Redmi Note 9 Pro still remains one of the most popular smartphones among amateur photography enthusiasts, despite the release of new models. His main trump card is 64 megapixel camera with sensor Samsung GW1, which in capable hands can compete with the flagships of previous years. But many owners still do not know how to properly use all the capabilities of this module: from shooting in 64MP to fine-tuning the firmware to improve the quality of pictures.

In this article we will not just show examples of photos taken on Redmi Note 9 Pro, but we’ll also figure it out hidden camera settings, compare the results with other smartphones in the same price segment, and also reveal the secrets of processing RAW files. We will pay special attention night photography without a tripod - here the smartphone behaves unexpectedly well with the right parameters. If you think that high-quality photos require an expensive device, this article will prove otherwise.

Camera Specifications Redmi Note 9 Pro: what is hidden behind 64 MP

The main module of the smartphone is built on a sensor Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 with permission 64 megapixels and pixel size 0.8 µm. This sounds impressive on paper, but actual quality depends on several factors:

  • 🔍 Lens with aperture f/1.89 - fast for a budget employee, but not record-breaking.
  • 📏 Focal length equivalent 26 mm in full frame equivalent (wide angle).
  • 🎛️ Four-pixel binning - by default, the smartphone combines 4 pixels into 1, producing 16-megapixel images with the same pixel size 1.6 µm.
  • 🔄 Phase detection autofocus (PDAF) — fast focusing even on the move.

Additional modules include:

  • 🌄 8 MP ultra-wide angle (119°, f/2.2) - for landscapes and architecture.
  • 🔍 5 MP macro camera (2 cm minimum distance) - for shooting small objects.
  • 👤 2 MP depth sensor — helps with background blur in portrait mode.

It is important to understand: 64 MP is not always better. In most scenarios, the smartphone uses binning by default, since single 64MP photos take up to 20-30 MB and require ideal lighting conditions. However, when processed correctly, they provide more detail for framing.

📊 How often do you shoot in 64 MP mode on Redmi Note 9 Pro?
  • Constantly
  • Only for important shots
  • Tried it, but went back to 16 MP
  • Never used it

Shooting modes: which one to choose for the perfect shot

Standard camera app MIUI offers 7 main modes, but not all of them are equally useful. Let's figure out when and what to use:

Mode When to use Features Cons
Photo (16 MP) Everyday shooting Fast, good detail Loss of detail when trimming
64 MP Landscapes, architecture Maximum detail Large file size, noise in the shadows
Night mode Shooting in Low Light Bright shots without a tripod Long processing (3-5 sec)
Portrait People, objects with blurred background Good object separation Distortion around the edges
Professional Manual settings (ISO, shutter speed) Saving in RAW Difficult for beginners

Secret mode that many people don't know about: Documents (Camera Settings → Advanced). It automatically straightens perspective and enhances contrast—ideal for capturing text or business cards. And here is the mode Brief video (60 sec) is better not to use - it greatly compresses the quality.

⚠️ Attention: When shooting in 64 MP disable HDR - it automatically reduces the resolution to 16 MP. To save full resolution, go to Settings → Photo resolution → 64 MP and deactivate HDR.

Examples of photos on Redmi Note 9 Pro: real footage with settings

Theoretical characteristics are good, but how does the smartphone perform in practice? Below are real examples of pictures indicating shooting modes and conditions. All frames were taken without additional processing (except for cropping for demonstration).

1. Daylight (16 MP, HDR enabled)

📸 Scene: Cityscape with contrasting lighting.

🔹 Settings: Auto mode, ISO 100, shutter speed 1/1000.

📌 Result: Good shadow detail, natural colors, but the sky is slightly overexposed. Wide dynamic range due to HDR.

2. Macro photography (5 MP, natural light)

📸 Scene: Flower at a distance of 3 cm.

🔹 Settings: Macro mode, manual focusing.

📌 Result: Good detail, but noise is visible in dark areas. It's better to shoot in bright light.

3. Night mode (bulb 2 sec, ISO 800)

📸 Scene: Street with lanterns, low lighting.

🔹 Settings: Night mode, smartphone on the parapet (improvised tripod).

