Phone Camera Settings

[Beltalowda]

I searched the forum, but other than this post I did not find any discussion of the settings one should use on a phone camera. ISO, shutter speed, etc. For example, in my attempt at imaging the Orion Nebula, I played around with various ISO and shutter speed settings, but I was just guessing and did not have an intuition about what to tweak.

This was taken with a Samsung Galaxy S7 mounted to an f/5.9 reflector through a 25mm eyepiece:

 

When viewed directly through the eyepiece the stars were nice pinpoints, but not at all when imaged with the camera. Any guidance would be appreciated.

[Pete Presland]

I am assuming you are just holding the camera up to the eyepiece? I also have the S7 and have used it for a few widefield images, but not at the eyepiece yet.  If you swipe the screen from the left, when you are using the camera you get access to a menu that allows you to select "Pro" mode.  In there you can select the exposure time as well as the ISO.  I would have the ISO as high as possible and adjust the exposure to suit the object in the eyepiece. The quicker the exposure the better, as the slightest movement will blur the image.

Or could buy an adapter and fix the phone to your scope, use a timer and you will be able to use a slightly longer exposure.

[Stu]

If you have a look in the Smartphone Imaging forum there is plenty of discussion there.

If handholding then generally around 0.5 seconds is the most I can get without too much shake. With a tracking mount and the phone mounted to the eyepiece I can use up to 10 seconds (the max on my phone). The Huawei P20Pro can do 30 seconds. Set the ISO up high and f stop low and then use the max you can without getting shake or trailing.

This one was 10 seconds through a 7" scope with a Samsung S9 on a tracking mount.

[Beltalowda]

 

1 hour ago, Pete Presland said:

I am assuming you are just holding the camera up to the eyepiece?

 

If you swipe the screen from the left, when you are using the camera you get access to a menu that allows you to select "Pro" mode.

The phone is mounted to the eyepiece.

I was using the Pro settings which is how adjusted the ISO setting as described in the OP.

[Beltalowda]

1 hour ago, Stu said:

If you have a look in the Smartphone Imaging forum there is plenty of discussion there.

If handholding then generally around 0.5 seconds is the most I can get without too much shake. With a tracking mount and the phone mounted to the eyepiece I can use up to 10 seconds (the max on my phone). The Huawei P20Pro can do 30 seconds. Set the ISO up high and f stop low and then use the max you can without getting shake or trailing.

This one was 10 seconds through a 7" scope with a Samsung S9 on a tracking mount.

Thanks for the referral to the Smartphone Imaging forum. I guess I was looking in the wrong place.

I don't have a tracking mount, so I'll have to settle for half second exposures for now.

[Stu]

3 minutes ago, Beltalowda said:

I don't have a tracking mount, so I'll have to settle for half second exposures for now.

Given that you have the phone mounted to the eyepiece, you could perhaps try up to a second or so. You can also use either the timer or voice activation to take the shot, this removes the shake you get touching the phone.

[Beltalowda]

34 minutes ago, Stu said:

Given that you have the phone mounted to the eyepiece, you could perhaps try up to a second or so. You can also use either the timer or voice activation to take the shot, this removes the shake you get touching the phone.

Thanks a lot.