We recently brought you complete review flag model Xiaomi mi 11 ultra. Since we received several specific questions about the specific features and functions of the camera after its publication, we decided to dedicate a separate article to the camera.
Learn what settings the built-in camera application offers, which lenses can be used in each mode, what smart features are available for video recording, and much more.
Basic division of functions and settings
The built-in camera application offers a number of modes and settings, which are divided into several sections. At the shutter button, there is a drop-down menu in which the following options are available: Pro, Video, Photography, Portrait a More. You can customize these items to your own preferences by clicking on the icon in the upper right corner of the item More.
Each of these items then offers various additional options at the top of the screen (if we hold the smartphone upright).
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra: Photo
The main part is Photography, from which classic photos are taken using all lenses except macros. You can switch between lenses by jumping using the options:
- 0.5x - ultra-wide
- 1x - main lens
- 2x, 5x, 10x, 120x - telephoto lens. The optical zoom is up to 5x, then after 10x magnification it is a so-called hybrid zoom, over 10x we only have digital zoom.
There is also a smooth scrolling on the scale from 0.5x to 120x. It is possible to zoom in the smallest steps of 0.1 (0.5, 0.6, 0,7, etc. up to 120).
In the second menu, flash (on, off, automatic and LED lighting), HDR (on, off, automatic), AI (on, off), Dynamiimages for taking pictures of movement or very short GIFs and videos. There are also filters and other enhancements that can, for example, narrow the hips, head or otherwise improve the figure of the photographed person.
The last item in this menu contains several elements. We have a choice here:
- aspect ratio - 1: 1, 3: 4, 9:16 and Full
- timer - 3s, 5s, 10s
- film frame - black stripes on the top and bottom
- hashtag
- Macro
- tilt-shift - blur the edges of a photo (circular or linear)
- timed burst - takes the selected number of photos (max 600) in the selected time interval (every 1 to 60 seconds, according to the choice)
- rear display - after the last update to MIUI 12.5.4, it is applicable to all lenses
- settings
The settings offer quite a wide range of options. We will mention at least some - watermark, shooting by pressing the volume down button without turning on the display, HEIF format, image quality settings and much more.
Video mode
With the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra you can record video with an ultra wide angle camera (0.5x), main (1x) or telephoto lens at 5x magnification. It is not possible to zoom as smoothly as in photo mode if there are only 3 mentioned options. Although zoom is available during video recording, it is unfortunately only digital in the range of 1x - 6x.
For video, the same settings are available in the top bar as for photos, with the only difference being that namiest AI here we have the so-called Steady stabilization in three levels. In the second and third levels, however, it is only available for 1080p 30fps resolution. However, you can see blurred vibrations in such a video. There are also filters for video and bokeh effect settings.
In other options you will find the setting of resolution and number of frames per second. The following are available for Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra:
- 720p / 30 fps
- 1080p / 30 and 60 fps
- 4K / 30 and 60 fps
- 8K / 24 fps
We can also turn on the movie frame, grid, tracking the selected object (only in 1080p 30 fps), AI camera (also only 720p or 1080p at 30 fps), subtitles and audio zoom. In the settings there is a so-called video tagging, where you can flag some moments during recording.
You can then use these to quickly skip to a specific point during video playback. However, this feature is also only available up to a maximum resolution of 1080p.
Basic image stabilization is available for all resolutions, but as we mentioned in the review of the Mi 11 and Mi 11 Ultra, the video blurs slightly during stabilization. We also have the option to turn off the screen after 3 minutes of video recording, sound settings with intelligent noise cancellation and 3D sound.
The settings also offer codec selection, HDR10 + for 4K and 8K, automatic reduction of frames per second for night video, and other settings such as display, color and sound adjustment. There are really a lot of settings and customizations, and the application is extremely sophisticated in this respect.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra: Portrait and Pro Mode
Portrait mode, which is also translated as "In height” is used for taking portraits with a blurred background, the so-called bokeh effect. The mode works well and the transition between a sharp figure and a blurred background is natural. Switching between different lenses is not available in this mode.
Of the options, we can only find an AI camera, various filters and a choice of aperture in the range of f1.0 to f16 (the lower, the more blurred the background). We have significantly fewer options in the settings than for a normal photo (see screenshot below).
