Unlocking Pixel 3A's Camera Modes

The Google Pixel 3a offers a range of camera modes, including Night Sight, Portrait Mode, and Panorama. The phone also has a selfie camera with face retouching, a timer, and HDR+. The camera app is simple and easy to use, with a basic level of image quality adjustment through white balance presets. The phone also has a More tab with extra shooting modes, including Photo Sphere, Photo Booth, Slow Motion, and Time Lapse.

Night Sight mode

The Night Sight mode can be found in the "More" tab of the camera app, along with other shooting modes such as Photo Sphere, Photo Booth, Slow Motion, and Time Lapse. The camera will also prompt you to use Night Sight mode when it detects low-light levels.

When using Night Sight mode, you can hand-hold the Pixel 3a for up to 6 seconds and still get sharp, well-exposed photos. The mode is also more effective when the phone is stabilised, allowing for a longer exposure and a cleaner image.

The final output of Night Sight mode is remarkable, with a fair amount of detail and impressive post-processing that aligns the images, denoises them, and adjusts the colour and contrast.

One issue that may arise when shooting in Night Sight mode is focusing. While the camera can enhance the image after the shutter button is pressed, it cannot adjust or improve the focus. To help with this, the app lets you select whether the subject is "near" or "far", but these terms are very vague and it can still be challenging to nail the focus.

Portrait mode

One difference between the Pixel 3a and the Pixel 3 is that the former crops into the image more in Portrait mode, meaning you have to step back to get the subject fully in the frame.

Camera app gestures

The camera app on the Pixel 3a supports several gestures:

• Double-tapping the power button opens the camera app.
• Double-tapping the viewfinder zooms in.
• Twisting the phone in your hand while the camera app is open switches between the front and back cameras.

Camera modes and settings

The Google Pixel 3a has a range of camera modes and settings that allow you to take photos in various conditions and environments.

The camera app is simple and easy to use, with a basic level of image quality adjustment, mostly through white balance. The app has no Pro mode, but there is a RAW capture option for advanced photographers.

The camera modes include:

• Portrait mode: This mode is used to create a shallow depth of field effect, blurring the background while keeping the main subject in focus.
• Panorama mode: This mode allows you to capture a wider field of view by stitching together multiple images.
• Video mode: The Pixel 3a can record videos in up to 4K resolution at 30fps. You can also shoot in Full HD or 720p at 30 or 60fps.
• Night Sight mode: This mode is designed for low-light photography, capturing multiple exposures and merging them to create a well-lit image.
• Photo Sphere: This mode allows you to capture 360-degree photos by stitching together multiple images.
• Photo Booth: This mode takes a series of photos and lets you choose the best one.
• Slow Motion: This mode allows you to capture videos at a higher frame rate, which can be slowed down to create a slow-motion effect.
• Time Lapse: This mode captures photos at set intervals, which can be combined to create a time-lapse video.
• Playground: This mode adds animated AR stickers to your photos.
• Google Lens: This mode uses Google's AI to identify objects, landmarks, and text in your photos, providing information and translations.

In addition to these modes, the Pixel 3a also has a standard "Camera" mode, which is the default setting when you open the camera app. This mode is suitable for most lighting conditions and general photography.

The camera also has a few gestures and accessibility features:

• Double-tapping the power button will quickly launch the camera app.
• Double-tapping the viewfinder will zoom in.
• Twisting the phone while the camera app is open will switch between the front and back cameras.
• The "Motion" feature can be turned on to record a short video clip alongside each photo.
• A timer can be set for 3 or 10 seconds, or turned off completely.
• HDR+ can be turned on or off and set to always-on in the settings.
• RAW shooting can be activated in the settings, allowing you to capture images in RAW format in addition to JPEG.

The camera also has a simple slider for adjusting brightness and an option to tap the screen to select a focus point.

Overall, the Google Pixel 3a offers a good range of camera modes and settings, making it a versatile camera for both casual and more advanced photographers.

Camera performance

The Google Pixel 3a has a 12.2-megapixel camera with an f/1.8 aperture, dual-pixel phase detection autofocus, and optical stabilisation. The camera app is simple and easy to use, with a basic level of image quality adjustment through white balance settings. The app also has a RAW capture option, although these images are composite rather than a single data dump from the sensor.

The camera has a range of modes, including:

• Night Sight
• Portrait mode
• Panorama
• Photo sphere
• Photo booth
• Slow motion
• Time lapse
• Playground (animated AR stickers)
• Google Lens

The camera has excellent low-light performance, with the Night Sight mode producing clean and detailed images, even in near-pitch-black conditions. The camera also performs well in daylight, producing images with good exposure, detail, and colour accuracy. The camera has a tendency to go cooler, giving images a slightly bluer look.

The front-facing camera is 8MP and has a wider field of view than the standard camera on the Pixel 3 XL. However, images are softer and noisier, with worse dynamic range.

The Pixel 3a can record video at a maximum of 4K resolution at 30fps. It also has a Super Res Zoom feature, which produces good results at 2x zoom but is no match for a proper telephoto lens at higher zoom levels.

Frequently asked questions