Category Archives: Astrophotography

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The Google Pixel 7 Pro is a beast and one of our favorite Android phones released in 2022. It packs the right mixture of software smarts, performance, and battery life in a beautiful and unique form factor. The Pixel 7 Pro’s camera is not to be glossed over. Compared to its predecessor, the Google Pixel 6 Pro, it received three upgraded cameras: a new ultrawide, a new selfie, and a slightly improved telephoto zoom camera. All this is great on paper, but you need to know what to do to get the most out of the setup. In this article, we’ll tell you all about it.

1. Use 2x zoom for incredible portrait shots

Google may not have upgraded the primary Samsung GN1 camera it used in the Google Pixel 6 series. Still, the company was able to add a new software trick that makes better use of it on the Pixel 7 Pro when zooming to certain levels.

When taking pictures at 1x, the 50MP camera automatically combines four pixels into one, creating a 12.5MP photo with more detail and light than it would normally get. At the 2x zoom level, you’re using a patch of the sensor that offers roughly 12.5MP. That means Google can still give you a full-resolution image at 2x zoom without extra work on your part. You just pinch to zoom or tap the 2x zoom shortcut above the shutter button.

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1x vs. 2x zoom: Note how the two plushies appear flatter in the second shot.

The question remains. Why would you opt for 2x zoom rather than get closer to the person you want to take a portrait of? The issue is that the GN1 camera offers an equivalent focal length of roughly 23mm, which is still a fairly wide angle compared to what professional photographers use to take portraits. The 2x zoom option gets you closer to that professional photographer look and makes for a more flattering image of your subject with fewer distorted facial features. Don’t just take our word for it. Try it out for yourself, and rest assured that you’re not losing any discernible image quality on the Google Pixel 7 Pro.

If you want to go further, tap the Portrait option left to the regular Camera mode below the shutter button. Google automatically adds digital blur to the background of your subject, making for an even more professional-looking portrait. And if you don’t love the result, you can turn off the fake bokeh afterward.

2. Get up close on the Google Pixel 7 Pro with Super Res Zoom

The Google Pixel 7 Pro camera isn’t only great at 2x and 5x zoom. When you zoom in up to 5x, Google intelligently combines what your telephoto camera and your primary cameras see, taking the best parts of both sensors to create a more accurate and less pixelated image. While you’re shooting, this tech stays in the background. You don’t notice any annoying flickering or stuttering as the cameras switch or stitch images together. Instead, you only have a great result to look at.

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A collection of (mostly) 30x zoom shots from our Google Pixel 7 Pro review.

Beyond 5x zoom, Google still combines images from all its camera sensors to provide the best possible result, plus some AI and machine learning magic. This allows you to go up to 30x when shooting images. You may not want to print these results on canvas, but they allow you to get shots you would otherwise miss. With this technique, Google claims you can go up to 10x and still get results comparable to an optical 10x smartphone zoom camera. And even at 30x, you get something better than what you would get from cropping your image after the fact.

3. Focus on the details with the Pixel 7 Pro’s Macro Focus

One of the features enabled by the new ultrawide camera is the Google Pixel 7 Pro’s Macro Focus mode. When you get close enough to an object or subject, Google Camera automatically switches to the ultrawide camera. It can give you sharp images at a much closer range than the primary lens, making it possible to create beautiful shots of the fine details you might be interested in. This is particularly great if you like shooting flowers, water droplets, snowflakes, insects, and more.

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If you want more control over when the macro camera kicks in, Google has your back. Tap the settings button in the upper-left corner of Google Camera and choose one of three options in the Macro Focus section:

• Off: The camera doesn’t switch to macro mode automatically.
• Auto: Macro Focus only turns on when you move your camera close to your subjects.
• On: Keeps Macro Focus enabled. This is useful in complicated shots when you can’t always stay close enough to the subject.

