What is "Auto (3s)"?

[Ambrosia7177]

On my iPhone 11 ro Max with iOS13, when I am in the Camera.app and in "Photo" and I click on the arrow at the top of the screen, and then the icon in the bottom menu that loks like a combination of a moon with horizontal ribs, I get a scale that has "Auto (3)" in the center.

I have no clue what this is...

 

[cdcastillo]

It waits 3 seconds to take the photo after you click the shutter (so you can pose, I suppose)

EDIT: I was wrong, AlecEdworthy is right, it's an indicator of long shutter time (higher exposure)

 

[AlecEdworthy]

Is this in low light situations? If so it could be the low light mode telling you it will use a 3s shutter time (with auto stabilisation etc). It certainly sounds like the icon I see on my iPhone 12 running iOS 14 in lower light situations.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Is this in low light situations? If so it could be the low light mode telling you it will use a 3s shutter time (with auto stabilisation etc). It certainly sounds like the icon I see on my iPhone 12 running iOS 14 in lower light situations.View attachment 975735

That is indeed the icon I am seeing.

Right now I am at the library, and when I go into Camera.app and then "Photo", in the upper menu bar, I see...

1.) A Lightning Rod that has a dash through it - presumably meaning the flash is turned off?

2.) That icon you show above, where mine now says "5s" (I do have my lens cap on my Beastcage...)

3.) Then for some very frustrating reason, the "Live Photo" option keeps getting turned off?!


I'm not understanding what the icon above is saying or doing..

If you can please edumacates me on all of this that would be appreciated.

Also if someone could help me figure out why the "Live" option keeps getting turned off that would be appreciated as well

 

[C DM]

1.) A Lightning Rod that has a dash through it - presumably meaning the flash is turned off?

That sounds right.

2.) That icon you show above, where mine now says "5s" (I do have my lens cap on my Beastcage...)

Seems like the following information from Apple might have more details about it:

Use Night mode on your iPhone - Apple Support

On supported iPhone models, you can use Night mode to capture photos when the camera detects a low-light environment.

support.apple.com

3.) Then for some very frustrating reason, the "Live Photo" option keeps getting turned off?!

Check your selections (in particular for Live Photo) under Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings.

Also, from Apple's information linked above, there's this:

"When your iPhone is in Night mode, Live Photos and the flash aren't active. You can turn these features on manually. Keep in mind that turning on Live Photos or the flash deactivates Night mode."

 

[Ambrosia7177]

That sounds right.
Check your selections (in particular for Live Photo) under Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings

I had Settings > Camera > Live Photo = On set.

Settings > Camera > Camera Mode was Off, but that doesn't seem like it would impact the "Live Photo" option.

So what is happening?

 

[C DM]

I had Settings > Camera > Live Photo = On set.

Settings > Camera > Camera Mode was Off, but that doesn't seem like it would impact the "Live Photo" option.

So what is happening?

Having the Live Photo preserve settings option turned on means that it will retain the last state of what Live Photo is set to -- meaning if it you have Live Photos turned off then it will keep them turned off until you change that.

That said, seems like there's something else that might be in play in relation to Live Photos (and flash) when it comes to Night Mode based on what Apple mentions:
"When your iPhone is in Night mode, Live Photos and the flash aren't active. You can turn these features on manually. Keep in mind that turning on Live Photos or the flash deactivates Night mode."

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Having the Live Photo preserve settings option turned on means that it will retain the last state of what Live Photo is set to -- meaning if it you have Live Photos turned off then it will keep them turned off until you change that.

That said, seems like there's something else that might be in play in relation to Live Photos (and flash) when it comes to Night Mode based on what Apple mentions:
"When your iPhone is in Night mode, Live Photos and the flash aren't active. You can turn these features on manually. Keep in mind that turning on Live Photos or the flash deactivates Night mode."

Can you explain what "Night Mode" is and how to turn it on and off?

It sounds like maybe my iPhone is acidentally in Night Mode and that is screweing up me wantng to always have "Live Photo" on?

Maybe it also explains that strange moon icon?

 

[C DM]

Can you explain what "Night Mode" is and how to turn it on and off?

It sounds like maybe my iPhone is acidentally in Night Mode and that is screweing up me wantng to always have "Live Photo" on?

Maybe it also explains that strange moon icon?

