph.D.s in computer science at Stanford University. Then the two decamped for China, where development costs are far less.

Flying cameras were a hot topic at the time; startup Lily Robotics demonstrated a $500 flying camera in mid-2015 (and was later charged with fraud for faking its demo video), and in March of 2016 drone-maker DJI introduced a drone with autonomous flying and tracking capabilities that turned it into much the same type of flying camera that Wang envisioned, albeit at the high price of $1400.

Wang aimed to make his flying camera cheaper and easier to use than these competitors by relying on image processing for navigation—no altimeter, no GPS. In this approach, which has changed little since the first design, one camera looks at the ground and algorithms follow the camera’s motion to navigate. Another camera looks out ahead, using facial and body recognition to track a single subject.

The current version, at $349, does what Wang had envisioned, which is, he told me, “to turn the camera into a cameraman.” But, he points out, the hardware and software, and particularly the user interface, changed a lot. The size and weight have been cut in half; it’s just 125 grams. This version uses a different and more powerful chipset, and the controls are on board; while you can select modes from a smart phone app, you don’t have to.

I can verify that it is cute (about the size of a paperback book), lightweight, and extremely easy to use. I’ve never flown a standard drone without help or crashing but had no problem sending the HoverAir up to follow me down the street and then land on my hand.

It isn’t perfect. It can’t fly over water—the movement of the water confuses the algorithms that judge speed through video images of the ground. And it only tracks people; though many would like it to track their pets, Wang says animals behave erratically, diving into bushes or other places the camera can’t follow. Since the autonomous navigation algorithms rely on the person being filmed to avoid objects and simply follows that path, such dives tend to cause the drone to crash.

Since we last spoke eight years ago, Wang has been through the highs and lows of the startup rollercoaster, turning to contract engineering for a while to keep his company alive. He’s become philosophical about much of the experience.

Here’s what he had to say.

We last spoke in 2016. Tell me how you’ve changed.

Meng Qiu Wang: When I got out of Stanford in 2014 and started the company with Tony [Zhang], I was eager and hungry and hasty and I thought I was ready. But retrospectively, I wasn’t ready to start a company. I was chasing fame and money, and excitement.

Now I’m 42, I have a daughter—everything seems more meaningful now. I’m not a Buddhist, but I have a lot of Zen in my philosophy now.

I was trying so hard to flip the page to see the next chapter of my life, but now I realize, there is no next chapter, flipping the page itself is life.

You were moving really fast in 2016 and 2017. What happened during that time?

Wang: After coming out of stealth, we ramped up from 60 to 140 people planning to take this product into mass production. We got a crazy amount of media attention—covered by 2,200 media outlets. We went to CES, and it seemed like we collected every trophy there was there.

And then Apple came to us, inviting us to retail at all the Apple stores. This was a big deal; I think we were the first third party robotic product to do live demos in Apple stores. We produced about 50,000 units, bringing in about $15 million in revenue in six months.

Then a giant company made us a generous offer and we took it. But it didn’t work out. It was a certainly lesson learned for us. I can’t say more about that, but at this point if I walk down the street and I see a box of pizza, I would not try to open it; there really is no free lunch.

This early version of the Hover flying camera generated a lot of initial excitement, but never fully took off.Zero Zero Robotics

How did you survive after that deal fell apart?

Wang: We went from 150 to about 50 people and turned to contract engineering. We worked with toy drone companies, with some industrial product companies. We built computer vision systems for larger drones. We did almost four years of contract work.

But you kept working on flying cameras and launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2018. What happened to that product?

Wang: It didn’t go well. The technology wasn’t really there. We filled some orders and refunded ones that we couldn’t fill because we couldn’t get the remote controller to work.

We really didn’t have enough resources to create a new product for a new product category, a flying camera, to educate the market.

So we decided to build a more conventional drone—our V-Coptr, a V-shaped bi-copter with only two propellers—to compete against DJI. We didn’t know how hard it would be. We worked on it for four years. Key engineers left out of total dismay, they lost faith, they lost hope.

We came so close to going bankrupt so many times—at least six times in 10 years I thought I wasn’t going to be able to make payroll for the next month, but each time I got super lucky with something random happening. I never missed paying one dime—not because of my abilities, just because of luck.

We still have a relatively healthy chunk of the team, though. And this summer my first ever software engineer is coming back. The people are the biggest wealth that we’ve collected over the years. The people who are still with us are not here for money or for success. We just realized along the way that we enjoy working with each other on impossible problems.

When we talked in 2016, you envisioned the flying camera as the first in a long line of personal robotics products. Is that still your goal?

Wang: In terms of short-term strategy, we are focusing 100 percent on the flying camera. I think about other things, but I’m not going to say I have an AI hardware company, though we do use AI. After 10 years I’ve given up on talking about that.

Do you still think there’s a big market for a flying camera?

Wang: I think flying cameras have the potential to become the second home robot [the first being the robotic vacuum] that can enter tens of millions of homes.

I am trying to understand the camera API (applicable to perspective camera ONLY) of LiBGDX.

It really does not make sense that you can call rotate and translate on many different properties of the camera. I would like to know what is the difference between them?

Here is the list of rotate and translate methods that act on the LibGDX camera:

1. camera.translate() , camera.rotate()
2. camera.view.translate() , camera.view.rotate()
3. camera.position.traMul(Matrix4 m) , camera.position.rotate()
4. camera.direction.traMul(Matrix4 m) , camera.direction.rotate()

To my understanding, the camera.view is the actual Frustrum of the camera what can be seen on the screen! What is the difference of rotating(translating) the camera's direction, as compared to rotation(translation) of the camera's view?

What about I just translate or rotate the camera and NOT the view of the camera OR the direction OR the position of the camera? What effect will that have?

I have read the documentation and its really lacking in helping us understand! Please someone to help demystified these camera concepts!

My camera starts in the position I expect. However, after some time it drifts far away from the red modelinstance! How to keep it position right behind the red modelinstance without drifting far away!

