Galaxy S25 Camera Guide: Best Settings by Situation

The Galaxy S25 sticks with the same camera specs as the Galaxy S24, so mastering which camera to use in which lighting situation can help you get the best out of its triple rear camera setup.

All of this also applies to the Galaxy S25+, since according to GSMArena the two share the same camera setup.

The following table should give you a jumping-off point for which camera to use in different situations, and we’ll break everything down in more detail following the table.

Unfortunately, we haven’t tested these settings on an S25 ourselves, but they’re all based on information from Samsung as well as the camera results from GSMArena’s review of the S25 (proper credit given throughout).

Galaxy S25 settings by situation

Check our Galaxy S25 settings page for more starting values depending on the circumstance.

Why the main camera does most of the work

According to GSMArena, images taken with the main camera of the S25 are very similar to those of the S24 in terms of overall image quality. Detail levels and dynamic range were good, and colours were fairly neutral. Optical sharpness could have been better, GSMArena says, and images taken indoors were especially soft.

Results with the 50MP shooting mode were mixed, GSMArena says. Images had flatter overall image quality, but fine details, such as the tiles on the side of a building, were captured better. Use this mode in bright light for photos you plan to crop.

GSMArena found that photos taken with the 3x telephoto camera were OK, but nothing special. Detail levels were good for a 10MP camera, GSMArena says, but nighttime images were washed out and noisy, and Night mode helped only marginally.

Subject separation in Portrait mode was good at 1x, 2x and 3x, GSMArena says, though facial details were a bit soft at 3x. That’s why the table recommends using 2x if facial details are important.

Autofocus isn’t supported by the ultrawide. On GSMArena’s unit the ultrawide’s lens wasn’t correctly aligned, which is why buildings in the distance looked a bit soft. GSMArena put it down to a one-off fault, as their S25+ review unit behaved as expected. Should you run into this issue nonetheless (the ultrawide will take soft pictures regardless of the distance), take some pictures with the ultrawide and the main camera to check for yourself how big the difference is. And if it is big, get in touch with Samsung.

GSMArena noticed that the S25’s automatic Night mode wasn’t very keen to kick in on its own, and pictures taken with Night mode on (either through the Night shot toggle in Photo mode or through the dedicated Night mode you’ll find in More, as the S26’s new Night control in Photo mode doesn’t make it to the S25) looked way better than pictures taken without. They also had problems getting the S25 to take pictures with Night mode enabled at 2x and 3x. Our Night mode guide covers when a longer capture is worth it.

Galaxy S25 camera specs

While an earlier revision of this article named 8K video as a feature exclusive to the Ultra, it turns out the S25 also shoots 8K30. Where the Ultra does pull ahead is with its 200MP main camera and 50MP ultrawide, as well as a 5x telephoto. Our S25 Ultra camera guide covers that phone.

Galaxy AI, Expert RAW and Log

On the S25, the Expert RAW app brings Virtual Aperture (simulates changing the lens aperture for shallower/deeper depth of field), and Samsung also added Audio Eraser (removes unwanted sounds from videos). Expert RAW is available for free from Galaxy Store, and the S25 is on Samsung’s list of phones that support it. The Galaxy S25 camera can shoot Log videos (Galaxy Log) for post-processing/colour grading, and with the One UI 8.5 update (stable version rolled out in May 2026) it gets the option to preview LUTs while recording Log videos. 10-bit HDR video recording is enabled by default, and the S25 launched with a newer version of Samsung’s ProVisual Engine.

After receiving the One UI 9 update (stable version rolled out starting late September), the Galaxy S25 camera app gains Super Steady video mode with Horizontal Lock (up to QHD at 60fps) and a new Dual Recording screen layout (vertical split). With the One UI 8.5 and One UI 9 updates, the Galaxy S25’s Gallery app gains almost all new photo features that debuted with the Galaxy S26, including making edits using text prompts with Photo Assist, bringing an object from one photo to another, Creative Studio, real-time Audio Eraser and Private album.

What the Galaxy S25 doesn’t get after the One UI 9 update: Night control in Photo mode, 24MP resolution option in Photo mode (can still capture 24MP photos using the Expert RAW app) and a few frame rate options in Pro video mode. Our One UI 8.5 photo features guide lists every feature by phone.

Updates and who the S25 suits

Samsung promises seven generations of OS upgrades (so One UI 9 based on Android 17 is its second upgrade, as it launched with Android 15) and seven years of security updates, so if you buy a Galaxy S25 you can expect support to run into the early 2030s.

If camera performance is your top priority, GSMArena suggests looking at the Xiaomi 15 or Google’s Pixel 9 Pro instead. Otherwise, if you like the sound of the Galaxy S25, GSMArena says you could also consider last year’s Galaxy S24, which should be cheaper now. It describes the Galaxy S25’s camera as dependable overall and lists few generational upgrades among the phone’s weaknesses. If you want a compact Galaxy phone with Log video and a 3x telephoto camera, then the S25 suits you.

• If you just want the same (on paper) camera for less money, go with the Galaxy S24. Our S24 vs S25 camera comparison highlights what you’re getting with the newer phone.
• The Galaxy S26 FE gives you another way to get 3x zoom. Expert RAW isn’t available on FE models though.
• If you want longer zoom, the Galaxy S26 Ultra ups the ante with a 200MP main camera and a 5x prism telephoto.