The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 may not be a dedicated camera phone, but it's been the author's constant companion from London's streets to New Delhi's parks since its July launch. Sure, it's got one less camera than the Fold 8 Ultra, and Samsung's default processing isn't exactly the cream of the crop, but the Fold 8 fits their hands perfectly, and the hardware has more potential than the spec sheet suggests.

If you own a Fold 8 or are planning to, the author recommends tweaking four camera settings immediately after setup. These are the same adjustments they make on all Samsung flagships, but they matter more here because of the phone's 50MP main camera (versus 200MP on the Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy S26 Ultra). Here's how to get the best quality photos from your new foldable.

First, you'll need the Camera Assistant, which used to be a separate Good Lock plugin but is now accessible via the Camera app's Settings menu. Just download it (a Samsung Galaxy Store pop-up will appear; tap Install) and you'll unlock a treasure trove of toggles to control default processing and performance.

The first setting to change is for the 10MP telephoto camera (or lack of optical zoom). Out of the box, the Fold 8 processes 12MP photos - they save space but sacrifice detail. Setting the default resolution to 24MP gives better clarity from both the main and ultrawide cameras without hogging storage like 50MP mode would. This is especially helpful for 2x and 4x digital zoom shots, including in low light, where 12MP can get pixelated. You can set this in Camera Assistant settings.

Next, Samsung phones tend to oversharpen skin tones in artificial lighting. If you want a more natural look, head to Camera Assistant > Photo Softening and set it to Medium or High. The author tested this with three shots in indoor lighting at 50MP, 1x: the one with softening off looked too processed with a stronger black point and shadows, while the Medium and High versions looked more natural - with no discernible difference in clarity or detail. Their skin and beard looked sharp in all three, but the softer ones won.

Third, the Fold 8's unique 16:10 aspect ratio can throw off composition. Grid lines and a leveler are crucial for framing, and they're available under Camera > the four-dot menu > Settings > Composition guide. The author recommends enabling the first option to turn on both grid lines and level, which help align subjects and keep shots straight.

Finally, add a 2x zoom shortcut to the viewfinder for one-tap access, especially handy in hi-res mode. Go to Camera Assistant settings and enable the very first toggle, "2x crop zoom shortcut."

These tweaks won't turn the Fold 8 into a professional camera, but they'll help you squeeze out the best it has to offer - before you start blaming Samsung for your blurry dinner photos.