Concerts, parties and other live events can be some of our most memorable experiences, and we want to immortalise the moment. But they’re also some of the most difficult situations for photography and video.
It’s often dark, subjects are moving quickly – and you’re often moving too, buffeted by other people in the crowd. The result is that concert mementos tend to turn out as not much more than a shaky blur.
This is where the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra comes into its own. It has a combination of hardware and Galaxy AI-powered software that can help you level up your photography and video for live events. From incredible zoom reach to AI-powered stabilisation, here’s how the latest iteration of the ultimate concert phone can help you capture those magic moments.
TL;DR
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra uses Galaxy AI1 and advanced cameras to improve concert photos and videos in difficult low-light conditions.
- Powerful zoom features capture clear stage footage from both close up and far away seats.
- AI tools like Nightography2, Super Steady Horizontal Lock3 and Audio Eraser4 enhance video quality, stabilisation and sound.
- Pro features including 4K auto-framing, LOG recording and APV support give creators more editing flexibility.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra has a lens for every seat in the house
The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s versatile array of lenses means you have the view you need whether you’re in the front row or up in the rafters. Use the wide and ultra wide lenses to capture the whole scene or the powerful zoom to get close to the action.
The 200-megapixel wide F1.4 and 50-megapixel ultra wide F1.9 are ideal for capturing the vast scale of a show, lights, crowd and all. Their wide apertures capture plenty of light, reducing the risk of motion blur.
A powerful zoom gets closer to the action
The Galaxy S26 Ultra also has a 50MP telephoto that can reach incredible distances. You can record video at up to 20x with intelligent processing that stabilises the scene and delivers clear, vivid detail even if you’re up in the nosebleed seats.
One of the biggest difficulties with filming concerts is that you’re often a long way from the action. Even if you’re in the front row, any standard wide lens makes the stage look tiny when you lift your camera to your eye.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s telephoto has a 5x optical zoom lens, but the real magic is the 10x optical-quality crop and the AI-enhanced 25x digital zoom for video. With older phones, video could look dull and grainy when using digital zoom in dark settings, and would be difficult to keep the image steady at such magnifications.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s wider f/2.9 aperture captures 37% more light than its predecessor, while Galaxy AI analyses high-resolution image data, stabilises the image and enhances clarity in real time to achieve the seemingly impossible: crisp, vivid images of a performance that could be well over 100 metres away, even under under harsh, changing stage lights.
For still photography, you can take things even further, zooming in at up to 100x.
Fun Fact: During the BTS comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square, fans used the Galaxy S26 Ultra's 25x zoom from the rooftops of nearby hotels nearly 800m away!
Galaxy AI’s Nightography masters concert lighting
The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Nightography2 features can capture vibrant, sharp low-light video and photos thanks to the wide apertures, cutting-edge sensors and smart AI processing.
Stage lighting can be a massive challenge for filming concerts. Monochromatic red, magenta or deep blue LED lights wash out details and create harsh colour casts, while strobes, extreme backlighting and low-light environments with no spotlighting can make it hard to expose correctly for the scene, leaving dark areas inky black and bright spots blown out.
How does Galaxy AI Nightography work?
The Galaxy S26 Ultra uses new AI-powered ISP (Image Signal Processing) to ease such harsh contrasts while preventing light bleed. It intelligently underexposes bright LED screens and boosts shadows so the stage doesn’t look like a giant white glow.
The advanced processing also targets the individual patterns of each of the phone’s camera sensors to reduce image noise. It keeps details sharp and preserves the vibrant colors of lasers and pyrotechnics without the digital fuzz that tends to dog low-light filming.
Bonus tip: The front camera now also has a dedicated ISP with Nightography smarts, which is a game changer for concert selfies.
Super Steady Horizontal Lock eliminates camera shake – even in extreme situations
Super Steady with Horizontal Lock3 stabilises videos for incredibly smooth, shake-free concert recordings, even if you’re jumping, dancing or getting pushed by the crowd.
Taking a tripod or gimbal to a concert isn’t usually an option. It weighs you down, takes up space, and they’re not permitted at many events. That can make it really hard to get smooth recordings if people are jostling you – or if you want to relax have a pogo yourself.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s revolutionary Super Steady Horizontal Lock has the potential to solve this issue forever. It uses the phone’s ultra-wide sensor to keep the stage perfectly level, even if your phone is moving around, creating a floating camera effect that makes it look as if your handheld footage was shot on a professional stabilisation rig even if your phone turns a full 360 degrees.
Tap the Super Steady icon (it looks like a person in motion) in the top-right corner to turn it on. Recording will be permitted at up to QHD resolution at 60fps.
Automatic focus-tracking keeps everything sharp
The Galaxy S26 Ultra features advanced tracking auto focus in both photo and video modes, which allows you to lock onto a singer or musician as they move on stage.
Live events can be unpredictable. You don’t know what performers or athletes are going to do next or which direction they’ll turn. Autofocus tracking allows the Galaxy S26 Ultra to keep your subject in focus for you so you can focus on composing your shot.
How do I use tracking auto focus on the Galaxy S26 Ultra?
To take advantage of tracking auto focus, make sure it’s enabled: open the Camera app, tap the gear icon, scroll down, and toggle on ‘Tracking auto focus’. Then simply tap to select the subject when you use the Camera app, and a yellow square will show that focus is locked on.
The phone will update the focus area in real time to keep it on the performer instead of the head of the person in front of you.
Tip: if you go to Camera Assistant, you can change the settings for focus sensitivity. Turn the transition speed to high if you want to keep up with rapid changes of focus, like on a sports field, or take it down to low for more cinematic slow focus pulls.
Bonus tip: You can take things further with the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s upgraded 4K auto-framing. This oversamples from 8K footage, punches in and follows the subject to keep them not only in focus but also in the centre of the frame.
Enhanced sound with Audio Eraser
The Galaxy AI-powered Audio Eraser4 can help you clean up the sound from your videos of live events, reducing background noise to keep the focus on the performance.
Recordings of sound from live events can be really disappointing if there are other noises of machinery or people talking (or singing off key) while you’re filming. The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Audio Eraser can distinguish between music and a singer’s voice and distracting crowd noise and other unwanted sounds. This effectively lets you do post-concert mixing right on your phone, using the sliders to remove distracting sounds.
Professional formats for when it really matters
For professional filmmakers and content creators, the S26 Ultra supports Samsung’s new Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec for visually lossless quality.
This high-quality format captures a higher dynamic range, so you have more control over shadows and highlights in editing. It also supports LOG recording, making it ideal for professional workflows where you want to apply your own LUTS or other colour grading in post production. Just be aware that it will create very large file sizes, so you’ll probably want to record to external storage.
If you’re ready to take your concert videos to the next level, visit the Samsung website to find out more.
1 Samsung account login is required for certain AI features. Galaxy AI features are provided for free. Future releases may include additional advanced features that are offered as part of a paid subscription plan. Different terms may apply for AI features provided by third parties. 2 Results may vary depending on light condition, subject and/or shooting conditions. 3 Super Steady results may vary depending on editing method and/or shooting conditions. 4 Samsung account login required. Six types of sound can be detected; voices, music, wind, nature, crowd and noise. Results may vary depending on audio source & condition of the video. Network connection required to be used on supported apps.