4. Fix your blurry shots with Photo Unblur

The Google Pixel 7 Pro and its smaller sibling introduced a new feature called Photo Unblur. It allows you to automatically retouch slightly blurry images, making them appear as though they were sharp from the beginning. If the photo isn’t hopelessly blurry, you get good enough results, especially if you only look at your images on a smartphone screen. The best part is that you can use this feature on older images you uploaded to your Google Photos library. Here’s how to do that:

1. Open the Google Photos app.
2. Tap the photo that you would like to unblur.
3. In the fullscreen view of the photo, tap the Edit button.
4. Go to the Tools section to find the Unblur option. It could also be among the suggestions you’ll see.

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5. Your Google Pixel 7 Pro uses its machine-learning magic to fix the photo.
6. When you’re happy with the result, tap the Save as copy button.

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5. Save private photos to a secure folder on your Google Pixel 7 Pro

Some images just aren’t meant for the cloud. Google would make you believe this is the case for images of presents you don’t want to show to your loved ones, but this is also good for certain intimate shots. You can easily switch your Google Camera to save the next image you take to a secure location that you can only open with your fingerprint. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open the Google Camera app.
2. Tap and hold the round gallery shortcut to the right of the shutter button.
3. In the menu that pops up, select the Locked Folder option.
4. You’re prompted to set up your Locked Folder. Tap the Go to Google Photos button to proceed.

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5. You’re prompted to confirm your fingerprint to set it up.
6. When you’re done, go back to the camera and select the Locked Folder option as the place where new images are saved.

Your sensitive images are saved from your camera to your Secure Folder. In it, it’s only possible to move or delete images. You can’t edit them, you can’t take screenshots of your images, and you need to authenticate yourself before you can open the folder. The photos in the folder only live within your phone’s storage. When you lose your phone or factory reset it, you lose access to these images unless you move them out of the folder first.

6. Take your Google Pixel 7 Pro out for an astrophotography session

The Google Pixel 7 Pro is the perfect companion for a cloud-free night out when you’re away from civilization. Google Pixel phones have long offered incredible night photography capabilities, and the Pixel 7 Pro takes computational photo processing to the next level.

To get started with astrophotography, make sure you’re far enough from unnatural light sources and either put your phone on a tripod or prop it up firmly so that it doesn’t move. Google automatically suggests that you use astrophotography mode. When you use it, the camera makes a long exposure shot that takes a few minutes to be captured. The result is stunning and allows you to see the stars clearly, without a professional camera rig or fiddling with settings.

Learn all about astrophotography on Google Pixel phones with our deep dive into what tips and tricks bring you to the next level.

7. Create film-like videos with Cinematic Blur

If you’re into video more than photography, the Google Pixel 7 Pro won’t let you down. The new generation of Pixel phones introduces a new Cinematic Blur mode that takes the Portrait mode you know from photos to videos. To get started with it, follow these steps:

1. Open the Google Camera app.
2. Swipe to the left on the bottom mode carousel below the shutter button until you’ve activated Cinematic.
3. Tap the Shutter button to start taking a video.
4. The background is blurred automatically when in this mode.

Using the Cinematic option is a little more challenging than regular videography. Make sure you have a clear subject in the foreground for the best effect. This helps the algorithm determine what it should focus on. Otherwise, you might get a hunting focus effect where your video switches between a blurred and unblurred look.

The Google Pixel 7 Pro leads the pack, but its smaller sibling is no slouch either

You don’t need to spring the money for the Google Pixel 7 Pro to take great pictures. Even though the Google Pixel 7 doesn’t come with a telephoto zoom camera, it captures incredible shots. Read up on our top 7 tips for Google Pixel 7 photography. You’ll find more basic tricks that also work on your Google Pixel 7 Pro.

Photographing the night sky can be challenging and technical, but also incredibly rewarding and fascinating. There’s so much to learn about when it comes to night sky photography, and if you’re a total beginner, a good place to start is our 10 quick tips on how to get started with astrophotography (opens in new tab).

