Samsung Galaxy Photography Guide: Lenses, Modes and Editing

Better lens + better camera mode + better post-processing = better photos. Want to get the best photos possible from your Samsung Galaxy phone? Start by choosing the best lens and camera mode for your shot, then perfect your pics with photo editing. Below you’ll find links to our in-depth guides on all things Galaxy camera related, covering everything from all the different camera modes on Samsung Galaxy phones to all the different lenses on newer Galaxy Ultra phones and how to choose the best Samsung Galaxy phone for your photography needs. If you'd prefer a step-by-step approach, our course comparison compares free resources (our practice challenges included!) with paid courses (also including ours).

1. Which Galaxy camera lens should I use?

On most shots and in low light you’ll likely find yourself using the 1x lens on your Galaxy Ultra. That’s because it’ll have the brightest lens (lowest f-value) and the largest image sensor. On the S25 Ultra the 1x lens is f/1.7 while on the S26 Ultra it’s f/1.4 (everything else being equal, lower f-numbers admit more light).

Recent Galaxy Ultra phones have had four cameras on the back. On the S24 Ultra and later they’re a 0.6x ultrawide, a 1x, a 3x telephoto and a 5x telephoto (earlier models like the S23 Ultra used a 10x periscope instead of the 5x). You might use the ultrawide for expansive landscapes or to capture a scene in a cramped space. The 3x is handy for portraits, allowing you to back away from your subject to avoid distorting their forehead or nose. And the 5x can make far away objects appear closer while compressing perspective, so that a mountain range or city skyline appears closer together. Here’s a handy table comparing the two phones’ cameras:

2. Learn the Camera app modes

Some shooting modes you’ll find right away in Samsung Camera’s mode bar; others are tucked away in More. Available modes vary by model and software version. On the Galaxy S26 with One UI 8.5, for example, Samsung hides Night in Photo mode (tap the moon icon to use it). On One UI 9, Dual Rec and Single Take aren’t shooting modes per se but options (off by default) under Camera Assistant > Additional modes (checked on a Galaxy S25 Ultra, November 2026). So don’t write off a shooting mode as unavailable until you’ve looked in Camera Assistant. Photo: Auto mode for most shooting situations. Portrait: For people shots with blurred backgrounds. Night: Combines multiple exposures for improved low-light photos. Pro: For photos with manual settings. Single Take: Grabs multiple photos and videos with one shutter press. Panorama: Stitches together a series of photos for an extra-wide image. Food: Enhances photos of, you guessed it, food. Pro Video: Manual control for video recording. See the camera app interface guide for a detailed explanation of each button and mode.

3. Use Pro mode when light is tricky

White balance corrects for different lighting situations (especially useful in artificially lit environments, such as concerts or strongly coloured lighting), ISO amplifies (or boosts) the signal from the sensor, shutter speed controls how long the camera sensor is exposed to light and manual focus allows you to select the focal plane (where things will appear in focus). These settings are normally selected for you in Auto mode but can give you extra control in situations where you’re unhappy with the results, e.g. where the camera’s auto white balance keeps changing between shots (common in artificially lit environments such as concerts), or where you want to use slow shutter speeds (usually with the phone on a tripod). Start by selecting an appropriate white balance, then a shutter speed suitable for the amount of action, then increase the ISO as necessary to achieve a suitably bright image in the viewfinder. Not all Pro modes on Galaxy phones are created equal, as some of the cheaper models don’t give you access to all of these settings (shutter speed selection, for example, isn’t available on some models), so check which options you have available. For some common scenes the Pro mode guide provides some starting values in a table.

4. Shoot Expert RAW for the keepers

Expert RAW is Samsung’s free camera app, compatible with the S20 Ultra and S21 Ultra, all S series flagships from the S22 onwards, all Z Fold phones from the Z Fold2 onwards and all Z Flip phones from the Z Flip6 onwards (Samsung doesn’t list compatibility with FE or A series phones). Expert RAW is best used for images you intend to edit later on. As well as the usual JPEG, Expert RAW saves a 16-bit Linear DNG file which Samsung claims offers a wider dynamic range than other RAW files because it combines multiple frames when capturing an image. This results in more scope for editing, particularly in images with both very bright and very dark elements, like sunsets in urban landscapes or waterfalls in shady forests. The DNG format allows you to bring out more detail in shadows and highlights than is possible with a JPEG file. Bear in mind though that these files are pretty big, so they’re probably best left for the shots that matter. Lightroom users will be pleased to learn that Samsung offers its own Expert RAW profile, which you can import into Lightroom. Our Expert RAW guide discusses this in more detail, including settings.

5. Is Auto mode good enough on a Samsung Galaxy?

Auto works extremely well in Photo mode in most situations in daylight. It can cope with evenly lit scenes, exposures are generally good and it’s quick. Scene optimiser (Scene detection in Samsung’s One UI 9) can even tweak colours when it recognises certain subject matter, food, for example.

When things get more challenging, though, Auto can struggle. Try shooting a sunset, for example, and it’ll likely underexpose as it’ll take in that bright sky. In low light it’ll resort to higher ISO settings and aggressive noise reduction, and with higher contrast scenes (say a person in front of a bright window) it’ll probably have to choose whether to expose for the shadows or the highlights.

In situations like these it’s worth trying Night mode for quicker handheld exposures, Pro mode to take control of settings, or Expert RAW if you plan on editing the shot later. Likewise, if you know you’re going to do some serious post-processing of any image, shooting in Expert RAW mode will give you much more information to work with than a processed JPEG.

6. Which app should I use to edit Galaxy photos?

The Gallery app that comes pre-installed on Samsung phones is all you need for cropping and straightening images and making adjustments to colour and tone. If you want more control over certain areas of an image, say brightening a person’s face without affecting the brightness of the sky, the free Snapseed app has those tools. If you shoot in Pro mode or use Expert RAW to capture images in Samsung’s implementation of the RAW format, you’ll want an app that can fully interpret DNG files. Lightroom mobile is the top choice. The VSCO app also works well and is a good option if you like the film-like looks you can achieve with its presets. Crop and straighten first, followed by white balance, exposure and contrast. Save sharpening and saturation for last and be conservative with your adjustments because it’s easy to go overboard when looking at a bright phone screen. And once you’ve established an editing workflow, stick with it. The photo editor guide compares the Gallery editor with the apps worth installing.

7. What are the best Galaxy settings for each type of photo?

Each style of photography has certain settings that are especially important. This table is a good place to start, but see the corresponding guide for a thorough discussion of settings for that style of photography. The Night mode guide covers the low-light rows in depth.

8. Pick the right phone

Expert RAW isn’t listed for any of Samsung’s midrange A series phones, though they still take great pictures in good lighting conditions (just know that you’ll be working with a smaller image sensor). If you’re willing to pony up for a flagship, Samsung’s Ultra phones offer the most imaging versatility. The Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Ultra both feature a 200MP main camera matched with a 5x telephoto, though the former uses an older 12MP ultrawide, making it the value pick. The Galaxy S26 Ultra ups the ante with an even brighter f/1.4 main camera (compared to f/1.7 on the S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra), and Samsung claims its main and 5x telephoto cameras capture 47% and 37% more light, respectively, than those found on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. All three phones shoot at 0.6x, 1x, 3x and 5x, so if you find last year’s model at a discount it could be worth a look. If you don’t mind giving up a degree of zoom, Samsung’s foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold7 have expansive internal displays that can double as handy viewfinders (particularly when recording video). The Samsung camera phone ranking compares every current model. Wondering if a Galaxy phone camera is better than a dedicated camera? Our Galaxy vs real camera comparison will tell you where each excels.