FEBRUARY - My Samsung Galaxy S21 5G arrived on its appropriate launch date of 2/1/21...but I waited until I could find a protective case before I risked running with it. Seidio, the company which manufactured every case I have used with a smartphone (dating back to my HTC EVO 4G), went out of business last February (can't even blame the pandemic for their unexpected closure), so I had to shop for an alternative for the first time in years. I embraced Seidio's cases due to their solid construction, integrated kickstand, and matte finish. This affordable case made by Chinese brand ESR on Amazon may ultimately prove to be a far better value...perhaps not as durable overall, but it has a much more solid kickstand that, unlike Seidio's, works both in landscape AND portrait orientation. ESR's matte finish provides a similar tacticle feel, but upon translucent black...an aesthetic that pairs pefectly with the Phantom Gray S21.

A secondary reason I had not run with this phone is I needed a solution for Samsung's questionable decision to remove the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. I am not quite comfortable with the idea of investing in wireless pods that could easily fall out while running...heck, simply adjusting my Buff often knocks the wired buds out of my ears. Plus, I have accumulated many Samsung headsets over the years...I don't think I have ever worn the buds that came with my Galaxy S9 three years ago. And I can extend my phone's battery life by quite a bit if I keep all of its wireless antennae disabled while I run...especially important since I tend to take a lot of photos on longer runs. So, along with the case, I ordered a USB-C to headphone adapter. I didn't need one with an additional plug for power since I don't use my phone for music except when I run.

In some ways, this is better than having an offset headphone jack built into the body of the phone itself. Without that extra appendage, the phone is easier to zip into my SPIbelt and far easier to pull out when I want to snap a photo. Since the cable is now in-line with the zipper, there is far less stress being put on the headphone jack, connector, cable, or the SPIbelt itself. In other words, this works and I am now ready to run with my S21. If only I could have transferred my playlist.... #NotReadyForWirelessBuds #RunningDuringPandemic #Samsung #GalaxyS21 (photo taken with #GalaxyS7)

Even though at least one 10 miler has been part of my monthly running routine since the pandemic started, this is the first time in ages I have included Via Coronel in my route...which is odd since I have included this in many 10 and 11 mile runs over the years.

Over many earlier runs down this street, I watched a house be built. I passed that house just a block or two ago.

I have taken smartphone panoramas from this spot many times before, but this is the first time I am doing so using the Samsung Galaxy S21. Actually, this run is my first real opportunity to use my new phone since I was not willing to risk carrying it outside until I got a case

One of the much hyped upgrades for S21 is its telephoto lens...well, more specifically, the S21 Ultra's telephoto mode which has a lesn with higher optical magnification AND a higher resolution sensor than the base S21 which I bought. I have long had issues with camears that use digital zoom because they merely upscale a lower resolution image (the equivalent of enlarging), so I usually disable such features if they exist. That said, my base S21 technically has the ability to zoom up to 3x by simply cropping its 64 megapixel sensor and presenting the resulting image at 12 megapixels. The problem here is that Samsung does not explicitly say how each mode manages the zoom...by looking at this particular telephoto shot, I see evidence of upscaling...but it does give the illusion of having a lot of detail when fit-to-screen size of a typical 1080p monitor / HDTV. From what I understand, the S21 will not take RAW photos from its 64 megapixel sensor, so I can only use the wide and ultra-wide lenses with it. If I try to zoom in the "pro camera" (which is the one that shoots RAW), the DNG file shows the true resolution while the JPEG shows the digitally zoomed version at the same resolution....so at least I know not to zoom in "pro camera" mode.

Though I only planned to run 10 miles, reaching the blufftop trial became a priority as I started playing with the S21's video...which means I have minimally turned this run into an 11 miler

It is definitely a beautiful day to be running with a view of the coast, though the marine layer is obscuring my view of the Beach Cities to the north

Even fi the S21's camera is upscaling to capture telephoto shots like this, I may find myself compelled to use it from time to time

This is a good sign...I tossed many selfies from the S9 because that phone refused to focus on me, especially when I wore a mask or Buff. This S21 selfie looks razor sharp.

I get approach Bluff Cove

I will have to be careful with the area focus...it appears to favor near detail like the plants in the foreground more often than the S9

In this particular case, I manually focus on the warning sign...but I suspect the phone would have if I hadn't

I have never actually taken this shortcut before...never had a reason to

Maybe I should have gotten the S21 Ultra...I am really liking the idea of having a telephoto lens with me at all times. That said, I'm not sure I would have liked running with a phone larger than the base model that I have. Can I learn to be happy with these hybrid shots?

When I compare the JPEG "zoom" photo with this RAW wide one, I can see how Samsung's built in photo processing tends to want to add more aqua to the sky gradient (but I prefer the look of how I process the skies when I work with the DNG files).

I do think the S21 produces sharper images with more accurate colors than my old S9

Pairing an action-cam-like ultra-wide lens with a RAW capable camera feels like a game changer too

When I return home, I find a large grasshopper on the driveway. I decide to use the phone's zoom to get a closer look.

Again this shot seems sharp and highly detailed when viewed full screen on my phone or computer monitor, but a closer look at the pixels reveals the upscaled nature of the image. That said, I'm still impressed enough by these images that I am beginning to rethink my stance against digital zoom.

As I run up Via Chico, a family of peafowl cross my path from Malaga Lane and proceed up the hill to the trail known as Chico Path. I decide to follow them.

After testing S21's Super Steady video stabilization of this flock of peafowl , I try taking more telephoto shots