Aside from learning all the different types of astrophotography, there’s also the gear. For the greatest success, you’ll need the best camera for astrophotography (opens in new tab) and the best lenses for astrophotography: (opens in new tab) ideally wide-angle options with a fast maximum aperture so that you can gather as much light as possible.

January is a great month for astrophotography in the northern hemisphere. The nights are long and the bright stars of Orion, Taurus and Gemini are shining in the southeast right after dark. 

Clear skies allowing, the most notable event of the month to capture is a conjunction of Venus and Saturn in the evening sky. It’s a rare opportunity to see the two iconic planets close together in the night sky before the ‘ringed planet’ disappears from view for a few months. Add a full ‘Wolf Moon’, a meteor shower and several chances to grab images of a beautiful crescent moon and there’s something for all kinds of astrophotographers to enjoy this month. Also check out our 10 key events for astrophotographers in 2023 (opens in new tab).

January 4: the Quadrantids meteor shower

Few astrophotographers make much of the Quadrantids mostly because it occurs at the coldest time of year in the northern hemisphere, but with about 40 ‘shooting stars’ per hour it’s more prolific than most. You don’t need to do much other than using a wide-angle lens to frame an image of the night sky from your backyard, put it on continuous mode and let your camera rattle off a series of 30-second shots until about 3 a.m. You can then check your SD card the next morning for shots that include one or more ‘shooting stars’. The moon will be bright for this one so experiment with a low ISO. 

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There are already Canon RF 50mm and 85mm super-fast f/1.2 primes but rumors surfaced in December that three more fast RF prime lenses would follow in early 2023. The hit list included a Canon RF 35mm f/1.2L USM and the possibility of slightly slower RF 24mm f/1.4L USM lens and RF 28mm f/1.4L USM lenses. The 35mm f/1.2 lens sounds particularly appealing so we hope it hits the ground running very soon.

See other installments in our 12 lenses of Christmas series

Proving that super-fast lenses don’t need to cost the earth, there was also the December announcement of a new Viltrox 75mm f/1.2 lens for Fujifilm X-mount cameras, for just $549. That’s crazy-cheap for such a fast, portrait-friendly lens.

Meanwhile, Panasonic launched a new Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-35mm f/2.8 ASPH Power OIS lens, which is none too slow for a zoom with a classic effective range of 24-70mm in full-frame terms.

There was more hot news in the wide-angle sector, with the advent of a budget TTartisan 11mm Fisheye lens in Canon EF and Nikon F mount options, to suit DSLRs. Also going ultra-wide, Venus Optics launched the Laowa 6mm f/2 Zero-D MFT taking the stage as the most wide-angle rectilinear lens to date for Micro Four Thirds cameras. The company also launched a compact new ultra-wide lens for Fujifilm GFX cameras, in the guise of the Laowa 19mm f/2.8 Zero-D GFX. 

Back in the rumor mill, there was talk of Sony gearing up to announce the world’s first 20-70mm lens, going noticeably wider than typical 24-70mm lenses and possibly save the need to take an additional wide-angle lens along for the ride. And for lovers of swirly bokeh, the full-frame compatible Zenitar 75mm f/1.4 Helios Edition was launched for Sony E-mount cameras.

More an adaptation rather than something completely new, the Irix Cine 150mm T3.0 TELE shrugged off the macro capability of its forebear, favoring greater precision in manual focusing in the distance range from 2 meters to infinity.

In the spirit of grabbing a little R&R over the festive season, we fully reviewed just one lens in December (although we had many more in the pipeline). But what a lens it was. The Nikon Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S proved a sensational super-tele prime complete with built-in teleconverter, effectively giving you the choice of 600mm and 840mm focal lengths at the flip of a lever.

Back to basics

• What are the best camera lenses to buy?

