By, uav-jp 24/04/2022

How to thoroughly use the iPhone camera app

Lifehacker [Japan Version] Reprinted from the article published on November 6, 2021

The iPhone was one of the simplest cameras on a smartphone.

However, over the last two years, the iPhone camera has become bigger and bigger, the quality has improved, and the number of functions, buttons, and settings has continued to increase, and as a result, I feel like I'm stuck here.

The iPhone's camera app is planned for a major redesign, but until then, we'll have to manage this increasingly complex system.

You should be well aware of the basics of switching to portrait mode and panoramic photography.

This time, I will explain the functions that many people are not familiar with.

How to switch between super wide-angle and telephoto on iPhone

The Pro model of the iPhone sells three different cameras: a regular wide-angle camera, an ultra-wide-angle lens, and a telephoto (zoom) lens.

However, the iPhone camera app uses a different term.

You can switch between the three cameras using the zoom function (cameras can be switched in most camera modes).

[1X] represents a normal camera, and [0.5X] represents an ultra-wide-angle camera.

If you want to use a telephoto lens, press the [2X], [2.5X], or [3X] button.

The button is just above the camera mode.

You can also swipe left or right in this space to zoom in or out in the 0.5x to 3x range, or to zoom in on the viewfinder.

However, note that if you zoom out beyond this range, it will switch to digital zoom.

For example, if the iPhone only supports 2.5x zoom, you can't physically zoom out any further.

All "zooms" beyond that range are digital zooms, which degrades image quality.

How to find and use options in the iPhone camera app

The answer Apple gave to the question of where to put the ever-growing number of camera options was to hide it under the carpet.

The "carpet" in this case is the camera menu (only Flash, Night Mode, ProRAW, and Live Photos are displayed from the beginning).

When you open the Camera app in Photo or Portrait mode, you'll see a small upward arrow at the top.

Tap here to display a new menu instead of camera mode. This menu contains most options for that camera mode.

Flash: You can set the flash to On, Off, or Automatic.

Night mode: You can disable night mode or change the timing (more on night mode later).

Live Photos: You can select either Auto, On, or Off mode.

Photograph Style: New camera feature for iPhone 13 and above. With these iPhone cameras, you can now customize the photo tone and warmth settings and set them as defaults.

iPhoneカメラアプリを徹底的に使い倒す方法

Aspect ratio: By default, the iPhone will still take pictures at a 4: 3 ratio.

But if you want a more cinematic feel, or if you want to post your photos to Instagram Stories, you'll want a 16: 9 aspect ratio.

In this menu, you can select the aspect ratio from [Square], [4: 3], and [16: 9].

Exposure: You can set and lock the exposure. However, you don't have to worry about the exposure because the iPhone will set it well.

However, you can choose any exposure between -2.0 and 2.0 if desired (default is 0.0).

Timer: You can quickly set a timer for 3 seconds or 10 seconds.

Filters: The filters you're familiar with on your iPhone are still alive. It is hidden inside the last button in the options menu.

Here you will find the familiar Vivid, Warm, Cold, etc. filters.

How to change video resolution on iPhone

Previously, you had to open the Settings app to switch the video resolution of your iPhone's camera. With this change, you can now switch from the camera app.

When you switch to [Video] mode, you will see two types of buttons in the upper right corner. By default, the video is shot in HD, 30fps.

Tap these buttons to switch between 4K and 60fps, respectively.

You can read more about shooting at full resolution on your iPhone in this guide from LH.

How to disable night mode on iPhone

The night mode in the iPhone's camera app works great under the right conditions.

However, there are cases where the night mode is turned on due to the shadow, which has the opposite effect.

This feature activates automatically, so there is no explicit Off switch, but there is a way to disable it.

Launch the iPhone Settings app and open Camera.

Open Keep Settings and tap the toggle next to Night Mode. This will prevent the camera from automatically switching to night mode.

Go back to the iPhone camera app, tap the night mode button from the options menu and select Off. Night mode is now disabled.

How to quickly shoot videos on iPhone

Want to shoot videos quickly when in photo mode?

In such a case, press and hold the shutter button. The iPhone will continue to shoot video as long as you hold down the shutter button.

You can also swipe right to switch to video mode completely.

You can do the same with the volume buttons. As you know, you can take a picture by pressing the volume button while the camera app is open.

Also, if you press and hold the volume button, you can record a video only while the button is pressed. This guide from LH also explains how to quickly shoot videos on your iPhone.