SAMSUNG GALAXY S21 ULTRA: Landscape Photography First Look From Start To Finish

[@myfakeguuglaccount8307]

It's so refreshing to see someone focus (heh heh) on something other than the iPhone; especially someone as talented as Brent.

[@BrentHall]

Many thanks, I appreciate that!

[@Tech305MIAMI]

Did you clean the phones lenses prior to taking the photos? Love your videos btw👍👍👍🔥🔥

[@ChillFantasticFive]

S21 main sensor is HM3 vs HM1 on s20 ultra. Improved light sensitivity, dynamic range, and something about 12 bit color 😀

[@BrentHall]

noted. My bad. Thanks for the info. :)

[@adyady3099]

hm1 was on xiaomi , s20 ultra had hm2

[@harryvlogs7833]

@@adyady3099 actually HM1 was on S20 ultra and HMX was on Xiaomi

[@dh-pf6re]

@@adyady3099 HMX & HM2 sensor can be used by other companies like xiaomi and oppo. but HM1 AND HM3 are only samsung exclusive. so, no other company will using HM1 AND HM3 sensor other than samsung.

[@martharetallick204]

If you bring us into a studio like that, you owe us a song! 😀

[@BrentHall]

Maybe someday. 😅😁

[@massimocrimi5796]

Always great video 👍👍👍 I am watching this video with my new S21 Ultra !!!

[@sleazymiguel6882]

S21 Ultra is on a different league Wow!

[@MrLanun8x]

To be honest, the photos from S21 Ultra are looking stunning might say samsung really doing well on it image processing chip on the HDR effect. Thanks for sharing the info from a real photographer review.👍

[@BrentHall]

You bet man, thanks for watching!

[@yaadal]

Love these vids , keep going bro 🔥.

[@BrentHall]

Thank you!

[@stx7389]

@@BrentHall its not the same sensor, it is significantly improved

[@Alexander0189]

Great video 😊. Just as a tip...you may already do this...but when I’m taking shots that involve me getting quite low to the ground I just flip the phone upside down and it’s much more comfortable taking the photo that way so your wrist remains straight 🙂

[@tkermi]

Very good video! 💯 A lot of information but also laid-back and comfortable to watch.

[@BrentHall]

Many thanks, I appreciate that!

[@dense_and_dull]

I have the S21 Ultra 5G and I have taken some of the best landscape photography yet. It has been a HUGE leap forward compared to my galaxy S10. The photographs I was able to take at Gila National Forest were stunning...

[@brianmsahin]

Excellent video Brent. This might be a silly question. Why did you feel you had to use a 3rd party app to take a time-lapse with the S21 Ultra? I have a Note10 plus (praying for Note21 Ultra!) and can get very good time-lapse, or hyper-lapse as Samsung call it. Is there something different about this app? I read some of the reviews and they're not really very good, so I'm wondering what it has that's better than the camera app.

[@BrentHall]

Thanks Brian! Yeah, there's a huge difference between the 3rd party app and the Samsung hyperlapse modes. The Samsung hyperlapse mode doesn't actually take pictures, it takes video and speeds it up. The 3rd party app I use allows me to not only take images, but it allows me to take raw images using the pro mode and then I have way more control over the editing and everything, plus then I can make long exposure blends from the stills if I want. I made a whole video about my workflow and why I do it that way. It's way more effort than it's worth for most people though.

[@TheDominiqueBallou]

S20 looks hazed as if it's a then film over the cleans the S21 is so clean

[@MrModikoe]

feel like he didn't wipe the back..

[@angelogarciajr5356]

I thought my S10 was fairly new. What happened to the S11 thru S19 lol ?? I am having a Rip Van Winkle moment. Thanks to you I am doing some time lapse stuff and now it takes up more time . Thx

[@carlose6010]

They jumped, to match the year.

[@Nadheem721]

6:37 turn off that beauty mode on the top right side and next time please confirm that you cleaned the lenses before taking shot

[@mykmcgrane]

I'm constantly wiping my lenses before I take shots (Note 20 U), every ten photos or so, or, just when I wanna make damn sure. Like a tic.

[@blahbleh5671]

nice, I was wondering why my regular 3:4 images were so much sharper than my old moto g4 13MP.

[@MrModikoe]

do you guys give the camera a quick wipe with a microfibre cloth or something? cause that makes a ton of difference

[@BrentHall]

Sometimes...when I remember...lol

[@exrog]

As an owner of the s20 ultra, I am very interested in seeing the difference between the s20 and s21 ultra's. As one comment on here stated, the s20 looked hazy compared to the s21 at about 5 minutes into the video. Have you noticed that in any other photos? Love your videos, especially about the s20 ultra.