Here is how I initially set up my camera:

    //initial set up of my camera:

 Gdx.input.setCursorCatched(true);
    Gdx.input.setCursorPosition(Gdx.graphics.getWidth() / 2, Gdx.graphics.getHeight() / 2);

    camera = new PerspectiveCamera(67, Gdx.graphics.getWidth(), Gdx.graphics.getHeight());

 camera.position.set(10f,12f,17.5f);
   
    camera.lookAt(10f,0,10f);        

    camera.up.set(new Vector3(10f,0,10f).Y);
    camera.near = 0.1f;
    camera.far = 300f;     

    camera.update();

Here is how I translate my red model instance: AFTER PRESSING W KEY

BoundingBox bbox0091 = new BoundingBox();
                    ThreeDWithMultipleScreensGame.gameMainPlayerReference.calculateBoundingBox(bbox0091);
                    bbox0091.mul(ThreeDWithMultipleScreensGame.gameMainPlayerReference.transform);
                    Vector3 centerV= new Vector3();
                    bbox0091.getCenter(centerV);

 vecyr.set(0,0,0); //clearing vecyr... important
                    mat4_.set(ThreeDWithMultipleScreensGame.gameMainPlayerReference.transform);
                    vecyr.z-=deltatime*LevelOneScreen.playerSpeed;

                    if(Float.compare(Math.abs(centerV.x-10f),0.001f)>0)
                    vecyr.x-=deltatime*centerV.x;
                   
                    mat4_.translate(vecyr);
                    ThreeDWithMultipleScreensGame.gameMainPlayerReference.transform.set(mat4_);
                    ThreeDWithMultipleScreensGame.gameMainPlayerReference.calculateTransforms();
                    ThreeDWithMultipleScreensGame.gameMainPlayerReference.transform.getTranslation(ThreeDWithMultipleScreensGame.playerCurrentPosition);

Here is how I update my camera hoping that it will follow right behind my red model instance:

camera.up.set(0,1,0);
                 
                    Vector3 tmpVector=new Vector3();
                    camera.position.add(tmpVector.set(camera.direction).scl(deltatime*LevelOneScreen.playerSpeed).x,0,
                            tmpVector.set(camera.direction).scl(deltatime*LevelOneScreen.playerSpeed).z);  
                    camera.lookAt(centerV.x,0,centerV.z-7.5f);
                    camera.update();

Here is the picture that show the drifting effect I am talking about:

Notice how the black line gets longer after some time of rotating and translating the red modelinstance How to fix this problem so camera stays always right behind the red model instance?

In this project I have a character and a camera that follows it.

The camera has a position relative to the character that was defined as (x = 0, y = 0, z = 0) and also its rotation:

I found a value close to its position and opposite angulation, but not really the correct value:

By pressing the Q key, the camera shifts to the position and angulation that I have discovered. Releasing the Q key, the camera returns to its initial position:

IN GAME:

As you can see, the inversion is not 100% correct.

One of the ways I thought, is a way where I take this relative value from the camera (x = 0, y = 0, z = 0) and with that:

I put the character's mesh at the location (x = 0, y = 0, z = 0) at the level and so, as the camera will be (for example) x = -250, y = 0, z = 300, it's just I invert the value of x. The angulation is simpler to deduce, but it would be interesting for me to also derive its relative value (0, 0, 0).

---

EDIT 1 (Attempt that I did and that almost worked out)

By clicking the down arrow to the left of the values, you can select whether you want the variable to be Relative or World (I did not know that):

Before it was all 0, it now has a value:

Taking the minus sign, I was able to figure out the opposite position:

New position:

It happens that at the time of changing the angulation from relative to absolute, a conversion is not made:

I can not get absolute value equivalent to relative. What happens is that the value 0, 0, 0 is also defined for the absolute rotation. In the image below the camera was exactly in the same position as the VR camera:

I discovered by trial and error the equivalent angulation between relative and absolute:

BLUEPRINT:

The code works correctly, but I feel that again I did not get exactly the position and opposite angles.

Here are some screenshots of the game:

Local X with NORMAL CAMERA:

Local X with OPPOSITE CAMERA:

Local Y with NORMAL CAMERA:

Local Y with OPPOSITE CAMERA:

Note that in the opposite camera you can see the end of the world (sky) from wherever you are, which is not the case with the normal camera. I noticed this, and so, I think once again I did something wrong.

I’ve had the pleasure of playing with the 4K Argus 4 Pro color night vision camera for a few weeks at this point and it is hands down the best night vision I have ever seen, but besides that it’s everything I’ve wanted in a solar/battery camera for years.

Traditionally Wi-Fi/battery cameras I’ve so far tried, you’re tied into either a cloud service or local recording only. The Argus 4 Pro lets you use a NAS, SD card, FTP, and an Reolink Home Hub. I’ve currently got mine recording to SD and an FTP.

The unit connects via Wi-Fi 6 and can be powered by a solar panel and the battery or via USB-C power. I was using the solar panel until last week and it had no issues keeping the unit at 100% ever time I checked.

It’s got 180 degree video from two cameras stitched together extremely well (until your face is right on the camera and then you’ll see in video 3) and it just seems to work.

I should probably preface the videos below with there is no spotlight. That’s over light saturated front and center tree, two areas of light on the ground from other sources, but it’s dark when viewed.

I am re-mounting the camera in the front of my house as soon as I can figure out where to place the solar panel to try and catch some of the neighborhood weirdness, and I am taking requests for challenges against this camera which I will post here.

My Argus 4 Pro survived two rather major storms / getting blown off the shelter where I had placed it (without using mounting hardware) and a bird deciding it was a fine couch.

I’m not sure if the distance relays from the videos very well, but the house on the right in the middle of it is where my Wi-Fi is located and the Reolink Argus 4 Pro never seemed to have any issues being near the back of the yard.

Night coloring of faces is not perfect, but it’s so much better than any IR camera I’ve seen. And the ability to see people and things in other people’s yards without a spotlight being turned on is insane (also a reason I don’t have a lot of video to share, I need to point it elsewhere.)

There’s a launch day special going on at the moment where the camera and setup I received is $179 USD, which appears $20 off. My email says the base price is $239 so not entirely sure what’s going on there but it’s worth it at either price. The price is going to be whatever the link says.

You can grab the Reolink Argus 4 Pro at Reolink, Amazon, and wherever fine solar/battery color 4K night vision cameras are sold.

I didn’t catch anything interesting on video during testing, wish I could have caught a deer, burglar, or some such. I will be doing more testing with this as the camera is getting put into permanent rotation if it can handle the rigors of constantly being triggered out front.

Cut and paste Reolink 4 Pro press release follows

Reolink Announces Argus 4 Pro 

World’s 1st Day & Night Color Vision Home Security Camera

Reolink Argus 4 Pro sets a new standard in the industry with 180-degree blindspot-free images and all-day color vision in 4K UHD resolution.

Wilmington, Del., June 10th, 2024 –  Reolink, a renowned home security solution provider, is proud to unveil its newest addition to the Argus camera lineup: Argus 4 Pro. Engineered with proprietary cutting-edge technology and user-centric features, the Argus 4 Pro redefines home and business surveillance with its unmatched combination of 4K UHD 180° blindspot-free view and all-day color vision. The new Argus 4 Pro gives users extra peace of mind with a single wide panoramic view in vivid color that they can access remotely to keep an eye on their properties anytime, anywhere. 

The Argus 4 Pro sets a new standard with its dual 4mm lenses, achieving an expansive 180° ultra-wide-angle view in 4K UHD resolution. This Reolink innovation surpasses the industry norm by concentrating pixels more densely, ensuring the finest image clarity. Argus 4 Pro seamlessly integrates dual lenses to not only deliver a blindspot-free view but also to enhance detailed image capture, overcoming significant image distortion challenges associated with Dual-Image Stitching Technology. The advanced algorithms developed for the Argus 4 Pro minimize distortion and cover every possible unseen area, ensuring a seamless and clear panoramic view.