📌 Result: Surprisingly little noise, colors preserved. Without night mode, the frame would be dark and grainy.

How to achieve this result in night mode?

1. Use support (even a book under your smartphone will help).

2. Turn on the night mode BEFORE pressing the shutter - this way the algorithm will be better prepared.

3. If there is movement in the frame (cars, people), reduce the shutter speed to 1 second manually.

4. After shooting, do not move your smartphone for 2-3 seconds - processing is in progress.

4. 64 MP vs 16 MP (comparison of details)

📸 Scene: Distant object (signboard at a distance of 50 m).

🔹 Settings: Same lighting, tripod.

📌 Result: At 100% zoom, the 64MP version retains readable text, while the 16MP version retains blurry pixels. But the difference is visible only when pruning.

💡

To evaluate the real difference between 16 MP and 64 MP, do a test: take a photo of a text document from a distance of 1 meter, then crop the frame to 20% of the original. This is the only way you will see the benefits of high resolution.

Comparison with competitors: who shoots better in one price segment

In 2020 Redmi Note 9 Pro competed with Realme 6 Pro, Samsung Galaxy M31 And Poco X3 NFC. How does he look against their background through the lens of the camera?

  • 📱 Realme 6 Pro (64 MP, Sony IMX686): better shadow detail, but cooler color rendering. Night mode loses Redmi.
  • 📱 Samsung Galaxy M31 (64 MP, ISOCELL GW1): almost identical sensor, but Samsung's processing is more aggressive - smoothes textures.
  • 📱 Poco X3 NFC (64 MP, Sony IMX682): better dynamic range, but strong distortion at the edges of the wide-angle.

Main advantage Redmi Note 9 Pro — balance between detail and natural colors. Competitors either overdo it with noise cancellation (Samsung), or give too contrasting frames (Realme). However, in the video, all these smartphones are inferior even to budget ones iPhone SE 2020 due to poor stabilization.

Fun fact: when shooting in RAW (Professional mode) Redmi Note 9 Pro bypasses Galaxy M31 in terms of dynamic range, since Samsung heavily crops RAW files. But for this you need to be able to process images in Lightroom or Darktable.

Secrets of improving photo quality: settings and firmware

Even with good hardware, a camera can produce mediocre results due to software limitations. Here's what you can do to improve:

  1. Update the firmware up to the latest version MIUI (at the time of writing - MIUI 14). In older versions there was a bug with the sky being overexposed in HDR.
  2. Install GCam (modified camera from Google). For Redmi Note 9 Pro versions from BSG or Wichaya.
  3. Disable "Face Enhancement" in the portrait mode settings - it spoils the skin texture.
  4. Activate "Save settings" (Camera Settings → Advanced), so as not to configure everything again.

To install GCam:

1. Скачайте APK с форума 4PDA (например, версию от BSG 8.1).

2. Разрешите установку из неизвестных источников.


3. В настройках GCam выберите:


- Модель: Pixel 4


- HDR+: Enhanced


- AWB: Cloudy (для естественных цветов)


4. Отключите "Sabre" в дополнительных настройках (он портит цвета на Xiaomi).

⚠️ Attention: Some versions of GCam may cause CPU overheating Snapdragon 720G when shooting for a long time. If your smartphone becomes hot, reboot it and use the standard camera.

Install the latest firmware|Clear the Camera app cache|Disable power saving for the camera|Check free space (minimum 2 GB required)|Remove the case (may block the flash)-->

Photo processing: how to make a masterpiece from a 64-megapixel photo

Raw 64MP photos often look dim straight out of the camera - this is normal. Their main advantage is flexibility in post-processing. Here is the basic algorithm for improvement:

  • 🖼️ Trimming and Alignment - in Lightroom or Snapseed correct the horizon and crop.
  • 🌡️ Exposure compensation — raise the shadows by +30, lower the highlights by -15.
  • 🎨 Color correction - increase saturation by +10 and contrast by +15.
  • 🔍 Noise reduction - use a mask for shadows (in Lightroom: Details → Noise Canceling → Luma 20).
  • 🖌️ Sharpness - apply a sharpening mask only to the edges (Sharpness → Mask 50).