[@evaristocorripio5434]

I think his lenses had smudges or something because definitely my s20 u doesn't look that bad.

[@The_Guvna]

The link for the editing software is dead. What software / version are you using in this video Brent?

[@BrentHall]

That's really weird. I'll have to fix that, thanks for looking out. I use Adobe Photoshop (and Bridge).

[@chashmuno2410]

Which one are you using exynos or snapdragon?

[@BrentHall]

Snapdragon

[@19Photographer76]

I just picked up the S21 ultra this w/e, but in your image at 7:40, there appears to be a halo on the far hillside (top edge).

[@aliahmadkhan6795]

this guy knew we were coming for astro😂😂 we need that video for sure !

[@BrentHall]

Of course I knew...my IG inbox has like 500+ dms telling me to get on it!

[@macfawlty]

It appeared as though the S21 handled the lens flare a lot better, which is definitely a big deal, IMO, particularly for video, where you’re moving around a lot with light sources hitting the lens. You might have reduced some of the haze in your edited images with a gradient mask.

[@Thomasmoney96]

Great vid and photos! The screen recorder on the 21 ultra has been a bit hit and miss on mine so far with it freezing or crashing. Do you notice any improvements in RAW with the new 12bit colour compared to the S20's 10bit? I hope you're well!

[@BrentHall]

Thanks! Iwas actually using ARZ Recorder, which is much better for my needs, and I'm pretty sure it was my fault and I just forgot to hit record that last time. I don't know how I feel about it yet, since those are literally the only images I've taken with it so far, but I do feel like there is a bit of improvement with the 12 bit and new sensor.

[@Thomasmoney96]

@@BrentHall ahh I see, I'll have to check that recorder out 👍 I'm glad that you're finding small improvements. To me it seems a lot more polished than the s20 ultra's system, the auto focus enhancer when getting really close to objects is one example of that which I really like.

[@dominicgrieve4486]

Can you REVIEW the 'NISI P1 PHONE FILTER KIT' ?

[@KevinNordstrom]

For landscapes you bet these modern phones can do amazing quality. For wildlife though you still need a good telephoto lens specially designed for sports or wildlife. Landscapes though these are beginning to bridge the gap

[@af4396]

Yah, I think it's COMPLETELY practical for a professional to just use the latest iPhone, Pixel or Samsung phones, with their respective pro modes or apps, for landscapes, cityscapes, and some portrait photography depending on what it is your looking for. However, the lack of responsive shutters on some, the lack of adjustable apertures, and the small sensor size make telephoto photography pretty bad compared to a Mirrorless or DSLR with APSC or Full frame sensors and lenses with incredibly sharp images and aperture ranges.

[@KurtBaumanMobilePhotography]

Looked like the s21 was really pushing the iso or shutter speed. When you showed the 2 photos side by side the s20 pic looked more natural. What are your thoughts so far between the 2?

[@BrentHall]

I don't know yet, those are literally the only images I've taken with it so far, so I'm gonna reserve thoughts until I get some more data/images.

[@stevefjordan]

I upgraded from the s10+ to s21u. And I thought the s10+ was nice. So are you gonna trade up your s20 u for the 21? The s21u pics do look a little bit nicer.

[@BrentHall]

Nice! I won't be able upgrade my S20 Ultra until I pay it off though. 😞 so I'll just have to steal my wife's phone whenever I want to make a video with it. 😅😁

[@SR-sg7qk]

Hey I have the s10plus right now and trying to decide if it's a great upgrade. What are your views on the upgrade you did?

[@SR-sg7qk]

Have you thought of using dig osmosis 3 gimbal heal on these 2?

[@skullmurdoc]

Just bought a Note 20 ultra for really cheap. But man, those S21 Ultra shot look way better. Would be nice to see a comparison between the S20 Ultra and the S21 Ultra. Unedited and edited. To see if S21 ultra is in another league once edited. Thanks for all your video. They are very informative.

[@orepoutanes]

You said in your video that you were going to make one with recommended settings for the s21, photography. Not uploaded one yet, thanks

[@a.m.2368]

Great photos, beautiful area. Did you notice any overheating with the phone?

[@BrentHall]

Thanks! I haven't noticed any overheating.

