While the automatic
Photo mode already captures great pictures, the HTC
Camera app's
Pro mode can deliver DSLR-like results if used properly.
Before you start taking photos with
Pro mode, here are a few things about the manual settings you should know about.
- Aperture is fixed.
The main camera of
HTC U11 has a fixed aperture of
f/1.7.
- Most of the time, you'll be adjusting the shutter speed and ISO settings.
Experiment with the shutter speed and ISO settings to get the results that you want. Which combination of values to use for these two settings depend on the type of subject or scenery you're capturing and your lighting conditions.
- Exposure level is not adjustable when both the shutter speed and ISO values are manually set.
In order to adjust the exposure compensation value, you need to set either the shutter speed or ISO to auto.
Below are some
Pro mode uses with sample photos and settings. For details on using the
Pro mode controls, see
Manually adjusting camera settings .
Long exposure
To take long-exposure shots, choose a slow shutter speed so that the camera can capture more light. Combine this with a low ISO value to minimize image noise and avoid overexposure. Because of the longer exposure time, use a tripod to keep the camera steady and avoid shaky shots.
One of the most common use of long exposure is in night photography. Here's an example of a night scenery photo taken using the following settings:
Another use of long exposure is to capture light trails from fast-moving objects such as vehicles. An even slower shutter speed is needed to achieve this. If the street lights and the moving objects appear too bright and overexposed in your photos, use a neutral density (ND) filter to cover the main camera and try capturing again.
Doing long-exposure shots can also produce a motion blur effect. For example, taking a photo of a waterfall with a slow shutter speed gives an artistic blurring effect of the moving water.
Corrective or creative white balance
The common use of the white balance is for adjusting the color temperature of the light source for your photos to have a more natural or realistic look. You can also use the white balance to make photos look warmer or cooler for a more artistic effect.
Here's an example that shows the outcome of applying different white balance settings:
Freezing motion
Capturing moving subjects is challenging since motion often results in blurred or missed shots. When taking photos of a moving subject, using a faster shutter speed helps to freeze motion so that the subject can be captured clearly.
You may notice that the faster the shutter speed, the darker the image becomes. This is because the shutter speed affects the amount of light that reaches the camera’s sensor. The lower the value, the faster the shutter closes which results in lesser light coming in. It's most ideal to shoot outdoors under natural light when using fast shutter speed.
Below is a an actual shot captured using the
Pro mode at a shutter speed value just about right to freeze the motion.
Manual focus
Similar to DSLR cameras,
Pro mode has manual focus that gives you total control to adjust the focus according to your distance from the subject. Just drag the slider from macro to infinity or vice versa until you can get a sharp focus of your subject.
In many instances, though, using touch autofocus in
Photo mode already gives you great results whether you're capturing macro or scenery shots.