Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s AI wizardry produces stunning photos

Is it time to put away the idea of a proper DSLR camera and just leave the photography to the AI wizardry in your phone? Check out these photos and tell us what you think

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra put to the test. Photos: Mark Furler

For stunning images that will have your followers on social media going ‘wow’, Samsung’s flagship Galaxy 23 Ultra phone is hard to beat.

I’ve been putting its four camera system to the ultimate test, shooting everything from the moon to surfers at a distance.

The results have been pretty mind-boggling.

Add to the mix the fact you now have a 200 megapixel primary camera, and also the option to shoot in 12 MP or 50MP mode, means the S23 Ultra is arguably the best phone camera device in 2023 and unlikely to be beaten.

Is it perfect though? No, far from it.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra does an amazing job in shooting action for a phone – even at 10 times zoom. Photo: Mark Furler

Blow up your photos on a 27 inch screen and you will see noise, particularly if you have fast moving action a 10 times zoom against harsh light.

But if you are posting photos on social media, or even doing big prints of static landscape images using the 200MP camera, you will generally be pretty happy with the results.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra did a nice job capturing the reflections on the water as the sun was going down. Photo: Mark Furler

Samsung says it has worked hard to reduce visual noise in low light images through a new AI-powered image signal processing (ISP) algorithm that enhances object details and colour tone.

That certainly can be seen in shots taken at night.

Samsung Galaxy S23 has a digital zoom which can go up to 100 times. At 30 times, you can get pretty decent images of the moon at night. Photo: Mark Furler

Overall, Samsung’s photos are generally more vibrant and vivid than those I’ve taken on my iPhone.

Purists would say the iPhone photos are more natural looking.

If you are fussy, you have a whole range of settings you can manually change in the S23 Ultra.

Samsung phone are known for their super vibrant colours.

You can also shoot in 16 bit RAW so you can play around even more in Lightroom or other photo editing programs.

The biggest difference between the iPhone camera and the S23 ultra is still in zoom power.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra does a great job taking a sunrise snap, especially when you have such a great model in Ava.

Samsung has a 10 times optical zoom which shoots remarkably good photos in daylight, even for action shots like surfing.

In comparison, the iPhone has a three times optical zoom, though you can push the boundaries using digital zoom.

Both have an ultra wide 12 MP f2.2 camera.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra wide angle lens is handy for super tight shots like this one. Photo: Mark Furler

The S23 Ultra’s 200MP camera offers what is called pixel binning to be able to shoot in 200MP, 50MP or 12MP formats.

Shooting at 200MP you can expect an image that might be 40 to 50 megabytes in size which gives you a lot more scope to zoom in one part of the image without loss of resolution.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra did well picking up the detail of the wave shooting against the harsh sunlight. Photo: Mark Furler

To most people the 200MP shooter is not a game changer – and certainly not the only reason you would upgrade from last year’s model, but it’s nice to know you have it, especially if you are capturing a special family moment you might want on your wall at home.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra took this photo of the storm clouds over Noosa which was featured on the home page of the Courier Mail recently. Photo: Mark Furler

You do notice shutter lag – a slight delay – when shooting at 50MP or 200MP – so if you are covering movement or shooting a concert or birthday party at night you are better to use 12MP.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra did a pretty decent job picking up the sunlight through the trees.

The Expert RAW app also adds a whole lot more creativity options.

We’ve seen some stunning Milky Way photos with the Astrophoto settings, while you can also do multiple exposure photo art.

The extra zoom means you can capture high flying action well beyond the wave breaks, though it can be a bit grainy at times.

What is even more impressive, however, is just how good the cameras work in capturing complex images just on the normal settings.

Scene optimisation AI means for the most part tones are captured well, as are different exposure levels.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra did a good job in picking up the reflections of the cloud on the water as well as the waves crashing against the rocks in the background. Photo: Mark Furler

Image stabilisation has also been doubled which will help those shooting action or without a steady hand.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra did well capturing high flying action.

We took some photos of windsurfers as they were flying through the air at 10 times zoom. The results were pretty incredible.

The same came to shooting surfers, even at a distance. The better optical zoom makes all the difference.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra put to the test.

When it comes to video, you can shoot in up to 8K, though the cinematic mode is still not as good as that on the iPhone.

The 23 Ultra has a faster, more efficient Snapdragon processor which is great for gamers and higher end photo and video editing. A more efficient processor also means a better battery life which will appeal to travellers.

While I am yet to check out the iPhone 14 Pro Max or the Google Pixel 7 Pro, based on reviews I’ve read, the S23 Ultra will be tough to beat in the camera department, though it’s not a cheap phone with prices starting around $1700.

Originally published as Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s AI wizardry produces stunning photos