[@ingridkollmer6102]

I had the impression that it gets too hot around the cams, where the processor is.(When being in Video mode) Impression is very subjective and so I got the free App "CPU", where you sea the temperature.Nothing too hot so far, but I have to watch this, as I only spent 2 days with my first Samsung phone ever. update:4min. of 8K Video temperature at 43 degrees(2minutes same)Hopefully staying at this temperature(gamers after 1/2hour heavy gaming had 43degrees)

[@claudioletelier5110]

I like your channel..greetings from Chile ✌ looking forward to see some astrophotography

[@BrentHall]

Many thanks!

[@orshanti]

good stuff man! love you r videos! im just about to upgrade my old S7 for a new phone and trying to decide between this bad boy and the iphone 12 pro max. any insights for me? thanks! :)

[@BrentHall]

Thanks! That really depends on what OS you're comfortable with, and what you want out of the camera. The iPhone is great, and has an awesome camera, but it doesn't have pro mode for stills or video and is a completely different OS than your Samsung.

[@orshanti]

@@BrentHall thanks man! Pro mode is indeed a good one to have!

[@ingridkollmer6102]

Thanks for taking us with you on this out and in journey! If you would use an Gimbal,which one would this be for this phone.My Hohem SteadyX which worked fine for my Huawei Mate 20pro does not like the weight of the S21 Ultra.

[@BrentHall]

The only phone gimbal I've ever tried was the smooth x. It was okay. I don't normally do video on my phone though.

[@ingridkollmer6102]

@@BrentHall thanks a lot!

[@superdutyzack]

Shayne Mostyn has some videos of the S21 Ultra doing Astrophotography and it does an amazing job.

[@STVN20]

Hi Brent, I was wondering. . . How come you haven't feature any New Iphone camera reviews in your channel?

[@BrentHall]

Because I'm not a review channel. I'm just a working photographer and I use what I have. I've never bought or used an iphone and I never will. Nothing against it, just not what I want to spend my money on, and I certainly don't make enough money to just go out and buy anything I want just for a KZbin video. If someone sent me an iphone to try out, then I'd definitely try it and make a video about it, but I doubt that'll ever happen.

[@STVN20]

@@BrentHallHi Sir I'm sorry if I offended you or go across your understanding, I'm curious as to why you are choosing Samsung as your smartphone yet at the same time amaze on how flexible you adjust on the every unit you had. I'm also a Samsung fan but I do wonder like other photographers prefer Iphone. . . As a professional photographer, may I ask what is your opinion about choosing the smartphone? Or it only just depends on user's preference?

[@BrentHall]

No worries man, you didn't offend me at all. The iPhones, especially the 12 pro, have great cameras for sure, and their video is usually a little better than the Samsungs, especially with having more developed apps like Filmic Pro (yes android has Filmic Pro, but it's not as feature packed or polished as on IOS). The reason why I don't ever choose an iPhone is simple, I don't like the OS, design, and (certain) feature restrictions, and I'm a professional photographer, so I don't ever choose a phone just because of it's cameras. I choose a phone that I like overall, including the OS and all the other phone stuff, the cameras on the phones to me are just a perk, but I'm always going to take real images that I care about with my bigger cameras.

[@STVN20]

@@BrentHallThank you for the very well said answer, man. That somehow give some realizations and presepectives when it comes in choosing our daily drive smartphone. 🙂

[@Zain0_0]

Bro keep it up.. Love your style of videos.. i mean i love it when you show how you capture and edit both

[@BrentHall]

Thanks man, I really appreciate that!

[@deadlyalliance8281]

First two pictures you compared, the 21 had much better dynamic range, you can see a lot more detail in the trees of in the distance, and the picture as a whole looks less foggy. Not sure if you lens was dirty or if their was pollution in the air...

[@mkostial05]

Another great video. Keep them coming!

[@BrentHall]

Thank you Mike!

[@leaaae4638]

3:28 I am debating if I should buy the S21 Ultra or the S21 Plus. I also don't think I'll ever need the 100x. So I was wondering, if I don't ever take photo over 30x, will S21 Plus take same quality photo as S21 Ultra? for example, 3x and 10x photos. Will S21 Ultra take better quality as long as there is zoom?

[@phillippugh2161]

Been waiting for this review the 21 ultra Is a beast

[@BrentHall]

I've definitely got some more videos on it coming soon. :)

[@samsargdong1135]

Hi,thanks for the interesting realistic video.I would like to see more pics captured with the S21 ultra and know your opinion.Bye!

[@BrentHall]

Thanks! I will definitely do more with it, but those are literally the first and only images I've taken with it so far.

