How to get the most out of the OnePlus 5's camera

The OnePlus 5 may have a heck of a lot of features, but the standout selling point for this device is undoubtedly the camera system. Having two cameras at the top of the device’s back sure has its perks, like 2x lossless zoom (sort of) and simulated bokeh modes. So how do you get the most out of this camera system? Let’s take a look at some of the options.

When you first launch the camera, you’ll be greeted with a familiar set of options. One thing you might notice is a small bubble above the shutter button that says ‘1x’. When you tap this, the camera will switch to using its secondary camera, which gives a 2x optical zoom of the image you are looking to take. If you swipe to the left, you’ll be greeted with a depth effect mode, which allows you to take shots that keep a subject in focus while blurring out everything else in the scene. Swiping right will give you access to video mode, which gives you the option to shoot in 720p, 1080p, 1080p 60fps, or 4k.

Where the camera really gets exciting is the “Pro Mode” that OnePlus is offering. To access this, click the hamburger menu in the top left of the display while in photo mode. Here you’ll see a number of options available to you, but you’ll want to select the “Pro Mode” option.

Once you have this toggled on, the phone will display a huge amount of information usually only available to users with a dedicated camera system. Pro Mode gives you access to ISO, White Balance, Shutter Speed, Depth of Field, and Exposure Compensation. There is a gyroscope visible on the display that will show you if you are balanced or not, and  even a histogram in the top right if you know how to read one.

One of the coolest things about this Pro Mode though is the ability to shoot in RAW format. This captures much more information than a regular shot would, and gives you a lot more power when manipulating the image in a post-processing program. You can save these Pro Mode settings to 2 different profiles for quick access too, so you’ll always be able to jump to a certain combination to get the shot you want.

Beyond this mode, OnePlus offers Portrait, Time-Lapse, Slow Motion, and Panorama, so you should have a huge number of options when trying to figure out what kind of image would work best in a particular situation.

Are there any camera features you think OnePlus is missing from this device? They are offering a lot more than most manufacturers would, so it’s hard to complain when you have this much power at your fingertips. Let’s see some of your shots!