Google teased a new night mode feature, dubbed Night Sight, during the launch of the Pixel 3[1] (Review[2]), which promised seemingly huge improvements in low-light photo quality. Now, the company is officially rolling out this feature[3] for its entire range of Pixel smartphones. Unofficially, Night Sight has been out in the wild for a few weeks, and a member of the XDA Developer forums managed to modify Google's[4] Camera app to enable it on any Pixel smartphone. Since then, we've also had ports[5] for the OnePlus 6[6] (Review[7]) and OnePlus 6T[8] (Review[9]) and just recently, we also got ports[10] for Xiaomi's Poco F1[11] (Review[12]) as well as Xiaomi Mi 8[13].
In this article, we'll be taking a deep dive into how Night Sight works, what the results look like, and how you can get it on your Google Pixel smartphone.
What Is Night Sight and how does it work?
The main goal of the Night Sight shooting mode is to reduce noise and improve details in images shot in dark environments. In traditional photography, the simplest way to achieve this is by using a slower shutter so the image sensor can take in more light. However, without a tripod, motion blur can become a big problem if you (or even the subject) move(s) even slightly. This technique on a smartphone can yield disastrous results, since these are almost always used handheld.
Night Sight for Google Camera App Rolling Out Now to Pixel Smartphones [14]
When you see Night Sight in action, it seems like pure wizardry. In reality, it works on the basis of...