One thing that excited me in recent months was the term Nightography with Galaxy S22 Ultra, an enhanced mode to shoot in low-light conditions.

This got me looking forward to trying out the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra camera, which will better explain Nightography, and I can then relate it in a review later.

Nightography with Galaxy S22 Ultra

So, you, me, and probably the rest of the world need to be more knowledgeable about Nightography. It sounds like night photography, but that has been a thing for as long as I know.

This made me think back to July of 2007, the first time I started using a smartphone for photography, and this was 15 years ago when megapixels were just 2MP.

For me, it was pure joy, learning to accept and convert from analogue to digital back in the good old days, and when the smartphone launched, the resolution was a mere 320 x 480 pixels with 128 MB of RAM.

However, with today’s technological advancements in smartphones, we are looking at some superior and premium-quality cameras and AI systems that make mainstream camera brands worry.

The good news is that the Galaxy S22 Ultra is built to make every photo look professional, no matter what kind of photographer or user you are.

What is Nightography?

A Nightography photo was taken in Melaka in January 2022 with the Galaxy Z Flip3.

This term was used in 2021 when they launched the Galaxy S21 Ultra to promise better low-light photographs. I do not know when it was officially launched, but I saw Nightography used since Galaxy S7 Edge in 2016.

In a nutshell, Nightography is a term coined for a much more innovative night mode camera and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Technically, it is a more advanced night mode version that is already in older models.

As explained during Galaxy Unpacked 2022, Nightography uses a large 2.4-micrometre sensor to capture more light than a conventional flash system.

The lens on the S22 Ultra also comes with a new anti-reflective coating called a “Super Clear Glass” lens to help you take smoother and clearer nighttime shots without flares.

Nightography lets users capture night-mode portraits and high-resolution night-mode shots, which are more precise and brighter than previous models.

Another beautiful Nightography picture in Melaka using the Galaxy Z Flip3.

Night Solution AI

The Galaxy S22 Ultra’s artificial intelligence uses Night Solution, a program automatically enabled when the phone detects taking photos in a low-light environment.

When you press the screen button, the system takes multiple shots and combines the best ones into the final image you’ll find in your gallery app later. This has been used for years, and it just keeps improving.

Night Solution is done through the phone’s NPU chip and an AI image signal processing algorithm. The algorithm identifies the shape of the subject of your photo and uses that information to enhance the shape, colour and detail.

Night Solution also works with the main camera, 3x telephoto lens and selfie camera. The only setback is that the AI needs to be fixed if you want to take ultrawide or 10x telephoto camera shots.

This is a screengrab from the Samsung website showing the video nightography.

Nightography Video

Another area that is also high on my testing list is the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s video mode, especially its ability to capture video at night or during low-light situations.

Samsung came out with a solution called “dual-track image stabilization”, which I need to explore hands-on to understand better.

I read somewhere that the Video Digital Image Stabilization (VDIS) software, which accounts for camera movement, has been upgraded.

The VDIS also takes three-dimensional motion readings to determine how the camera is moving and account for it, adjusting things frame-by-frame to smooth out the video.

Another thing I need to test is that the Video Auto Framing always ensures your camera keeps your subject in focus, whether one person or 10.

As mentioned, I need to try this function. In recent years, I have been using my previous Galaxy S and Z series to explore videography. You can see some of my videos on Asian Explorer.

Another video screengrab of the Galaxy S22 Ultra from the Samsung website.

What Was Downgraded in the Galaxy S22 Ultra?

Only the 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera remains unchanged from the Galaxy S21, last year’s phone.

The downgrade includes the telephoto lens resolution of 10 megapixels, whereas the Galaxy S21 had a 64-megapixel telephoto lens.

Galaxy S22 Ultra Camera Specifications

If you look at the camera specifications for the S22 Ultra, you would be amazed that such a small thing can pack all of these into a tiny section of the phone.

• 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera F2.2
• 108 MP Wide Camera F1.8
• 10MP Telephoto Camera 3x Optical Zoom, F2.4
• 10MP Telephoto Camera 10x Optical Zoom, F4.9
• 40MP Front Camera F2.2

Samsung’s Nightography is a game-changer in smartphone photography.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G retails in Malaysia at RM5,499, the Galaxy S22+ 5G at RM4,299, and the Galaxy S22 5G at RM3,699. All devices come with 256GB of storage.

For more information or pre-booking, please visit Samsung Malaysia.

Conclusion

With so many changes and upgrades to the S22’s camera system, will the section housing the lens system heat up with continuous use of the camera?

You can also check out my article about Galaxy Night Photography using the Z Flip3 5G phone, which I did in 2021.

This is said and known to be the most potent device the South Korean phone maker has ever created. On the other hand, I cannot wait to try Nightography with Galaxy S22 Ultra, as my curiosity is killing me.