Mobile photography continues to evolve by leaps and bounds and smartphones like the Xiaomi 12 Pro They seem to know how to take advantage of all these advances very well. To prove it to you with facts (and not just words), we have gone to the Alhambra, in Granada, where we have had the privilege of taking a night walk with the best Xiaomi terminal till the date. If you want to enjoy a unique night photographic experience in what is considered the eighth wonder of the world, you are in the right place. Be comfortable.
Night mode, what is it?
El night mode or night photography It is one of the most interesting features that have been incorporated into mobile phones in recent years. Thanks to it, the devices are able to see where there is hardly any light, something that if you are in the photographic world, you will know that it is not just a matter of setting a certain ISO value and keeping the sensor capturing the image for a longer time.
To take quality photography in low-light settings, you can play with three key parameters: aperture, shutter time and ISO sensitivity. The problem is that in mobile phones the aperture is fixed and, despite being between values ranging from F1.9 to F2.4 approximately, it is not always enough. Hence, we also have to resort to all that computational magic with which current mobile phones obtain an image that until recently would have seemed like black magic to us.
El Xiaomi 12 Pro night mode it handles precisely this functionality and does so in a fairly robust and consistent way. It is true that for the more advanced user, having a little more control over the exposure time or ISO could have been interesting, but for the vast majority, it will be great to see how the terminal poses it, since it is enough to touch where you want to focus and press shutter release Of course, the more still the camera is, the better, so using a tripod is never a bad option - we, yes, decided not to do it to imitate the situation that most users may find in their day to day.
Thanks to the support of its three 50MP resolution sensors (special mention to the main one, a Sony IMX 707), the Xiaomi 12 Pro gives us a high-quality photographic set, to such an extent that few devices today are capable of matching it. to the proposal of the Asian firm.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro is a phone with a very capable camera suite, a great dynamic range and with a processing that will make you enjoy your photos even in the most complicated environments. To this is added a very good performance with a fast and precise autofocus system, good exposure and color interpretation, among other virtues.
But if you like, we will show you more closely what our night photographic experience was in the Alhambra in Granada.
Night photography with the Xiaomi 12 Pro
Let's get in situation. We are in the Alhambra in Granada, a world heritage site, and we are going to take a tour that will begin in the gardens and end in the palaces already deep in the night. An ideal scenario to test the photographic abilities and the Xiaomi 12 Pro night mode, since it is not only necessary to obtain well-illuminated images; also not to lose the detail of the multiple motifs that we can find in fountains, windows, arches and others.
To achieve the objective, we will alternate between the automatic photographic mode and the night mode, but always with the camera in hand. We will not use any tripod, because that is how most users will use the phone. Logically, if a tripod is used, the night mode will win points, since we avoid possible trepidations when the exposure time is longer.
Finally, you can see the images as they are captured by the phone with the native camera app and edited in Snapseed from the terminal itself. The latter to give it a slightly more creative touch and to be able to show you how with a reframing and adjustment of basic parameters such as exposure, contrast and some other thing you can get very striking images.
In this first photo, right at the entrance to the Alhambra, you can see that the Dynamic range Xiaomi's phone is at a good level. Something that is not a small thing, because it was a very sunny day and the difference in contrast between the brightest and darkest areas was very pronounced. With a bit of further editing, the image was very striking, although other results will surely attract more attention.
Starting the tour inside the Alhambra, we took a photo with the ultra-wide angle to see to what extent it performs or not the same as the rest of the sensors (wide angle and telephoto) that make up the photographic commitment of the Xiaomi 12 Pro. The result original is good, and with a little editing it is more striking. Logically, editing is something very particular and the preferences of a user do not have to be those of the rest.
Continuing through the different gardens of the Alhambra and looking from strong contrasts to more detailed photos, like the one above, the good work that the Xiaomi phone does when it comes to exposing, managing color, white balance, etc. is still appreciated. .
Entering the different palaces, in the Generalife Palace we were able to take this superior photograph with night beginning to fall and playing with the reflection that was produced in the water of the small pond that was inside. Here again it is striking how the detail in the arches is well maintained despite the difficulty.
However, it was in the Patio de los leones that the Xiaomi 12 Pro left us most surprised. Here, with the night mode activated, we just had to touch where we wanted to focus and press the shutter button. Keeping the phone as still as possible, without resorting to any tripod, the result is what you see with a photograph of a quality that a matter of two or three years ago would have seemed impossible with a mobile phone.
Finally, the murals that are in some interiors of the Alhambra or the Palace of Carlos V were new demonstrations of the capabilities of the night mode of the Xiaomi 12 Pro. The existing light was practically nil and other terminals would have had a hard time achieving that level of detail and lighting.
Xiaomi 12 Pro, a phone to enjoy photographically
There is a important evolution in photographic subjects by many mobile devices, but the Xiaomi 12 Pro is currently one of the most convincing. In an environment as complex as that of night photography, the phone from the Chinese manufacturer performs very well. There are certain (few) details that can always be improved from our maverick spirit, but in general terms it is a device that is very enjoyable.
In addition to low-light performance on photo subjects, the autofocus system with the option to focus with eye tracking and improvements in video recording make it one of the best on the market. Something that the expert user will like, but surely also the most novice.
Remember that both the Xiaomi 12 and the Xiaomi 12 Pro are available to buy in mi.com/en.