Insects, flowers and plants: with the iPhone 13 Pro you are able to photograph them from very close, thanks to the macro mode. We explain how the macro photography function works in this article.
iPhone macro mode
Photographing something like an animal, plant or object at a very short distance can make for beautiful pictures. The iPhone used to struggle with that, but the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max know what to do with macro photography. The improved ultra-wide angle lens focuses from just two centimeters away.
To improve macro shooting, Apple has added something new in iOS 15.2. If you hold your iPhone close to a subject, a macro controller will appear. This allows you to quickly switch on or off the macro mode. That is how it works:
- Open the Camera app and make sure Photo mode is activated;
- Keep your iPhone close to the subject;
- A macro controller (recognizable by the tulip) appears. If the controller is yellow, the macro mode is activated.
- Tap the record button to shoot the close-up.
Sometimes you shoot an object up close but want to use a different lens than the ultra wide angle lens used for macro mode. In that case, tap the yellow slider to turn off the macro mode.
Turn off macro controller
When you get closer than 14 centimeters to your subject, the macro controller appears. If you find this annoying, you can choose to improve the button. This is how you disable the macro controller:
- Open the Settings app;
- Scroll down and tap “Camera”;
- Set the switch behind ‘Macro controller’ to gray.
Macro mode isn’t the only camera feature Apple added to its latest flagships. In an article you can read about the 6 camera functions of the iPhone 13 Pro.