Reolink’s industry-leading ColorX technology ensures the camera catches the light as much as possible. In low light conditions, the Argus 4 Pro can shoot full-color images with no need for infrared lights or spotlights, delivering nighttime images bright and vivid as the daytime ones. The Argus 4 Pro transcends the limitations of traditional IR night cameras and results in saving 2W/h power consumption when the camera is in night vision mode. The embedded Reolink ColorX technology contributes to a 30% more battery life comparing with other IR 4K UHD resolution cameras at a night condition*. 

The Argus 4 Pro sets the pace with its incorporation of Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 technology, marking it as the first-ever battery-powered home security camera with the most smooth 4K streaming experience. This innovation leaps forward in wireless connection, ensuring that even amidst numerous devices, the camera data transfers with lightning speed, enabling real-time previews and swift recording downloads that are both smooth and highly detailed.

Privacy is paramount at Reolink, with robust security measures in place to safeguard users’ personal data. Reolink’s commitment to privacy means providing end-to-end encryption, customizable privacy settings, and diverse data storage options—all without any subscription fees. 

Key Features:

• 4K UHD 180° blindspot-free View
• All-day Color Vision
• 30% More Battery Life
• Wi-Fi 6 Ready, Smooth 4K Streaming
• Easy Installation Everywhere
• Enhanced Smart Detection with Accurate Alerts
• Diverse Local Storage (with support of 128GB SD card and Reolink Home Hub)
• Remote Access Anytime Anywhere
•  24-Hour Battery in Just 10 Mins of Charge

“The Argus 4 Pro represents the next evolution in smart home security,” said  Fabrice Klohoun, Marketing Manager at Reolink. “With its advanced features and robust privacy protections, it offers unmatched surveillance experience and peace of mind to our customers.”

It is now available for purchase on Reolink.com and Amazon. To learn more about the Reolink Argus 4 Pro and Reolink’s full range of smart home security solutions and services, visit Reolink.com.

 *Testing in specific lab conditions.

About Reolink

Reolink offers smart security solutions for homes and businesses, aiming for a seamless security experience with its wide range of products. Serving millions globally, it provides video surveillance and protection, standing out for its commitment to security technology innovation. Learn more about Reolink’s offerings at Reolink.com.

The Argus 4 Pro color night vision camera is here and it’s just great by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

💾

in dota 2 and warcraft 3 u can even place the camera horizontally on the ground and the movement still accurately knows where u clicked, how is this possible?

my understanding is the normalized screen coords go from [-1,1] in both x and y directions and usually there's a perspective matrix which is to make things appear like they have depth by making vanishing points and a view matrix to move the camera and/or rotate it.

So I'm trying to create a zoom function for my 2D camera.

The best result I've got so far is:

But something still feels off, and I just can't seem to pinpoint it.

My code currently, which simply takes the substraction between before and after zoom:

void Zoom(float value, float mx, float my, float w, float h) {
    float bmwx = (w - (w - mx)) * this->zoom, bmwy = (h - (h - my)) * this->zoom; // before
    if (value < 0.0f) this->zoom *= 0.9f;
    if (value > 0.0f) this->zoom *= 1.1f;
    float amwx = (w - (w - mx)) * this->zoom, amwy = (h - (h - my)) * this->zoom; // after
    
    this->center.x += amwx - bmwx;
    this->center.y += amwy - bmwy;
}

My other function, for matrix construction:

void Update(float mx, float my, float w, float h) {
    float hw = w * 0.5f, hh = h * 0.5f;
    float left = -hw + this->center.x;
    float right = hw + this->center.x;
    float top = -hh + this->center.y;
    float bottom = hh + this->center.y;

    this->ortho.InitOrthographic(drx::gfx::ogl::n, drx::gfx::ogl::f, left, right, top, bottom);
    this->mZoom.LoadIdentity();
    this->mZoom.Scale(this->zoom, this->zoom, this->zoom);
    this->matrix = this->ortho * this->mZoom;
}

Update, to current code (Update: which also fails if I move the central point):

void Zoom(float value, float mx, float my, float w, float h) {
    this->os.x += mx * this->zoom;
    this->os.y += my * this->zoom;
    if (value < 0.0f) this->zoom *= 0.75f;
    if (value > 0.0f) this->zoom *= 1.25f;
    this->os.x -= mx * this->zoom;
    this->os.y -= my * this->zoom;

}

void Update(float mx, float my, float w, float h) {
    float hw = w * 0.5f, hh = h * 0.5f;
    float left = -hw + this->center.x;
    float right = hw + this->center.x;
    float top = -hh + this->center.y;
    float bottom = hh + this->center.y;

    this->ortho.InitOrthographic(drx::gfx::ogl::n, drx::gfx::ogl::f, left, right, top, bottom);
    this->mZoom.LoadIdentity();
    this->mZoom.Scale(this->zoom, this->zoom, this->zoom);
    this->mZoom.Translate(this->os.x, this->os.y, 0.0f);
    this->matrix = this->ortho * this->mZoom;
}

libGDX using Stage and Actor produces different camera angles on desktop and Android Phone.

Here are pictures demonstrating the problem: http://brandonyuh.minus.com/mFpdTSgN17VUq

On the desktop version, the image takes up most all the screen. On the Android phone it only takes up a bit of the screen.

Here's the code (not my actual project but I isolated the problem):

package com.me.mygdxgame2;
import com.badlogic.gdx.*;
import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.*;
import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.Texture.TextureFilter;
import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.g2d.*;
import com.badlogic.gdx.scenes.scene2d.*;
public class MyGdxGame2 implements ApplicationListener {
    private Stage stage;
    public void create() {
        stage = new Stage();
        stage.addActor(new ActorHi());
    }
    public void render() {
        Gdx.gl.glClearColor(0, 1, 0, 1);
        Gdx.gl.glClear(GL10.GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
        stage.draw();
    }
    public void dispose() {}
    public void resize(int width, int height) {}
    public void pause() {}
    public void resume() {}
    public class ActorHi extends Actor {
        private Sprite sprite;
        public ActorHi() {
            Texture texture = new Texture(Gdx.files.internal("data/hi.png"));
            texture.setFilter(TextureFilter.Linear, TextureFilter.Linear);
            sprite = new Sprite(new TextureRegion(texture, 0, 0, 128, 128));
            sprite.setBounds(0, 0, 300.0f, 300.0f);
        }
        public void draw(SpriteBatch batch, float parentAlpha) {
            sprite.draw(batch);
        }
    }
}

Why does this happen?

If you're shopping for a new home security camera, you won't be stressed by a lack of options. Actually, there would be a surplus of products to choose from that gives you a headache, and just when you think you've done the necessary buying, monthly subscriptions, smart bases, and battery packs peek sheepishly around the corner.