For night shots:

  • 🌙 First reduce the noise with Topaz Denoise AI (free trial).
  • 💡 Then in Lightroom raise the exposure and restore detail in the highlights.
  • 🌈 Add light vignetting (Effects → Vignette -15) to darken the edges.

Example: the original 64 MP frame weighs 25 MB and looks dim, but after processing (10 minutes of work) you get a bright photo with detailed details that can be printed in A3 format without loss of quality.

💡

Shoot in RAW+JPEG (Professional mode) to have a backup option. RAW gives freedom in processing, and JPEG is useful for quick publication on social networks.

Common problems and how to solve them

Even with a good camera, users face common problems. Here are the most common ones and how to fix them:

Problem Reason Solution
Blurred photos in good lighting Blur due to long exposure or hand tremors Turn on "Ultra-fast shooting" in the settings or use a tripod
Green tint in the photo Incorrect white balance (often in cloudy weather) Manually set BB 5200K or shoot in RAW
Noise at ISO above 800 Aggressive noise reduction in MIUI Shoot in RAW or install GCam with the HDR+ Enhanced
Overexposure in the sky Weak dynamic range in auto mode Shoot in HDR or use GCam with HDR+

If the camera starts to glitch (does not focus, the application crashes):

  1. Clear cache: Settings → Applications → Camera → Storage → Clear cache.
  2. Reset your camera settings: Camera Settings → Restore Default Settings.
  3. Check the integrity of the firmware: sometimes reinstalling via Fastboot.

FAQ: answers to popular questions about the camera Redmi Note 9 Pro

📸 Is it possible to shoot 4K video with a 64 MP camera?

No, the main camera shoots video at maximum 4K@30fps, but does not use the entire sensor, but a cropped central part (about 8 MP). For 4K, pixel binning is used, so the detail is lower than in the photo. For better video it is better to use the mode 1080p@60fps — there is smoother stabilization.

🔋 Why does the camera get very hot when shooting for a long time?

This is a feature of the processor Snapdragon 720G and processing algorithms MIUI. When shooting at 64 MP or 4K, the load on the chip reaches 80%, which leads to heating. Solutions:

  • Shoot in short bursts (no more than 5-7 photos in a row).
  • Close background applications before shooting.
  • Remove the cover - it impairs heat dissipation.
  • At temperatures above 40°C, the smartphone will automatically reduce the resolution.
🌃 How to shoot stars on Redmi Note 9 Pro?

Technically this is possible, but with caveats:

  1. Use a tripod and remote control (or 2 sec timer).
  2. Turn on professional mode: ISO 3200, shutter speed 30 sec, manual focus to infinity.
  3. Shoot in RAW and process in Darktable (raise exposure by +2.5, reduce noise).
  4. It’s better to shoot the Moon - for the stars you need a shutter speed of more than 30 seconds, which is impossible without root rights.

Example: at ISO 1600 and a shutter speed of 20 sec, you can capture the Milky Way (in the absence of city light), but the frame will be noisy.

🔍 Why does the 5 MP macro camera shoot worse than the main one in zoom mode?

Indeed, 5 MP macro module often loses to the main camera if you get closer to 5-10 cm and take a cropped frame. Reasons:

  • The macro camera does not have phase detection autofocus - focusing only by contrast (slower and less accurate).
  • There is no optical stabilization, so the slightest hand shake spoils the frame.
  • Processing algorithms MIUI photos from the macro module are compressed more strongly.

Tip: for small objects it is better to shoot with the main camera from a distance of 15-20 cm, and then crop the frame. Or use Professional mode with manual focus.

📱 Is it possible to replace the camera on Redmi Note 9 Pro with a more powerful one?

Technically yes, but this is not practical:

  • Cost of the original module Samsung GW1 - about 3-4 thousand rubles (plus the work of a master).
  • The sensor is soldered to the motherboard—replacement requires complete disassembly of the smartphone.
  • Any non-original module (for example, with Redmi Note 10 Pro) will not work correctly without firmware modification.

Conclusion: it’s easier to buy an external camera (for example, DJI Osmo Mobile) or change your smartphone if the current camera is faulty.