ERIC KIM

Why Night Sight on Google Pixel 3 is a Game Changer for Mobile Photography

Night sight on Google Pixel 3 is phenomenal:

You can shoot high ISO on a phone now

In the past, you couldn’t shoot low light photos on a phone because the noise was too painful.

Now, you can shoot at night, and noise is no longer a problem (even on a phone!!!)

Computational photography is amazing.

Regular Pixel 3 photo

Computational photography is this:

Using computer power and algorithms to make better photos.

For example the new “Night Sight” feature on Pixel 3 is phenomenal. Just note the difference between the above “normal” photo and the below photo with Night Sight enabled:

With night sight enabled. So much more detail and light!

Why is this such a big deal?

Settings for night sight enhance your photos in near pitch dark situations [/caption

> *ISO 4,500 on a phone camera???*

This is exciting news. This is what I see:

> More photographers with the chance to shoot more interesting, innovative, or creative nighttime photos.

[caption id="attachment_119669" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Without night sight

With night sight. So much more detail when shooting at night

Previously in the past, you needed a flash to add more light. Or shooting with higher ISO entailed that you needed really expensive digital camera equipment (I still remember that the original full frame Canon 5D was such a big deal, because you could shoot ISO 1600 with little noise!)

No night sight
With night sight. Note the more juicy colors, as well as the scene which looks brighter

Currently the best low light digital camera is probably the Sony a7s series.

But now with Night Sight, the Google Pixel 3 is the ultimate low-light phone camera for photography.

Good for black and white

Night sight photo on Pixel 3, processed with Vista monochrome preset in Google Photos

I think this is a boon for us monochrome photographers. You can shoot more monochrome photos in really dark situations, with more details. And you don’t even need to use a flash.

Shoot after work

This is good news for those of us with day jobs.

Now, we aren’t slaves to the day or light. We can shoot more at night; becoming night crawlers, or night shooters:

No night sight
With night sight. The improvement here is phenomenal!!!

Note the difference when I add a monochrome preset (Vista in Google Photos):

Good for family photographers

If you shoot around the house, or photograph your kids at home at night, Night Sight can light up your photo opportunities.

No night sight:

With night sight:

Another dramatic example.

No night sight:

With night sight (this is amazing):

Do you like to shoot at night?

If you like to shoot at night with a phone, Pixel 3 is for you.

It is probably the ultimate night-time smartphone camera.

Another win for Google Pixel 3 for photography.

Learn how to shoot better photos on your phone: PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY 101 >