I’ve had the pleasure of playing with the 4K Argus 4 Pro color night vision camera for a few weeks at this point and it is hands down the best night vision I have ever seen, but besides that it’s everything I’ve wanted in a solar/battery camera for years.

Traditionally Wi-Fi/battery cameras I’ve so far tried, you’re tied into either a cloud service or local recording only. The Argus 4 Pro lets you use a NAS, SD card, FTP, and an Reolink Home Hub. I’ve currently got mine recording to SD and an FTP.

The unit connects via Wi-Fi 6 and can be powered by a solar panel and the battery or via USB-C power. I was using the solar panel until last week and it had no issues keeping the unit at 100% ever time I checked.

It’s got 180 degree video from two cameras stitched together extremely well (until your face is right on the camera and then you’ll see in video 3) and it just seems to work.

I should probably preface the videos below with there is no spotlight. That’s over light saturated front and center tree, two areas of light on the ground from other sources, but it’s dark when viewed.

I am re-mounting the camera in the front of my house as soon as I can figure out where to place the solar panel to try and catch some of the neighborhood weirdness, and I am taking requests for challenges against this camera which I will post here.

My Argus 4 Pro survived two rather major storms / getting blown off the shelter where I had placed it (without using mounting hardware) and a bird deciding it was a fine couch.

I’m not sure if the distance relays from the videos very well, but the house on the right in the middle of it is where my Wi-Fi is located and the Reolink Argus 4 Pro never seemed to have any issues being near the back of the yard.

Night coloring of faces is not perfect, but it’s so much better than any IR camera I’ve seen. And the ability to see people and things in other people’s yards without a spotlight being turned on is insane (also a reason I don’t have a lot of video to share, I need to point it elsewhere.)

There’s a launch day special going on at the moment where the camera and setup I received is $179 USD, which appears $20 off. My email says the base price is $239 so not entirely sure what’s going on there but it’s worth it at either price. The price is going to be whatever the link says.

You can grab the Reolink Argus 4 Pro at Reolink, Amazon, and wherever fine solar/battery color 4K night vision cameras are sold.

I didn’t catch anything interesting on video during testing, wish I could have caught a deer, burglar, or some such. I will be doing more testing with this as the camera is getting put into permanent rotation if it can handle the rigors of constantly being triggered out front.

Cut and paste Reolink 4 Pro press release follows

Reolink Announces Argus 4 Pro 

World’s 1st Day & Night Color Vision Home Security Camera

Reolink Argus 4 Pro sets a new standard in the industry with 180-degree blindspot-free images and all-day color vision in 4K UHD resolution.

Wilmington, Del., June 10th, 2024 –  Reolink, a renowned home security solution provider, is proud to unveil its newest addition to the Argus camera lineup: Argus 4 Pro. Engineered with proprietary cutting-edge technology and user-centric features, the Argus 4 Pro redefines home and business surveillance with its unmatched combination of 4K UHD 180° blindspot-free view and all-day color vision. The new Argus 4 Pro gives users extra peace of mind with a single wide panoramic view in vivid color that they can access remotely to keep an eye on their properties anytime, anywhere. 

The Argus 4 Pro sets a new standard with its dual 4mm lenses, achieving an expansive 180° ultra-wide-angle view in 4K UHD resolution. This Reolink innovation surpasses the industry norm by concentrating pixels more densely, ensuring the finest image clarity. Argus 4 Pro seamlessly integrates dual lenses to not only deliver a blindspot-free view but also to enhance detailed image capture, overcoming significant image distortion challenges associated with Dual-Image Stitching Technology. The advanced algorithms developed for the Argus 4 Pro minimize distortion and cover every possible unseen area, ensuring a seamless and clear panoramic view.

Reolink’s industry-leading ColorX technology ensures the camera catches the light as much as possible. In low light conditions, the Argus 4 Pro can shoot full-color images with no need for infrared lights or spotlights, delivering nighttime images bright and vivid as the daytime ones. The Argus 4 Pro transcends the limitations of traditional IR night cameras and results in saving 2W/h power consumption when the camera is in night vision mode. The embedded Reolink ColorX technology contributes to a 30% more battery life comparing with other IR 4K UHD resolution cameras at a night condition*. 

The Argus 4 Pro sets the pace with its incorporation of Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 technology, marking it as the first-ever battery-powered home security camera with the most smooth 4K streaming experience. This innovation leaps forward in wireless connection, ensuring that even amidst numerous devices, the camera data transfers with lightning speed, enabling real-time previews and swift recording downloads that are both smooth and highly detailed.

Privacy is paramount at Reolink, with robust security measures in place to safeguard users’ personal data. Reolink’s commitment to privacy means providing end-to-end encryption, customizable privacy settings, and diverse data storage options—all without any subscription fees. 

Key Features:

• 4K UHD 180° blindspot-free View
• All-day Color Vision
• 30% More Battery Life
• Wi-Fi 6 Ready, Smooth 4K Streaming
• Easy Installation Everywhere
• Enhanced Smart Detection with Accurate Alerts
• Diverse Local Storage (with support of 128GB SD card and Reolink Home Hub)
• Remote Access Anytime Anywhere
•  24-Hour Battery in Just 10 Mins of Charge

“The Argus 4 Pro represents the next evolution in smart home security,” said  Fabrice Klohoun, Marketing Manager at Reolink. “With its advanced features and robust privacy protections, it offers unmatched surveillance experience and peace of mind to our customers.”

It is now available for purchase on Reolink.com and Amazon. To learn more about the Reolink Argus 4 Pro and Reolink’s full range of smart home security solutions and services, visit Reolink.com.

 *Testing in specific lab conditions.

About Reolink

Reolink offers smart security solutions for homes and businesses, aiming for a seamless security experience with its wide range of products. Serving millions globally, it provides video surveillance and protection, standing out for its commitment to security technology innovation. Learn more about Reolink’s offerings at Reolink.com.

