10x Optical Question

[jtcannonball]

So tonight while at my son's football camp I was excited to try the 10x and then when I looked at the results they were all severely blury with distorted features. It was very sunny out. Is there a trick I'm missing or is it really not a good lens? I'm talking kids all huddled listening to a coach from the NFL and no real moveme and he looks like a 8bit Yosemite Sam playing on a HD TV. Was not great. Pretty bummed about my results.

 

[Kizzy Catwoman]

Doesn't sound good. Taking zoom on my S10+ is always risky but I don't have 10x optical lens. I find they can be grainy.

 

[jtcannonball]

Doesn't sound good. Taking zoom on my S10+ is always risky but I don't have 10x optical lens. I find they can be grainy.

I can't say I see any difference between the results of the 10x and digital zoom on previous phones. Loss of quality and detail was quite high.

 

[mach1man]

Here are a few shots I took at a baseball game. I don't remember what the zoom was, I think 10x and 30x

 

[chimpboy74]

My 10x optical zoom shots are pretty good. Is the lens clean? Are you using a camera lens protector? I started with one but took it off as I was feeling like the shots were ever so slightly blurry.
I find even the digital zoom quite good until you get to 40x and over. Then I can see it grainy.

 

[Gary02468]

DId you verify in the metadata that 10x zoom was really in use? What's the focal length?

 

[shanghaichica]

I have to have a really steady hand and compose the shots. Once I do that I get great pictures with the zoom lenses. it's not a click and point lens.

 

[jtcannonball]

I have to have a really steady hand and compose the shots. Once I do that I get great pictures with the zoom lenses. it's not a click and point lens.

Oh yeah I get that. But I was trying to get simple shots without movement and they just were blurry and tons of noise. It definitely moves around easily.

 

[jtcannonball]

DId you verify in the metadata that 10x zoom was really in use? What's the focal length?

I don’t see where it says that but it says 30.60mm which I think is 10x.

 

[jtcannonball]

My 10x optical zoom shots are pretty good. Is the lens clean? Are you using a camera lens protector? I started with one but took it off as I was feeling like the shots were ever so slightly blurry.
I find even the digital zoom quite good until you get to 40x and over. Then I can see it grainy.

I’m a anal person with keeping things clean. And there isn’t any protectors on it. I’ll have to try again tonight and see if there is something I can do to make them more clear. I’ve got a pretty steady hand so we will see.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

I don’t see where it says that but it says 30.60mm which I think is 10x.

Focal length equivalent changes with sensor size and gets tricky to figure out on phones. That probably is the 10x camera but I'm not sure.

Each camera on the S21 Ultra has a different aperture. If it was shot at f/4.9 it would be the 10x camera that was used. If it's anything else there was digital zoom.

Also need to keep in mind that even with 10x it won't look as good as the main camera. The camera sensor is smaller, lower mp, and the lens aperture is significantly smaller. All of this will lead to reduced image quality, less sharpness, poorer contrast, and more motion blur because if will require slower shutter speeds to get accurate exposure.

 

[Gary02468]

Focal length equivalent changes with sensor size and gets tricky to figure out on phones. That probably is the 10x camera but I'm not sure.

Empirically, the 30.60mm focal length is indeed 10x on the S21U. The other cameras' focal lengths are 9mm, 6.7mm and 2.2mm.

 

[paridge]

Agree with your observations. The focal length of the 10× zoom is 240 mm. With DSLRs, for example, tripods are often used with longer lenses to ensure sharpness. In addition, the 10× zoom is a slower lens, F4.9 vs. the main lens, which is F1.8. So the action and low-light shots will never be as good. It's just a different lens. Different specs. Depending on the circumstances, an option could be to shoot with the main lens or the 3× zoom, which is in between the two re speed and quality, and then crop the image.

 

[Morty2264]

Here are a few shots I took at a baseball game. I don't remember what the zoom was, I think 10x and 30x
View attachment 334965View attachment 334966

YES these are amazing shots! So cool that you went to a baseball game! I miss going! Were you in Washington for the Nationals game, or was it an away game?

 

[mach1man]

YES these are amazing shots! So cool that you went to a baseball game! I miss going! Were you in Washington for the Nationals game, or was it an away game?

Thank you. Yes it was great to be back out there watching and enjoying it.

 

[Morty2264]

Thank you. Yes it was great to be back out there watching and enjoying it.

That's so awesome! The last game I went to was to a Tigers game, back in 2017 or 2018, with my now-husband. Those were the days!

 

[Gary02468]

The focal length of the 10× zoom is 240 mm.

You're speaking of the 35mm-equivalent focal length, correct? We've been discussing the actual focal length as reported in the metadata.

 

[paridge]

Yes. It's the 35 mm equivalent. When you think of the technology that makes all of this possible in such a small device, it's amazing. These cameras have advanced by leaps and bounds in just a few years.

 

[jtcannonball]

It was just a bit of a shock. I knew it was a lower focal point but I figured bright sunshine wouldn't be an issue. Lol

 

[AxlMyk]

I found the 64mp setting, and then zooming in on the resulting picture, gives more detail than the 30x zoom.