A boon for filmmakers: Samsung Galaxy S25 finally gets log recording
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At the Galaxy Unpacked Event (which took place on January 22nd), Samsung showed off their new line of Galaxy S25 phones, which came with various improvements, including camera hardware changes plus firmware and software developments to give photographers and videographers greater functionality at their fingertips.
The most impressive segment (as far as we’re concerned) was when documentary nature filmmaker Jonathan Clay showed off the capabilities of the new S25 with regards to videography (all of his footage was shot with the S25 Ultra), resulting in some beautiful footage (watch the video from around 1:43:45 if you’re interested). One of the major benefits of the new range is the ability to shoot in log, giving you greater ability to color balance all your footage so that it can match into one seamless film, even if you’re shooting in different lighting conditions. This was introduced in the Apple 16 back in September 2024, but is now available with Samsung phones for the first time. You can pre order your Samsung Galaxy S25 phone now and take advantage of bonuses from the Samsung site, or read below for more info.
What is log recording?
Log recording basically allows you to capture video with wider dynamic range. It looks very flat and muted in its original, unaltered state, but contains more visual data – allowing you greater manipulation in post-production where you can make it truly pop. Shooting in log can give you confidence that you can get the perfect color balance in each shot in editing with any footage you can shoot, and helps bring the S25 into the realm of professional videography.
What other benefits are there for filmmakers?
Besides log video, there are other new improvements to help filmmakers get the best out of the S25 series. The three main ones revealed were:
- Galaxy S25 Audio eraser uses AI tech to let your remove unwanted noise – e.g. helping voice audio patterns stand out against loud background audio
- 10bit HDR video format HEVC codec for ‘better compatibility and smaller file sizes’ to make your editing workflow more stress free.
- Zebra pattern and ‘False Color’ are now built in to help you monitor brightness
Galaxy S25 photography improvements
Rachel Roberts, head of Product Management, introduced the camera section, stating how the S25’s ‘next-gen ProVisual Engine provides a comprehensive suite of AI tools that help you capture and edit easily’ before discussing the various ways these features can improve portrait photography. ‘Object Aware AI’ helps with adjusting skin tone relative to ambient lighting and It can also better distinguish stationary objects from moving ones, and helps with visual noise reduction. The introduction of Virtual Aperature also brings the phones in line with the iPhone 16 in this area.
In terms of hardware upgrades, photographers get the addition of the 50 MP high resolution ultrawide camera for great macro photos.
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