[@samsargdong1135]

@@BrentHall Ok. I'll be waiting for the next video. Bye!

[@pikefurios]

I don't think so, but is it possible to take good photos, with S21 Ultra, on fast moving objects like a running dog or a running, playing child? Maybe some youth playing soccer?

[@BrentHall]

I don't see why not. I did a video a while back on taking better action images with a phone. I think I was using a Note 10 or something, so it stands to reason that the S21 would be even better, but the point is the principles are the same.

[@ZeusOGaming]

Wonder how useful that 10x is for birding? Probably barely unless in perfect light I guess

[@BrentHall]

Unless that bird is less than 10 ft away and not moving, then I personally wouldn't bother.

[@dominicgrieve4486]

Love these videos

[@BrentHall]

Many thanks!

[@seventysevencats]

It's always interesting to see you test your phones. And this is why 90% of the camera reviews for phones are stupid and useless, because they have no real knowledge of photography and their 'taste' has been shaped by the phone manufacturers JPEG. They keep saying "this phone is sharper" not even realising it's just processing and not hardware and is actually uglier. Another one was reviewing cameras (S21U vs iPhone 12 Pro Max vs Pixel 5) including raw and was like "Here the iPhone 12 Pro Max wins because it has more details in the sky". That pic was obviously processed and had a huge colour banding in the sky. Reviewing stuff they don't understand... The S21 Ultra with Snapdragon seems to have a few good update, like 12 bit raws, slightly better dynamic range or low light, but I'll stick to my Note 20 for a while it seems. Especially now that I found a Gcam v8 that works well. Computational raw isn't always better than classic raw (like done by the Pro Mode on Samsung) but for some reason lightroom Mobile can never really clean the noise from Pro Mode raws while Gcam with it's luma and chroma denoiser is always cleaner. Strangely, even when it gets noisy, Lightroom has no issue to remove it. Here, that's the same with a JPEG/HEIC. What could different with the default raw that makes Lightroom unable to remove the noise? The only thing I'd love from the S21 Ultra is the 10x telephoto for landscape, to get much closer. 5x is a bit short after a while. Samsung should also offer bigger raw resolution. It seems that the last Xiaomi phones get the full sensor size (108mp), although I couldn't confirm it. Same for Huawei it seems.

[@BrentHall]

Thanks man, I really appreciate the kind words! I have wondered about the raw images and the noise issue with Adobe. I feel like maybe Adobe just isn't putting the raw profiles for phones as high on their list of important things to work on, but also, they're phone sensors...they maybe improving and impressive by some standards, but they're still pretty tiny, lol. I also really like the new telephoto lens on the S21, and I do think they are a bit better; however, when I take the same/similar shots with my S20U tele lenses and then edit them a bit, the difference is then quite negligible, which is good for me since I won't be upgrading until my S20 is paid off completely.

[@ChrisCrossingWires1212]

At the time of making it must have been hard liking at those screens but side by side is not hard at all. Hopefully you didn't clean your lens or you won't be happy with that s20. I'm happy with my Note 20 ultra for sure

[@harrivayrynen]

Has anyone seen downloadable raw images from S21 Ultra. It would be nice to get some raw photos and tweak those and see how good those are.

[@permbansal3377]

Watching on my s21 ultra

[@BrentHall]

Nice!

[@ItsLanceJv3]

Lies

[@permbansal3377]

@@ItsLanceJv3 How

[@ItsLanceJv3]

@@permbansal3377 not how but why... well i just can tell when people lie or not

[@permbansal3377]

@@ItsLanceJv3 Well you should work on that🙂

[@Vidsofgaming]

Thank you sir for the video. Would you care at all to compare the exynos vs the snapdragon versions of this phone? A lot of people are noticing differences of the way each camera handles things, especially colors, in photos and videos. It'd be cool to have an expert like yourself weighing in. Your work is much appreciated.

[@BrentHall]

I've heard there are differences, but I only have the Snapdragon version, so I can't do any comparisons.

[@Vidsofgaming]

@@BrentHall yes, many people are getting different results, even. Some people have the exynos version bringing realistic colors, anf others have the snapdragon version doing that. It's confusing honestly haha. Thanks you sir for the great and informative content. I appreciate it a lot.

[@alexcave7573]

Exynos chip issue sorted out in s21 ultra models as it performs on par with snapdragon and both cameras now pretty much equal as result

[@thecadschool3656]

the current phones are better than the digital cameras available in the past which use to 6mp to 12mp.