Regime Pro serves for those who do not want to keep all settings to automatic, but want to set individual values themselves. White balance adjustment, manual focus, shutter speed (min 1/4000, max 30 s), ISO (max 12800), exposure compensation (-4 to +4) are available. There is also a lens option, where an ultra-wide, wide angle and telephoto lens with a fixed 5x zoom is available.
The function is interesting focus peaking, which highlights the edges of the objects you are focusing on in red. A similar principle is offered by exposure verification - red overexposed parts will be highlighted here and blue underexposed ones will be highlighted.
There is also a photo shoot in RAW or histogram display. All functions are nicely explained in the help, which appears after clicking on the letter "i". The settings of this mode offer fewer options than the standard mode, you can see them on the following screenshots:
Other interesting features
Camera main menu named “More” offers various functions for taking pictures and recording videos. Specifically, these are:
- Night mode - at 0.5x, 1x and 5x zoom
- 50 MPx photo - at 0.5x, 1x and 5x zoom
- Short video - 15 seconds in 720p 30 fps or 1080p 30 fps with the option to insert music in the background
- Panorama - in both horizontal and vertical directions
- Documents - we recommend reading our a separate article dedicated to this feature
- VLOG - Short videos automatically trimmed with interesting editing and music
- Slow motion - 720p or 1080p at 120, 240, 480, 960 or 1920 fps
- Time-lapse animation - at 720p / 30fps, 1080p / 30fps or 4K / 30fps
- Sticker avatars - detects a human face and replaces it with various avatars
- Video effects - Magic zoom, Slow shutter, Time freeze, Night time lapse and Parallel world (you can find an example of some in reviews on Xiaomi Mi 11)
- AI watermark - There are various watermarks to choose from from several categories such as date, time, location, various inscriptions, place names and more.
- Long exposure
We would look for many of them in the menu of photos or videos, but Xiaomi decided to place them in a separate menu. Many of them are self-governing, so we will not pay more attention to them. Let's just look at the more interesting ones.
50 MPx mode, VLOG and long exposure
When taking pictures in 50 MPx resolution is available HEIF a format that significantly reduces the size of the photo. Without the HEIF format, a 50 MPx photo has 32.86 MB, but in the HEIF format, the size is reduced to approximately 9 MB. This format is also available for standard photos in normal resolution, where the size is reduced from 5 MB to about 1.7 MB.
In mode VLOG you can make short videos with an interesting cut. There are 14 different effects to choose from, some of which need to be downloaded by simply clicking on the arrows in the lower right corner of the preview. Each of the modes also includes a demonstration, for a better idea.
The rotation of vlogs is always the same - you shoot several short videos, which are then automatically combined into one video using the selected effect. The application clearly accompanies you throughout the process. Videos have a resolution of 1920 x 1088 px.
There are several modes to choose from for long exposures, but you also need a tripod for some. Namely these are:
- Moving crowd - blurs the background behind the subject or blurs moving vehicles, while the surrounding buildings remain sharp
- Neon trails - captures the trajectory of moving lights (for example, car lights)
- Oil painting - for photographing moving clouds, which will create the effect of oil painting, or for photographing rivers or waterfalls with a blurred effect
- Light painting - captures a drawing of a light source (can be used, for example, when photographing inscriptions created by sparklers)
- starry sky - night sky photography with stars
- Star trails - shooting the movement of stars with a maximum shutter speed of up to 3 minutes
As you can see, the camera application in Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra offers really rich possibilities for creating various photos and videos. If you still haven't found the answer to your question about the camera, write to us in the comments and we'll try any specific feature for you, or look at the settings for what interests you.
The best price Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
If you are already a fan of our site, you have definitely seen the offer for the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra smartphone from the TradingShenzhen store. From our experience, this is the best store we have ever bought from China in recent years, and moreover, the price of this smartphone is amazing there.
Just recently we informed about the entry of Mi 11 Ultra into the Slovak market, while the official price was set at a high €1399. By purchasing through the aforementioned TradingShenzhen, you can get this piece for a much better 867 € in the same 12 + 256 GB version.
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