The Argus 4 Pro color night vision camera is here and it’s just great by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

💾

So I have an empty object called player with the PlayerMovement script and a rigidbody. I have the main camera and player visual as childs of it. The movement works fine as long as I freeze the rigidbody's x and z rotation, but why is that? Here is my player code (minus a couple of things that would just make it harder for you to help me):

using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;

public class PlayerMovement : MonoBehaviour
    {
    [SerializeField] private float speed = 5f;
 

    private float xLook;
    private float yLook;

    [SerializeField] private float _mouseSensitivity;
    [SerializeField] private float _upAndDownMax;

    [SerializeField] private Rigidbody rb;
    private Camera _camera;

    private Vector3 movement;

    void Start()
    {
        rb = GetComponent<Rigidbody>();
        _camera = Camera.main;
    }

    void Update()
    {
        HandleMoveInput();
        HandleLookInput();
    }
     private void HandleMoveInput()
     {
        float hor = Input.GetAxisRaw("Horizontal");
        float ver = Input.GetAxisRaw("Vertical");

        Vector3 moveInput = new Vector3(hor, 0, ver);
        moveInput = transform.forward * moveInput.z + transform.right * moveInput.x;
        moveInput.Normalize();
        movement = moveInput * speed;
     }
    private void HandleLookInput()
    {
        xLook += Input.GetAxis("Mouse X") * _mouseSensitivity * Time.deltaTime;
        //  transform.rotation = Quaternion.Euler(0, xLook, 0);
        rb.MoveRotation(Quaternion.Euler(0, xLook, 0));

        yLook -= Input.GetAxis("Mouse Y") * _mouseSensitivity * Time.deltaTime;
        yLook = Mathf.Clamp(yLook, -_upAndDownMax, _upAndDownMax);
        _camera.transform.localRotation = Quaternion.Euler(yLook, 0, 0);
    }

    void FixedUpdate()
    {
        MovePlayer();
       // LookPlayer();
    }
    private void MovePlayer()
    {
        Vector3 currentVelocity = rb.velocity;
        Vector3 targetVelocity = new Vector3(movement.x, currentVelocity.y, movement.z);

        Vector3 force = targetVelocity - currentVelocity;
        force.y = 0; 

        rb.AddForce(force, ForceMode.VelocityChange);
    }
}

So I am guessing the problem is inside HandleMoveInput but I am not sure. I am just wondering why I have to freeze the rotation of z and x to make it work.

The second problem is that the camera sometimes start to stutter when colliding with things. I tested and I believe its because of the freeze problem and that its a child of the player. Because it does not happen when its not a child. Is it a bad idea to make the camera I child of the player?

If it's of any help:

It looks like Doogee finally made something really close to the phone SemiAccurate always wanted.
Read more ▶

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The post Doogee (Almost) makes the phone we always wanted appeared first on SemiAccurate.

I'm trying to make a camera like scooby-doo game.

Example: https://youtu.be/mkxm7-uw_uc?si=VpywD2wHJGAChw9N&t=238

It seems to be a 3rd person camera but its not always attached to the player. Its avoiding obstacles and sometimes it stays in same place.

It seems to be a tracked dolly cam but sometimes move forward and backward like a 3rd person cam.

I'm confused on how to make a camera like this. Tried 3rd person and Tracked Dolly but no success.

Is there any other kind of camera? Is it a mix of multiple cameras?

It looks like Doogee finally made something really close to the phone SemiAccurate always wanted.
Read more ▶

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The post Doogee (Almost) makes the phone we always wanted appeared first on SemiAccurate.

If you're looking to secure your home or office, chances are, you've seen how expensive it can be to set up a security surveillance system. That's because there are generally a lot of moving parts, and getting everything to communicate with each other can be a real headache if you're trying to piece it all together yourself. That's where systems like Blink come into play, offering excellent hardware and software, making it easy to set up your own surveillance system.

This is the Insta360 X4, an impressive action camera that stands out in the market. The latest action camera in the brand’s X series has seen some exciting upgrades since the X3, the most significant being its ability to shoot up to 8K. However, there’s much more to this action camera than just this feature.

As the name implies, the Insta360 X4 is a pocket-sized camera capable of capturing 360-degree video in virtually any situation. One of the best ways to utilize the Insta360 is with a selfie stick, available in the Get Set bundle. A unique feature of this camera is that the stick disappears during video playback, thanks to the camera’s ability to detect and digitally remove the selfie stick from the 360-degree video. Check the video at the top of this review to see it in action!

Despite its small size, the Insta360 X4 boasts impressive specifications. It’s waterproof up to 33 feet (about 10 meters), offers 58% faster Wi-Fi transmission speeds than its predecessor and features an upgraded USB 3.0 port. The camera also comes with a 2290mAh removable battery, which can be charged via USB-C. On a full charge, the camera can last up to 135 minutes when filming at 5.7k.

The Insta360 X4 is a pocket-sized camera capable of capturing 360-degree video in virtually any situation.

The camera offers several recording modes, including the classic 360 video that now supports up to 8K resolution, allowing for zooming in without losing quality. The camera’s app allows you to change the perspective of the video, offering unique angles and impressive first-person footage. The app also features a tracking function that focuses on what’s in front of you, simplifying the editing process.

The Insta360 X4 can also create 11k time lapses and record in 4K at 60 frames per second with a single lens option. One of the standout features is its loop recording, which allows you to set a duration for the footage to record over itself, ensuring that the memory card never fills up. This feature is particularly useful for dash cam use.

Another popular mode is “bullet time,” which centers the video around you using the selfie stick. In this mode, the camera can record up to 4K at 30fps, and the selfie stick is digitally removed during playback. All editing for this mode is done within the Insta360 app.

The Insta360 X4 also has AI gestures for easy use, especially when using the selfie stick. For instance, you can start recording by raising your hand or taking a picture by making a peace sign. Voice commands are also available for taking photos and starting or stopping recordings, making it highly user-friendly.

The Insta360 app is an integral part of using the Insta360 X4, as it offers a plethora of features. It can be used as a viewfinder, to switch modes, and to start and stop your recording. This is particularly useful when using an extended selfie stick. The app allows you to get creative with your videos. It may take some time to get used to, but once you do, you can select any angle that your Insta360 has recorded. It offers a pro mode for adding music and using a multi-viewer for more than one angle. It also includes face filters, video filters, and much more.

The app also features a quick mode for creating different clips using 360-degree video. You can manually move the video or move your phone around to view the entire 360 sphere of video. The app also offers an AI mode that automatically creates short videos from your longer clips, selecting angles and adding music.

All told, the Insta360 X4 is an incredibly versatile camera that can be used in countless ways in your video workflow. It’s a worthy addition to any vlogger’s setup, especially travel vloggers, as it can significantly enhance the quality of your videos.

Amazon’s latest addition to the smart home market, the Blink Mini 2, was launched last month at an already affordable price of $39.99. You might think that was already good value, given the features that we’ll outline. But it’s now also got its first price drop with a 25% discount reducing it to just $29.99.

Blink Mini 2 for $29.99 ($10 off)

It looks like Doogee finally made something really close to the phone SemiAccurate always wanted.
Read more ▶

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The post Doogee (Almost) makes the phone we always wanted appeared first on SemiAccurate.

Google Pixel devices are best known for their camera capabilities. Take a look at DxOMark’s smartphone camera rankings. You will notice that the latest device ...

The post Inside Google’s Secret Lab: How Google Pixel Phone Cameras Are Tested appeared first on Gizchina.com.

Amazon’s latest addition to the smart home market, the Blink Mini 2, was launched last month at an already affordable price of $39.99. You might think that was already good value, given the features that we’ll outline. But it’s now also got its first price drop with a 25% discount reducing it to just $29.99.

