This guide will tell users everything they need to know about the massively improved 16 megapixel camera on the Galaxy Note 5. It will show owners how to use their phone camera to the fullest to take great photos and videos. You’ll learn all about Note 5 camera settings, quick launch tips, and advanced controls. We’ll even share some of our favorite Galaxy Note 5 camera tips.
Some of the options may differ slightly by carrier, but the same camera and app are available on all Galaxy Note 5 units in the United States and around the world. Samsung has focused on taking great photos and videos and the options people use the most, rather than the tricks or weird features we’ve seen in the past.
Typically, taking a good photo with the Note 5 is as simple as leaving the camera in auto mode or tweaking a few settings with a tap or swipe of your finger, as long as you know what it’s all about. We’ll go over all the settings and more below.
Samsung brought its A-game with the Galaxy Note 5. To improve the Note 4’s camera and deliver the same great experience that makes the Galaxy S6 the best camera smartphone on the market.
With the Note 5, owners will truly have one of the best and most capable smartphone cameras available today. Shooting great in any situation, the enhanced 16-megapixel f1.9 lens has optical image stabilization, video stabilization, Auto HDR mode, fast autofocus system and tons of easy controls to get the best photo the fastest. your time. It also has an enhanced 5-megapixel front camera with HDR and a wide-angle lens to capture more subjects when taking selfies. All this combines into a great camera experience that anyone can master in just a few days of owning the device.
Below we’ll go over all the Note 5 camera settings and advanced controls, list what they all are and where you can find them (or download more) to enhance your experience.
Galaxy Note 5 Camera Tips and Tricks
By default, Samsung’s new Note 5 camera switches to auto mode, which has the usual settings and options to control flash, timer, HDR, photo size and more, plus an instant switch for video or front camera. All the camera controls shown on the screen are specific to the moment that changes everything while taking the photo.
Then of course there’s a dedicated thumbwheel and a mod button to easily switch modes, and much more. This is where everything hides, and we’ll cover it in a moment. For now, here’s a breakdown of what most of our favorite Note 5 settings, options or tricks do, along with details on the settings menu.
Below is a breakdown of most of the controls users should know about the Galaxy Note 5, rather than just those shown on the screen or in the mode options.
Note 5 Camera Basics and Features
Shown above is the default camera setup on the Galaxy Note 5. Top to bottom, left to right, each option is below.
- Hide Settings
- Effects
- HDR Mode
- timer
- Flash on/off
- Image size
- Settings (to disable shutter sound, quick launch, grid lines, stabilization, volume controls and most of the aforementioned options)
- Go to Image Gallery (top right)
- Video record
- Take a photo
- Switch to Front Camera
- We have detailed above for Modes (Manual Mode, Panorama, Selective Focus and more.
Owners can also navigate to mods and tap the info button as mentioned above for a detailed breakdown of each mod, how it works and what it does.
There’s a useful feature and trick that most people don’t know about, but that’s right in front of you when taking photos. One of my favorite features and instant brightness controls. It’s a great brightness slider when taking photos (even in Auto Mode), adding more light indoors or at night, or lowering the brightness when a photo pops.
Tap anywhere on the screen to focus and a light bulb with a slider appears next to the aforementioned camera shutter button. Swipe up or down and release to add or decrease illumination. Too much can ruin or grainy photos, but this is one of our favorite Note 5 camera tricks.
Note 5 Camera Settings
- – FHD is good enough and 1080p, but if you want more, choose FHD at 60 FPS (most extras are turned off) 4K or UHD.
- – Lock the focus on a subject and it will stay in focus as the camera moves over it.
- – Avoid handheld video shaking.
- – Show grid lines on the screen so you can adjust your shot.
- – Save location information with your photos.
- – See your photos immediately after taking them.
- – Double press the home button to start the feature or turn it off.
- – Raw files are uncompressed images that are perfect for uploading to Photoshop, Lightroom and other advanced programs to fine-tune images like a pro.
- – Say Cheese, Smile or Save to take a photo or video.
- – Choose to take a photo or zoom in with the volume buttons.
- – Turn off the Galaxy S6 camera shutter sound.
- – If you mess with a lot of settings or just want to go back to stock camera factory defaults out of the box, press this.
The newly developed 5 megapixel front camera also has a slider that takes you to the regular settings home page. Instead, use the smaller selection of options or settings on the screen to change the way the front camera works.
For the most part, I shoot with the Galaxy Note 5 camera set to auto, but I’ve used Pro mode a few times to try (and fail) to try and capture the blood moon or have success with beautiful sunsets. Typically I set HDR to auto because the camera doesn’t always need software help to get great photos, and in some cases it does more harm than good.
The front-facing camera is one of the best I’ve ever used, and the rear camera takes great photos and videos. Samsung’s new camera is very fast, capable and powerful. All the information provided above should explain in detail what owners need to know, explain anything you don’t understand, and give users a few tips to get the most out of their Galaxy Note 5 and its camera.