Final evening, an intense storm gave the world fairly a present because it ignited the sky with an array of colours that many south of the Arctic not often get an opportunity to see. Many set their sights on the sky, which was ablaze with gorgeous views of the northern lights (or aurora borealis), now vividly emblazoned into all our minds and on our telephones.
I used to be a bit late to the occasion, however as quickly as I may, I made my approach as much as my rooftop to attempt to seize the occasion. I dwell in Seattle, so that is positively not a standard incidence. Luckily, the skies have been a lot clearer than they have been for the latest photo voltaic eclipse (save for some mild air pollution), which was blocked off by the gloomy Seattle climate. So, I grabbed my Pixel 8 Professional and Galaxy S24 Plus and pointed up, curious to see how each telephones would seize the occasion.
Pixel vs. Galaxy
I attempted to shoot the precise scene with each telephones every time I snapped a photograph, alternating one after the opposite. Since they have been each in evening mode, I attempted to remain as nonetheless as doable, and holding each on the similar time would not actually work. The Pixel 8 Professional made it straightforward to see the place I used to be capturing, however the viewfinder on the Galaxy S24 Plus wasn’t actually doing me any favors, and far of the time, it was simply guesswork.
I additionally had each telephones alternate between auto evening mode and max evening mode to see if there could be any visible distinction (there wasn’t) with the additional few seconds. Ultimately I simply stored them each on auto to see how they might fare (the Galaxy would normally take one further second to seize the scene than the Pixel), and I used to be slightly shocked on the variations between the outcomes.
I selected to not edit the pictures to match the uncooked output from each telephones.
The pictures from the Pixel 8 Professional have been way more true to life than what the Galaxy S24 Plus captured. The colours have been a bit extra muted, and the picture was total a lot softer, though there was a variety of mild air pollution the place I used to be, so the auroras weren’t as vibrant. In the meantime, the Galaxy S24 Plus appeared fairly aggressive with its colours, punching up the saturation greater than I personally favor.
I admit it the punched up saturation may generally make for a cooler picture, however total, I most well-liked the photographs from the Pixel for being a lot brighter, even when I want they’d extra distinction.
The Pixel 8 additionally appeared to do a greater job of capturing the celebrities within the sky regardless of the auroras and lightweight air pollution from town.
Astrophotography mode on the Pixel 8 Professional got here in clutch
Earlier than I grabbed my Galaxy S24 Plus, I took just a few pictures of the sky utilizing Astrophotography mode on my Pixel to see if that would supply higher outcomes than the default evening mode. Sadly, they weren’t a lot better than what evening mode captured, however the cool factor about this mode is that it additionally captures a brief timelapse along with a picture, which made all of the ready round extra worthwhile.
I admittedly tried utilizing the Astrophoto mode on the Galaxy S24 Plus, however it doesn’t matter what seize time I chosen, the ensuing pictures simply weren’t usable.
Many individuals captured wonderful pictures of the northern lights, which might be found on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and different websites. You may also take a look at extra wonderful photographs and learn more about the event at Space.com.
Did you seize any good photographs of final evening’s mild present? What telephones or tools did you utilize to take them?