[@adamputraharyanto7079]

Nice video! But did you clean the phone lenses before it? Because it looks like not cleaned yet..

[@jakilahmoulien9070]

can u test sony xperia 1II in pro mode?

[@BrentHall]

Sorry, I can't. I don't have one of those phones.

[@CallLeeFree]

Nice video! Samsung has been over sharpening for years.. I wish samsung would give us a setting to set out own sharpening level.

[@BrentHall]

Thanks! I definitely agree. 🙂

[@ADEntertainment_JoyDaimari]

Hello new subscriber here, got recommended, very good video

[@BrentHall]

Thanks man, I appreciate that!

[@dominicgrieve4486]

WHAT SIZE FILTER IS COMPATIBLE WITH S20+ MOMENT CASE ? AND ALSO WHAT FILTER IS BEST FOR WATERFALL AND LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

[@MrCNMW]

For time-lapse using mobile devices needed your take on camera time-lapse mode that comes default in the mobile versus taking photos in pro-mode using intervelometer app. What are the advantages of using photos...is it just more control on the content or anything else. Would appreciate your views.

[@BrentHall]

Yeah, it's way more control, which for timelapses, I really like. I want the manual settings, and I also want the ability to have all the raw files to mess with and be able to take single stills from it or make long exposure blends from it. I've made videos about the whole process.

[@MrCNMW]

@@BrentHall Thank you. I got it. Will give it a try sometime.

[@ruslanNEstonia]

They have different sensors. S20 Ultra ISOCELL HM1 S21 Ultra ISOCELL HM3

[@BrentHall]

Noted, thanks.

[@claudioletelier5110]

Can the s21 record timelapse at 4k??

[@BrentHall]

hmm, idk, I haven't tried the basic timelapse features yet. It certainly can if you do it the hard way, using the Intervalometer app like I was going to, but that takes a lot of extra work.

[@APSTECH]

Mine gets heated up in 8-10 minutes & FPS drops & then Fortnite starts lagging too much...even a small game lags like basketball stars...I made a big mistake after buying the s21 ultra even Oneplus 8T is better than this! I’m selling it & buying 12 pro max 🔥

[@dominicgrieve4486]

BRENT I NEED HELP WITH MOMENT FILTERS FOR MY S20+

[@BrentHall]

I have a video called the complete guide to moment filters that might help you.

[@dominicgrieve4486]

@@BrentHall legend thanks bro, love the videos BTW man

[@dominicgrieve4486]

@@BrentHall from Sydney, Aus haha

[@KOOLBROTHA]

LMAO! Play with it yourself.... Every night my brotha🤥

[@carlose6010]

Well if you generally like pixelated photography, play with it yourself.

[@Shafil_03]

So much off topic.

[@jessiebirax9152]

Hi

[@sicr626]

Its not the same main sensor🤦‍♂️ its 3rd gen actually

[@BrentHall]

So I've been told...lol Thanks though, I appreciate the comment! :)

[@sicr626]

@@BrentHall np :)

[@Vektroid_]

Elon Musk vibes anyone?

[@anowarhossainpatwaryanowar4873]

IPhone 12 pero Maxx vedeo Quality good lm happy

[@brianbassett4379]

Pretty snobby sounding for a guy taking pictures with a phone. I'd love to see how much film this guy would have burned through to get a single picture. Everyone with a decent cell phone today is a "photographer".

[@BrentHall]

Wow, I've had a lot of really negative comments before, but I don't think I've ever been called snobby! I'm sorry I came across that way, it certainly wasn't intended. I did start on film cameras, back in the mid 90s. I didn't actually switch to digital until 2011. I definitely don't miss dealing with film, or the 100s of hours I spent in the dark room developing. Well anyways, I don't have defense to that accusation, nor do I have any ugly comebacks to throw out, so an apology will have to do. And yeah, anybody can be a photographer today, and I guess I'm the perfect example, because whether I'm any good or not, and for better or worse, it's my one and only job and it supports my family and me. I'm definitely always trying to get better though.

[@brianbassett4379]

@@BrentHall Would you prefer pretentious?

[@BrentHall]

Not really, I'd prefer positivity 🤣, but youtube is the wrong place to expect that, and I wouldn't have lasted very long on here if didn't have thick skin. Honestly, people have said way, way worse things to me and about me in the comments, so if you think I'm snobby or pretentious then I'll manage to get through it. 🙂

[@brianbassett4379]

@@BrentHall Color me surprised.

[@espr7564]

Boring vid 😱👎