The Galaxy S21 Ultra has been out for months but Samsung just launched a completely new camera app for its latest flagship giving it a significant upgrade. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is already equipped with among the most powerful smartphone cameras and this new app might expand its abilities, capturing even better photos.

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra is the leading smartphone in the U.S. when it comes to zooming range. With its 108-megapixel image sensor, it can actually zoom in to 100 times normal to capture a close-up photo of the moon. The quality won’t compare to a dedicated long-range zoom on a DSLR, but it is good enough to see crater details. When the zoom isn’t pushed to such an extreme, it can produce good quality even at 20 times zoom, thanks to a fusion with the 10 times optical telephoto camera.

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Samsung’s new camera app is called Galaxy Expert RAW. As the name implies, the new app can capture RAW format photos and offers manual control of which camera is used, including all four rear cameras. The details of the app were revealed in a Tweet by Tron, but Samsung has also published a community post as well. ISO sensitivity, shutter speed, EV adjustment, white balance, and focus are all under the photographer’s control rather than relying upon automatic systems to get things just right. This is similar to Pro mode in the default camera app, however, the current app only supports the main and ultra-wide cameras.

Why Samsung Expert RAW Is Better

Samsung’s new Galaxy Expert RAW app can capture images with 16 bits per color channel, instead of the standard 12-bit per channel. Apple’s ProRAW format uses the 12-bit color standard, although it has a special feature with its format that gives the user access to Apple’s automated processing within the RAW file, something that is still unique. Capturing 16 bits of data per color channel could potentially reveal much more color depth. Whereas 12 bits allow for 4,096 intensity levels, 16 bits expand that range dramatically to 65,536 levels. That’s for each of the three color channels, red, green, and blue. This means file sizes will be significantly higher, which might be worth it for images that present a variety of hues and a wide dynamic range.

While the extra color depth might not be noticeable in most photos, it could prove useful when capturing difficult subjects like holiday lights, rainbows, flower displays, and anywhere that color and light prove overly demanding with the standard app. Perhaps more useful in daily use is the ability to use the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s 3 times and 10 times telephoto cameras with full manual control. The Galaxy Expert RAW app is still rolling out, but should be in Samsung’s Galaxy App Store soon.

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Source: Tron/Twitter, Samsung

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Alan Truly
(1138 Articles Published)

Alan is a Tech Writer living in Nova Scotia, Canada. A tech-enthusiast since his youth, Alan stays current on what is new and what is next. With over 30 years experience in computer, video and photo equipment, you can expect useful tips and insights in his writing. Alan has a degree in programming, many years focused on design, editing, and animation. A period of managing logistics and e-commerce operations for a mobile accessories company rounds out a diverse background. Alan is a true jack of all digital trades in this ever-changing computer-enriched world. To stay flexible in mind and in body, he practices yoga, light cardio, and eats a whole food diet, based on minimally processed plants.

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