Seems like Apple has various details about it in the earlier linked article:

Use Night mode on your iPhone - Apple Support

On supported iPhone models, you can use Night mode to capture photos when the camera detects a low-light environment.

support.apple.com

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Seems like Apple has various details about it in the earlier linked article:

Use Night mode on your iPhone - Apple Support

On supported iPhone models, you can use Night mode to capture photos when the camera detects a low-light environment.

support.apple.com

I'll have to check tomorrow, but when I posted here I had my lens cap on, so it sounds like my iPhone thought it was dark outside and switched to "Night Mode"?

Is there a way to disable "Night Mode"?

And does this apply to iOS 13 which is what I have currently?

 

[Sikh]

I'll have to check tomorrow, but when I posted here I had my lens cap on, so it sounds like my iPhone thought it was dark outside and switched to "Night Mode"?

Is there a way to disable "Night Mode"?

And does this apply to iOS 13 which is what I have currently?

If you set the flash to auto or on, it'll disable night mode. Night mode kicks in if your flash is off and if the camera doesn't capture a lot of light. That's when the software kicks in with the image processor and brightens up the image with whatever light it can capture + artificial light.

Here's more detailed info on Night Mode: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211306

Is this your first iPhone with Night Mode? Night Mode has been out since iPhone 11 and iOS 13 so last year this time

 

[C DM]

I'll have to check tomorrow, but when I posted here I had my lens cap on, so it sounds like my iPhone thought it was dark outside and switched to "Night Mode"?

Is there a way to disable "Night Mode"?

And does this apply to iOS 13 which is what I have currently?

Has the linked information related from Apple been of some assistance?

 

[Ambrosia7177]

If you set the flash to auto or on, it'll disable night mode. Night mode kicks in if your flash is off and if the camera doesn't capture a lot of light. That's when the software kicks in with the image processor and brightens up the image with whatever light it can capture + artificial light.

I was hoping to turn it off, but I guess there is no reason to do that.

Here's more detailed info on Night Mode: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211306

Is there any reason you wouldn't want to use it?

Is this your first iPhone with Night Mode? Night Mode has been out since iPhone 11 and iOS 13 so last year this time

This is only my 2nd ever iPhone. I just upgraded from an iPhone 6S Plus because the microphone and reciver went out and I use my phone purely as a camera, so now I have an iPhone 11 Pro Max which is like 2 weeks old.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Has the linked information related from Apple been of some assistance?

I read that link last night, but Apple's help pages on the iPhone are kind of lame - not a deep enough dive for me.

This may sound funny, but auto settings on cameras always confuse me. With a camera I have always shot fully manual, and I like the control of setting the shutter speed and apeture - which you obviously can't do on an iPhone - so when I see a phone/camera rying to think for me it trips me up.

I guess there is no reason to not let my iPhone 11 Pro Max enter into Night mode, right?

Since I do street photography, I can't think of any situations where I'd want the flash to fire, because I am usually trying to capture news events without being notice... ;-)

And when I am photographing or filming a subject, then I use my LED lights on my rig.

So how should I think about and use Night mode?

And on a side note... Doyou think they'll ever have iPhone with adjustable apetures?

 

[Erehy Dobon]

And on a side note... Doyou think they'll ever have iPhone with adjustable apetures?

The iPhones already have adjustable apertures. However built-in iOS Camera app will not do it and it is highly implausible that Apple will add this feature.

There are plenty of third-party camera apps that offer more granular/manual control over various camera settings.

The built-in app is fine for 90% of the photography done by 90% of iPhone users. Note that the built-in app offers some highly sophisticated computational photography functionality that third-party apps forgo in favor of more extensive manual control. It was not designed to be a comprehensive control panel for every single possibility.

There's nothing stopping anyone from using multiple camera apps based on individual situations.

If you look at the iPhone like an SLR, the built-in iOS camera app is like "Program Mode." If you want other settings like aperture-priority, shutter-priority, manual, etc., think of third-party apps as candidates to fulfill those alternate settings.

 

[Sikh]

I was hoping to turn it off, but I guess there is no reason to do that.




Is there any reason you wouldn't want to use it?





This is only my 2nd ever iPhone. I just upgraded from an iPhone 6S Plus because the microphone and reciver went out and I use my phone purely as a camera, so now I have an iPhone 11 Pro Max which is like 2 weeks old.

Based on your last paragraph, you answered "Is there any reason you wouldn't want to use it?" question by yourself.

I would use your phone and take pictures in all different situations and then only YOU can decide if you dont like Night Mode or any of the new camera features you arent use to. I always recommend to everyone to use the tech before asking preemptive questions because unless you see the tech work and see the different features, you dont know if you like it or not or what you are missing.

I personally love Night Mode and barely use my flash. I do have some times where there's barely any light visible and even with night mode I need the flash but its very rare and situational.