Myth debunked: Samsung’s 100X zoom doesn’t fake moon photos

30 January 2021
It was believed that the moon photos produced by the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra are faked textures of the moon.

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I don't understand what's going on here. Why is the Sony picture so bad? There's no way that image was really taken will a full-frame camera with a 600mm lens.

I got a really detailed photo of the moon, craters and everything with a Lumix G9 with a Leica 100-400mm lens.

    Yuri84, 30 Jan 2021My conclusion after reading the source of the article is si... moreSuspect you're a proud owner of expensive DSLR or Mirrorless camera which was brutally bitten by Galaxy S21 Ultra smartphone. And it perfectly explains your response. The moon picture coming from that phone is REAL, make no mistake! This is not a product of AI imagination, this is how Moon looks in reality. And it doesn't matter how S21 Ultra achieved this. S21 Ultra Moon shot represents the real object - Moon - indeed, whatever you believe / like it or not. Sure Sony Alpha epic failure Moon shot is real too but who needs it?

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • 8sP
      • 30 Jan 2021

      An insult to Sony mirrorless.

        YUKI93, 30 Jan 2021Lol please, professionals never use computation photography.Is that why your professional A7R ended up with a mess like that?

          Android-Authority, 30 Jan 2021Just because Huawei was caught with inserting moon textures... moreLol please, professionals never use computation photography.

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            • AnonD-762416
            • d$y
            • 30 Jan 2021

            Yuri84, 30 Jan 2021My conclusion after reading the source of the article is si... moreThe classic half and half arguments, to make a "point" that's completely opposite.
            It's using the same algorithms as any other post processing phone. Samsung just have a heck of a lot more pixels and zoom to work with than other brands.
            It is the reason I'm taking "benchmarks" like DXOmark with a pinch of salt, as 99% of what they test have been optimized in manufacturer software to get the best scores on their specific testing methodology.

              The guy can't even use a regular camera.
              There is no way a full frame camera with a 600mm lens can take that horrible photo.
              He even says that he got a blurrier image using the manual focus.

              gsmarena should delete this article.

                Just because Huawei was caught with inserting moon textures inside the image, doesn't mean Samsung will do the same.

                The mirrorless camera simply got beat by a smartphone due to the power of computational photography. Can't wait to get my hands on the S21 Ultra when it arrives.

                  There's a reason why prosumer and professional photographers prefer to use DSLR or Mirrorless camera for astrophotography, and this article perfectly explains it.

                    My conclusion after reading the source of the article is simple:
                    Samsung uses AI algorithms to "artistically reconstruct a higher-resolution version of the original image". Meaning the image shown is a render made by computer, and not a direct representation of the object seen by the camera. Thus, "super resolution" simply means "the way I imagine it to be".
                    In short, the moon pictures are fake. They're not photographs. They're renders. Renders are not photographs, they're computer-generated imitations.

                    The author of the source article has a different impression. They create a new definition of the word "fake" and use it to justify Samsung's creative render as being "real". Simply because it does not use a pre-made pre-rendered readily-available super-resolution image of the moon that is applied directly to the photograph, but uses AI to create something that resembles a fusion of the moon and the photo taken.

                    Simply speaking, we disagree.

                    The sad part is how GSMArena made this into a clickbait news article. I really hate how GSMArena is becoming a yellow press with lots of clickbait titles.

                      Hmm, I can get at the least as good moon-pictures with an over five year old pocket camera....
                      https://eskerahn.dk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/P1030652_R2.jpg
                      From https://eskerahn.dk/?p=23
                      (and it was not even winter but May 2015)

                      Sure it is impressive that the S21 can do it, but the guy that tried to operate the Sony must have fumbled quite a bit, IMHO....

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                        • Eh what
                        • 0sD
                        • 30 Jan 2021

                        You want people to believe this experiment while showing such a lousy image from Sony ff mirrorless with 600mm lens?
                        In original article, the guy says that Sony is mounted in tripod with oss and ibis on. Well, that should give away his deep photography and experiment skills.

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                          • Frank
                          • mH1
                          • 30 Jan 2021

                          just having a beer, 30 Jan 2021I'm surprised about no one actually commenting on the ... moreThis ⬆️ 100 times over, he should be ashamed of himself

                            Yuri84, 30 Jan 2021"Software captures multiple images to create one high ... moreYes, but there is limitations. Stacking more images increases the resolution of an image because the pixels cover each other on an different image. So with multiple image stacking, with an RGB sensor, you can achieve monochrome camera level detail. Since monochrome cams don't have filters and can take more light, they capture mode detail and less noise overall. That's why Huawei ditched the mono sensor it has been using, since software can overcome those. Stacking images also decreases noise, which means you don't need to use noise reduction.

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                              • Anonymous
                              • 0w6
                              • 30 Jan 2021

                              Its fake, Samsung only mix AI.

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                                • Anonymous
                                • m5J
                                • 30 Jan 2021

                                My moon pictures on my Huawei device are looking way better than this.. haha

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • pN4
                                  • 30 Jan 2021

                                  Yuri84, 30 Jan 2021"Software captures multiple images to create one high ... moreYou have to stack RAW images and have the noise corrected to get a useful image, like on SLRs. Stacking JPEGs isn't going to give more detail I reckon.

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                                    • Cynic
                                    • tZj
                                    • 30 Jan 2021

                                    Samsung faked the 100x zoom of the moon since S20 Ultra. This is going to be hard for Samsung fanboys to swallow!

                                      CHINESE BRANDS FANS, 30 Jan 2021Only haters would say it is an fake image. Many asks how it... more"Software captures multiple images to create one high res images"
                                      Does that mean that if I put S21 on tripod and take 1000000000000000000 pictures of the moon, I can upscale the image and see individual rocks on the moon? Because, like, more pictures = more details, and it's not like the moon is going anywhere... Surely advanced AI can compensate predictable orbital movement, and there's not much change in the moon's surface.

                                        • r
                                        • reimbe
                                        • Lhe
                                        • 30 Jan 2021

                                        just having a beer, 30 Jan 2021I'm surprised about no one actually commenting on the ... moreSame thought. I made moon photos with a MFT camera and they are on the same level as the Samsung. Hence the Sony pictures is "faked". You really have to put forth an effort to produce such a lousy picture.

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