As Google Camera’s Night Sight and Astrophotography biggest advocate, the following news has me pretty pumped up. Spotted by the good people at XDA, code in an updated version of the Pixel Tips app hints at an upcoming feature for the beloved Google Camera. As detailed, “CameraAstrotimelapseSettingController” is mentioned, pointing directly to the potential for a new Astrophotography Time-Lapse feature.
What does it mean, though? Well, with the way the current Astrophotography mode works, the camera snaps a shot of the night sky over the course of a 4-minute max period of time, allowing for ample light to hit the sensor and for the night sky to really take shape. A time lapse, on the other hand, is great for capturing the movement of celestial bodies over the course of not minutes, but hours. For example, you’ve probably seen shots like this, where trails of stars are photoed by capturing multiple images as they move across the night sky and then stacked into a single image using special software. Photographers have long used the star Polaris (the North Star) to make it appear that all other stars are arcing around it. It makes for a great shot, and with an Astro Time-lapse mode, this would be easily possible with smartphones.
These are the sort of features that can capture a phone buyer’s imagination, just the sort of thing I’ve been hoping to see Google bake into a new flagship device. If this feature indeed launches onboard the Pixel 6 lineup, there will be plenty of astrophotography nerds, including myself, lining up to give this feature a try.
Bring it on, Google.
// XDA
Killer feature? I dont think so.
I would call it an Interesting feature but not something that would lure the avg person to a pixel. Very niche audience that wants to put their phone on a tripod for 4 hours to make blury star trails.
Was literally just thinking this. I don’t even take that many night shots to begin with for the feature to be that useful for me.
who can be away from their phone on a tripod for hours while it is photographing the night sky? just look at NASA pictures instead.
People sometimes sleep in tents…. It’s called camping…
Glamping lol
Sounds cool, but, let’s be honest here; no one outside of Android sites is going to be motivated to purchase a Pixel because of this.
Even some folks who read Android sites are not too interested in this. <-- Me
While that may be true, it’s one of the reasons that’s actually keeping me on a Pixel.
Camera performance/processing is a huge strength of the Pixel line and a mode like this only adds to that arsenal.
It was a huge strength, until everyone else caught up to what Google was doing in mobile photography. Apple has been, and continues to, eat everyone’s lunch in video capture, however.
Apple still has nothing on Google’s astrophotography mode which is a mode I personally use more than video capturing…so yes still a huge strength to me.
A huge strength of a Lamborghini is its performance yet a Bugatti outperforming it in some aspects doesn’t change that fact whatsoever.
Nobody can match the quality of pictures the Pixels get with a single lens, and these new Pixels are expected to leap ahead of the pack once again… this time with video improvements in tow and a 4k selfie..
Keep telling yourself that, and one day it might actually become true.
Yet video editing is used to justify the purchase of an iPhone when everyone knows it’s better to be done on a PC or Mac.
At least this feature can get practical use for anyone who likes to camp or anyone who enjoys star gazing.
Hopefully not with the same camera hardware Pixel has been using for the last 3 years. Seriously though, how often would someone use this camera feature? Wouldn’t it be better to improve the front facing selfie camera that gets used almost daily by most people?
Leaks say the selfie will now capture 4k and the main cameras are also said to get major improvements in both stills and video.