Blink Mini 2 for $29.99 ($10 off)

It looks like Doogee finally made something really close to the phone SemiAccurate always wanted.
Read more ▶

---

The post Doogee (Almost) makes the phone we always wanted appeared first on SemiAccurate.

Společnost HyperX neustále rozšiřuje své portfolio produktů zaměřující se na hráče a streamery. Jak jistě víte, tak společnost má ve své nabídce řadu kvalitních mikrofonů a sluchátek, které právě streameři a špičkový hráči používají. Nyní však přišla na trh také s první webkamerou s označením Vision S. A právě teď se ji podíváme na čočku.

V říjnu loňského roku HyperX vstoupil do oblasti tvorby obsahu a představil webovou kameru Vision S jako řešení pro jednotlivce, kteří hledají vynikající kvalitu kamery bez výdajů spojených s předraženými fotoaparáty a jejich nezbytným příslušenstvím. Díky fúzy HyperX s HP a některým zákulisním měnám se k nám kamera na test dostala až s lehkým časovým odstupem, ale to až tak nevadí.

Papírově se webová kamera HyperX Vision S může pochlubit schopností snímat v rozlišení 4K při snímkové frekvenci 30 snímků za sekundu. Zásadní otázkou zůstává: Dokáže si svou kvalitou ospravedlnit poněkud vyšší pořizovací cenu, která se aktuálně pohybuje okolo 5.500 – 6.000 korun?

Základní specifikace:

• Rozlišení záznamu: 4K@30, 1080p@60
• Zorné pole: 90 stupňů
• Rozlišení: 8MP

Design

Kamera HyperX Vision S vyniká svým charakteristickým hranatým tvarem, který ji odlišuje od ostatních web kamer na trhu.

Web kamera je umístěna na robustním držáku se třemi otočnými body a nabízí všestranné umístění prakticky na jakýkoli monitor bez větších komplikací. Pokud je horní rámeček vašeho monitoru menší než okraj kamery Vision S, je na spodní straně držáku otvor pro závit na šroub stativu.

Hmotnost webové kamery a držáku je přibližně 259 g, takže je poměrně lehká. Její rozměry jsou 61,92 × 93,3 × 45 mm. Z důvodu ochrany soukromí společnost HyperX zabudovala magnetický kryt, který lze pohodlně odložit na zadní stranu webové kamery, aby nedošlo k jeho ztrátě – velmi nápadité.

Vnitřní část webové kamery je vybavena 8megapixelovým snímačem Sony Starvis IMX415, který umožňuje snímání videa v rozlišení až 4K při 30 snímcích za sekundu. Pro přístup k možnostem 4K je však nutné přímé připojení k portu USB 3.0. Je pozoruhodné, že HyperX se rozhodl do Vision S nezahrnout mikrofon, což je rozhodnutí odpovídající cílové skupině tvůrců a streamerů. Já osobně toto rozhodnutí velmi vítám, protože vám to následně velmi usnadňuje nastavení streamu, Discordu atd.

Z estetického hlediska je Vision S atraktivní kus hardwaru, který pravděpodobně vydrží po dlouhá léta.

Funkce

Jako všechny produkty HyperX, tak i tento kus hardware doprovází software NGENUITY, který jako obvykle vyniká množstvím možností.

Prostřednictvím tohoto softwaru mohou uživatelé provést nesčetné úpravy Vision S a zajistit, aby ze sebe vypadal maximum za různých světelných podmínek.

Software NGENUITY nabízí přepínače pro automatické ostření, expozici a vyvážení bílé barvy a také možnost ručního doladění jednotlivých aspektů pomocí speciálních posuvníků. Aplikace poskytuje uživatelům možnost zvolit si preferované orámování.

Kromě toho software obsahuje zaškrtávací políčka pro kompenzaci protisvětla a slabého osvětlení, HDR a další přizpůsobení. Stojí za zmínku, že software HyperX může při změně rozlišení nebo rámování občas vykazovat chyby a tu a tam se dokonce zaseknout, ale rychlý restart aplikace problém bez problémů vyřeší.

HyperX integroval podporu funkce Windows Hello, která uživatelům umožňuje odemykat počítač pomocí rozpoznávání obličeje. Tato funkce funguje bez problémů.

Kvalita obrazu

Hned po vybalení jsem si všiml podstatného zlepšení při porovnání s mou dosavadní kamerou Logitech C920.

Kamera Vision S, která je primárně určena tvůrcům obsahu a streamerům, tedy skupině, která v posledních letech stále častěji používá kompaktní fotoaparáty místo web kamer, aby zvýšila kvalitu streamů, sice postrádá některé univerzální funkce standardní kamery, zejména možnost odpojení pro tvorbu obsahu venku, ale díky snímači Sony poskytuje srovnatelnou kvalitu.

Webová kamera vyniká při slabém osvětlení a přesně reprodukuje barvy, které se věrně podobají reálným odstínům. Efektivně zachycuje jemné detaily v rozlišení 1080p i 4K a zachovává konzistentní kvalitu i při využití softwaru třetích stran, jako je OBS.

Závěr

HyperX Vision S je solidně vyrobená web kamera s nádechem prémiového designu. Primárně je určena pro streamery hlavně díky své působivé kvalitě obrazu a software, který poskytuje možnosti přizpůsobení, ačkoli může být občas trochu svéhlavý. Cena odpovídá ostatním 4K webkamerám, ale na trhu jsou i levnější alternativy, ovšem troufám si tvrdit, že ne s tak kvalitním záznamem obrazu. Celkově chválím HyperX za jejich první webovou kameru, která rozhodně splňuje očekávání a najde si místo u mnoha tvůrců obsahu.

Článek RECENZE: HyperX Vision S – Skvělá kamera nejen pro streamery se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.

Camera phone photography is incredible these days, but it can’t match the real thing. If you’re serious about your photos and looking to get a professional-standard camera, this new Amazon offer might interest you. The Panasonic LUMIX S5 Mirrorless Camera and LUMIX S 24-105mm F4 Lens bundle is down from over $3,000 to $1,697.99 in a limited-time deal.

Panasonic LUMIX S5 Mirrorless Camera and LUMIX S 24-105mm F4 Lens for $1,697.99 ($1,402 off)

To put that in context, the total bundle is currently less than you’d pay for the camera alone at retail price. It’s as if you’re getting the stunning lens, which is worth well over $1,000, for free. The bundle was at full price a few days ago, and we’ve never tracked it as affordable as it is today.

The Panasonic LUMIX S5 takes both photography and cinematic video creation to the next level. It boasts a lightweight design without compromising on power, featuring 4K 60p, 10-bit video capabilities, and FHD 180fps for slow-motion effects, alongside 4:3 Anamorphic support. For photographers aiming for the highest quality, its 96MP High Resolution mode, Dual Native ISO for reduced noise, and V-Log/V-Gamut with a dynamic range exceeding 14 stops are handy additions. Its autofocus system has been enhanced for precision in capturing subjects by recognizing heads, eyes, faces, and bodies.

