Tried using my phone to record a strange light in the sky over Phoenix last night but all I got was a blurry blob

I pointed my iPhone at this weird orange orb that was zigzagging over the desert for a good 3 minutes, but the video just looked like a smudge, so does anyone know a better way to capture stuff like this without spending $500 on a camera?

4 comments

4 Comments

dixon.james1mo agoMost Upvoted

Yeah that smearing thing happens with all phone cameras now. It's like the software is trying too hard to clean things up and ends up ruining the whole point. It's not just with weird lights in the sky either. Take a normal night shot of a city skyline or a concert stage and the same thing happens. Phones are just terrible at anything that isn't a well lit selfie or a picture of food. We're walking around with these million dollar camera systems that can't even capture a blurry silhouette properly. Makes you wonder what else we're missing because the tech is smoothing over all the rough edges of reality.

park.miles1mo ago

Hate to agree but you're totally right. Makes every "UFO" pic look like a blurry pancake.

murphy.tessa1mo ago

Oh man, I feel your pain! I tried filming the same thing last year during that big meteor shower and got nothing but a ghost blur. What finally worked for me was switching to the "pro" video mode or whatever your phone calls manual controls. I turned down the ISO as low as it would go and slowed the shutter speed way down, which helped a ton. Also propping my phone on the car roof instead of holding it made the whole thing way less shaky. It still wasn't perfect but at least you could actually see the shape instead of a greasy fingerprint.

the_rowan1mo ago

Phone cameras just aren't built for that kind of low light and movement, they compensate by smearing everything together. Try locking your focus and exposure on something dark first, then pan up to the light so it doesn't try to adjust and turn into a blurry mess. Also, using a cheap tripod or even propping your phone on a water bottle helps way more than you'd think for steadying things.