Lenses for photography genres

• Best lenses for astrophotography

• Best lenses for bird photography

• Best lenses for landscape

Lenses for your camera

• Best Canon lenses

• Best Fujifilm lenses

• Best Nikon lenses

• Best Olympus lenses

• Best Panasonic lenses

• Best Pentax lenses

• Best Sony lenses

At the start of 2023 Earth will be visited by a newly discovered comet that may just be bright enough to be spotted with the naked eye. 

The comet, named C/2022 E3 (ZTF), is currently passing through the inner solar system. It will make its closest approach to the sun, or perihelion, on Jan. 12, and will then whip past Earth making its closest passage of our planet, its perigee, between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2.

French smart telescope-maker Unistellar has used CES 2023 to announce and show off its eVscope eQuinox 2 smart telescope – the follow-up to 2021’s impressive eVscope eQuinox (opens in new tab). Selling for US$2,499/£2,199, it’s the company’s most affordable model yet in a line-up that also includes the Unistellar eVscope 2. 

Read: Best smart telescope

But if you need that extra push to turn this newfound curiosity into commitment, January has your back! With one of the year’s most impressive meteor showers in store right out of the gate, this presents the perfect opportunity to dip your feet (and cameras) into ravishing skywatching waters.

Keep reading to find out what glamorous cosmic events you can witness this January.

January 3, 4: Quadrantids Meteor Shower Peaks

While the rest of the world might be exercising their quads in the gym, you could spend early January working on a different type of Quads. The Quadrantids will be the first meteor shower to grace the skies this year, and there aren’t many meteor showers with as much character as this one!

For starters, the comet that these originate from is most likely dead, meaning you’ll be looking at the spectacular persevering remnants of something that once was. And at an average of 80 meteors an hour with longer tails than usual, you’d be severely amiss not to buy tickets to this extremely exclusive event (considering the shower’s peak will only last for a few hours between Tuesday night to Wednesday morning).

Know more about the Quadrantids here!

January 6: The ‘Wolf Micromoon’ Full Moon

After the Quads, the Moon will present its first speech of the year in full form on this day. However, since the Moon will also be at the farthest point in its orbit around Earth, it will appear more petite and dimmer than usual. Speak up; we can’t hear you from so far away!

January 22: Super New Moon

Perhaps in the embarrassment of the fact that no one could hear its speech, the Moon will briefly disappear into the night sky on this day. In India, this will take place around 2:23 AM, so if you want to prank your sleepy and dazed friends by explaining how the Moon just exploded, set your alarms!

A Super New Moon occurs when the Moon is at its closest orbital approach to the Earth, resulting in this rare event.

January 22: Conjunction of Venus and Saturn

Venus and Saturn will be the first planets to greet each other this New Year. At their closest approach, they will only appear separated by 0.34° in the sky. Good to see some semblance of COVID protocol amid its recent resurgence.

January 23-30: Mercury at its Morning Peak

Let’s face it — a telescope might not be accessible to everybody. However, if you are determined to spot a reclusive planet with your naked eye, watch out for Mercury. The tiny planet will be somewhat visible near the southwestern horizon predawn between the 23rd and 30th of this month.

January 31: M44 Star Cluster

And finally, wrapping up this month’s skywatching show is the Messier 44 star cluster. This mesmerising group of stars will be visible to all viewers within the relatively dim Cancer constellation, making it look like a blotch of light in the night sky where the group of stars are having a nice cosy campfire.

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Early each January, the Quadrantid meteor stream provides one of the most intense annual meteor displays, with a brief, sharp maximum lasting only a few hours. 

The Quadrantid meteor shower actually radiates from the northeast corner of the constellation of Bootes, the Herdsman, so we might expect them to be called the “Bootids,” and they will peak in 2023 overnight on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4. But back in the late-18th century there was a constellation here called Quadrans Muralis, the “Mural or Wall Quadrant” (an astronomical instrument). It is long-obsolete star pattern, invented in 1795 by J.J. Lalande to commemorate the instrument used to observe the stars in his catalogue.