The accompanying LUMIX S 24-105mm F4 Lens features OIS stabilization, compatible with the camera body’s IS for up to six stops of slower shutter speed, ensuring sharp images under various conditions. The lens construction includes 16 elements in 13 groups, with two aspherical and two ED lenses to minimize chromatic aberration and deliver high-resolution outcomes. Its macro capability allows for 0.5x magnification, with a minimum focusing distance of 0.3m, ideal for close-up photography. Its rugged design is dust, splash, and freeze-resistant, ensuring reliability and high mobility for photographers in any environment.

The deal is limited by both time and stock. Amazon rarely discloses a time limit, but there were only a handful of models in stock at the time of writing. Hit the widget above to check out the deal for yourself.

With summer on the way and adventures to be had, an action camera can be the ideal way to capture your best moments. That doesn’t mean spending $400 on a GoPro when the Brave 7 4K Action Camera is more than capable. It’s also more than affordable right now, with an Amazon Lightning Deal dragging it to an all-time low price of just $129.99.

AKASO Brave 7 4K30FPS 20MP Wi-Fi Action Camera for $129.99 ($50 off)

The Galaxy S24 series is chock-full of Galaxy AI features, some of which have not even been advertised. Nevertheless, these clever Advanced Intelligence technologies from Samsung exist and can open up new and interesting possibilities if you know where to find them.

Here's one you might not be aware of. Samsung added a new AI-powered Gallery feature that can turn any Motion Photos captured with the Galaxy S24 into long-exposure photos. Here's all you need to know.

Motion Photos can now be long-exposure photos

When the Motion Photo option is turned on in the Camera viewfinder, your Galaxy S24 captures a short video alongside your photo. And now, with the power of AI, these short videos, a.k.a. Motion Photos, can be turned into long-exposure photos via the Gallery app.

Below is our short TikTok video demonstrating how you can take advantage of this AI tool on your Galaxy S24. Make sure you check it out and stay tuned for more tips and tricks.

@sammobileofficial

Galaxy S24 Long Exposure HACK! #galaxys24 #samsungtips #samsungmobile #samsunggalaxy #galaxyai #fyp #foryoupage

♬ original sound – SamMobile Official

The post Turn Galaxy S24 Motion Photos into long-exposure photos appeared first on SamMobile.

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Last year, Wyze got in some hot water after smart home owners reported they were briefly able to see video feeds from cameras they didn’t own. A week ago, the issue popped up again with co-founder David Crosby stating that at least dozens were affected. We’re now finding out that the number of people affected is far greater than what was initially reported.

Wyze customers were sent an email to explain a recent outage and a subsequent security issue. In the email, the company blames its web hosting provider — AWS — for the outage that prevented users from accessing live cameras or Events. It appears the security issue occurred as Wyze attempted to bring its services back online.

Wyze claims a “third-party caching client library” was the cause of the breach:

The incident was caused by a third-party caching client library that was recently integrated into our system. This client library received unprecedented load conditions caused by devices coming back online all at once. As a result of increased demand, it mixed up device ID and user ID mapping and connected some data to incorrect accounts.

The security issue in question allowed some users to see into the homes of other people. Reportedly, an estimated 13,000 users were allowed to see thumbnails of other homes. On top of that, Wyze says 1,504 people who tapped on those thumbnails were able to view video taken from those homes.

On it’s part, Wyze says it “immediately removed access to the Events tab and started an investigation.” The company adds that to prevent the problem from happening again, it has tacked on “a new layer of verification” for Event Videos. In addition, Wyze says it has “modified our system to bypass caching for checks on user-device relationships until we identify new client libraries that are thoroughly stress tested for extreme events like we experienced on Friday.”

Although the company has owned up to the mistake, that hasn’t stopped users from flocking to Reddit to voice their frustrations.

Realme has recently launched the 12 Pro and 12 Pro+ smartphones, both of which are upper mid-range phones. Now, the company is expanding the lineup ...

The post Realme 12+ 5G With Sony LYT600 Camera Lands in India On March 6 and in Malaysia On February 29 appeared first on Gizchina.com.

---

Last year, Wyze got in some hot water after smart home owners reported they were briefly able to see video feeds from cameras they didn’t own. A week ago, the issue popped up again with co-founder David Crosby stating that at least dozens were affected. We’re now finding out that the number of people affected is far greater than what was initially reported.

Wyze customers were sent an email to explain a recent outage and a subsequent security issue. In the email, the company blames its web hosting provider — AWS — for the outage that prevented users from accessing live cameras or Events. It appears the security issue occurred as Wyze attempted to bring its services back online.

Wyze claims a “third-party caching client library” was the cause of the breach:

The incident was caused by a third-party caching client library that was recently integrated into our system. This client library received unprecedented load conditions caused by devices coming back online all at once. As a result of increased demand, it mixed up device ID and user ID mapping and connected some data to incorrect accounts.

The security issue in question allowed some users to see into the homes of other people. Reportedly, an estimated 13,000 users were allowed to see thumbnails of other homes. On top of that, Wyze says 1,504 people who tapped on those thumbnails were able to view video taken from those homes.

On it’s part, Wyze says it “immediately removed access to the Events tab and started an investigation.” The company adds that to prevent the problem from happening again, it has tacked on “a new layer of verification” for Event Videos. In addition, Wyze says it has “modified our system to bypass caching for checks on user-device relationships until we identify new client libraries that are thoroughly stress tested for extreme events like we experienced on Friday.”

Although the company has owned up to the mistake, that hasn’t stopped users from flocking to Reddit to voice their frustrations.

Google and Samsung competing for the title of best Android camera phone is a tale as old as time. On one side, we have the Pixel 8 Pro with its trio of cameras and Tensor G3-powered processing. On the other, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra counts on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and a mountain of megapixels to help it keep pace. Both setups are capable of impressive results in good lighting, but what happens when the lighting isn’t so good? Let’s look at the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro in a night mode showdown to find out.

How does night mode work again?

At this point, you probably have at least a passing familiarity with night photography, or Nightography, as Samsung calls it. If not, let’s run through a quick refresher.

With a dedicated camera like a DSLR or a mirrorless setup, low-light photography relies on a careful balance of ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. To get a properly exposed shot, you either have to keep your shutter open longer, raise the ISO limit or grain within your photo, or open your lens wider to let in more light. Over time, photographers learn how to carefully balance all three of these elements while setting up a shot, knowing that any miscalculation can result in an underexposed photo, an overexposed photo, or just too much grain that you can’t make out your subject.

Night photography essentially takes a bunch of short exposures and combines them into one final image.

On a smartphone, however, much of that control is taken out of your hands. Low light photography on the Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S24 Ultra uses a series of varied exposures and post-processing algorithms to achieve the same balanced exposure as photographers do by hand. Night Sight has been around since Google introduced it on the single-lens Pixel 3, but it’s come a long way as mobile processors have become more powerful and smartphones have picked up additional sensors to work with.

What night mode looks like in practice is a short one- to three-second timer in your camera app. Once you press the shutter button, the countdown initiates, during which time you have to keep your phone as still as possible. Your phone then captures a series of exposures — some darker but sharper and others brighter but fuzzier — which it then merges in a process called bracketing. Those initial shots aren’t saved to your phone. Instead, they’re erased once the post-processing has run its course and your final image is added to your camera roll.

With that little Spark Notes refresher out of the way, let’s get to some samples. You can see the full-resolution and a few extra samples in this Google Drive folder.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro Night Mode Shootout

Ultrawide

First, we have a set of ultrawide images facing Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Although both capture many of the same details and offer similar fields of view, the first difference you’ll probably notice is the vastly different color science. Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra, for example, pulls significantly more green coloring from the treated wood of the dock and the harbor water itself, while the Pixel 8 Pro leans toward a more natural shade of brown.

Google's upgraded 48MP ultrawide sensor helps it deliver a better photo.

The two photography flagships also differ in how they handle the lights that stretch across the harbor — both above and below the water. Samsung’s 12MP ultrawide sensor seems to pick up more detail above the waterline, especially to the left, where you see a bright red sign. It’s slightly closer to the words Rusty Scupper, which is the restaurant’s name, while the Pixel 8 Pro’s 48MP sensor reduces the same sign to a vague red rectangle. This probably comes from the Pixel 8 Pro binning its shots by default and trading brighter colors for sharper details.

The advantage flips, however, once you look below the waterline. Google’s Tensor G3 pulls much better details out of the blue reflection on the right side of the harbor where you can see the aquarium. It separates different blue shades from the waves below the neon signs, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s camera reduces them to a vague blue mass. Once again, this is probably a matter of resolution and post-processing, though I prefer the Pixel 8 Pro’s final result to the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s.

Telephoto

Our next pairing punches into 5x zoom, which happens to be the length of the optical telephoto sensors on the Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S24 Ultra — well, the second telephoto sensor on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. As such, we can test the lenses themselves rather than allow digital zoom to enter the discussion.

Anyway, the images show another Inner Harbor staple, lovingly called Mr. Trash Wheel, and they offer a better illustration of the detail that both phones can capture with a much closer subject. And, if I’m honest, this is one of the samples that surprised me most when testing both cameras. Put simply, the Galaxy S24 Ultra hands in a much better final result. It captured sharper details and much better colors, especially in the thin red strip of lights along the side of Mr. Trash Wheel and in the series of ropes that keep the barge in place.

Despite a similar 5x telephoto setup, the Galaxy S24 Ultra delivered a much better zoomed photo at night.

Google’s Pixel 8 Pro, on the other hand, processed a much fuzzier strip of lights and practically merged the ropes with the stone wall in the background. Unfortunately, Google’s Tensor G3 chipset had similar troubles with the grass and wood beams in the background, turning the former into a texture resembling digital camouflage.

I’d also like to point out how both smartphones handle the yellow strip of buoys that funnel trash toward the wheel itself. Samsung’s 50MP telephoto sensor accurately recreated the sharp edges and colors of each yellow buoy, while the Pixel 8 Pro’s 48MP telephoto sensor shifted closer to an orange hue in the final result.

In a surprising flip from the ultrawide test, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra easily delivers a better low-light telephoto image.

Selfie

Flipping the camera around, the Galaxy S24 Ultra once again delivers a better image. Though being brighter isn’t necessarily an immediate key to success, Samsung’s selfie camera finds a better balance between brightness and detail. You can pick out individual hairs in my beard and the line of stitches across the brim of my cap, yet the Pixel 8 Pro struggles to keep up. It reduces my beard to a brown mass — the right color but sorely lacks details.

The Pixel 8 Pro also smooths some of the shadows across my face, creating a more even color where one doesn’t really exist. Samsung’s shot, though brighter, manages to recreate the clear division where the soft shadow from the streetlight ends across the bridge of my nose. There’s not a major difference in resolution between the two selfie shooters — Google’s punch hole packs 10.5MP to the Galaxy’s 12MP — so many of these differences come down to post-processing.

Once again, the Galaxy S24 Ultra grabbed more detail in the selfie photo.

Despite all the schtick we’ve given Samsung for loving reds and greens in its color science in the last few years, it once again nails the colors in our pair of selfies. The Galaxy S24 Ultra pulled out a much better shade of slate blue in my jacket and the red fleece liner, while the Pixel 8 Pro’s final product is a bit greener in my jacket with a much darker fleece lining.

Primary camera

In the video version of this comparison (at the top of this post), we teased this pair of images as a game of Guess Who. We teased them up top before circling back to the details later on, but that doesn’t work in a written article. So, let’s just pick out a few details to bring this night mode shootout home.

Samsung’s love of the color green is the first dead giveaway that the left image came from the Galaxy S24 Ultra, with brighter shades in both the harbor water (again) and the boat itself. The Galaxy S24 Ultra also captured significantly better details in the dock’s planks, and the metal supports that run along the waterline, which closely follows what we saw in our telephoto comparison.

Samsung's love of the color green is a dead giveaway for its photo, even at night.

Google, on the other hand, missed out on several of those same details, either due to its processing algorithms or the lower-resolution primary sensor. However, the Pixel 8 Pro’s color science is closer to reality in this case, offering an image that doesn’t feel as artificially brightened and shows off a more realistic shade of green on the ship’s hull.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: Which camera is better in low light?

Before I get to a be-all, end-all winner between these two excellent Android phones (though you could probably guess which way I’m leaning), I noticed a few things while testing both cameras. The first is that Samsung’s night mode is lightning-fast, significantly quicker than Google’s. I took all of the photos at the same time in the same lighting conditions with both devices, but I rarely had to hold the Galaxy S24 Ultra for more than a one-second countdown to the Pixel 8 Pro’s two or three seconds. This extra time could explain some of the Pixel’s trouble with finer details and might also make a tripod something to consider.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra took less time to capture night photos, but didn't kick in before it was way too dark.

Despite its slower capture, the Pixel 8 Pro is much quicker to kick into automatic Night Sight than the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It doesn’t need to be all that dark before Google jumps to a timer, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra tends to wait until it’s truly dark, and even then, it usually asks if you want to toggle night mode instead.

With those two observations out of the way, I’ll admit that the results of this one surprised me. I’ve trusted Google and its Tensor chip as my go-to for image processing for a few years now, but Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra turned in a much stronger performance across three of our four categories. Samsung generally nailed its colors and details better than the Pixel 8 Pro, and it did so with shorter exposures across the board. There’s a new night mode king, and its name is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.