Motif Blog

How to Use the iPhone's Ultra-Wide Camera

Written by Pete | Dec 18, 2020 9:56:32 AM

The iPhone 11 series had exciting upgrades with its camera. While the iPhone X has a standard camera and telephoto lens, it doesn’t have an ultra-wide camera lens. The iPhone 11 series and the iPhone 12 series both have a 3mm, ultra-wide-angle lens. The iPhone’s ultra-wide camera is designed for dramatic compositions. It allows photographers to capture scenes that highlight a subject that appears larger than the background. 

The iPhone 11 ultra-wide camera is a compact solution for more varied photography. For anyone interested in capitalizing on the ultra-wide camera’s abilities, it’s very easy to find and use. With a little practice, there are many ways to be a more creative photographer. 

How to Use iPhone 11 Ultra-Wide Camera

Switching the iPhone camera to the ultra-wide camera is as easy as pressing the camera button. Open the Camera app, either from the app itself or the lock screen. Tap “0.5x” above the shutter button to switch to the ultra-wide camera. Hold the iPhone steady and shoot away. It’s that easy. Press and hold any of the zoom icons (0.5x, 1x, or 2x), and the Zoom wheel appears. Drag the wheel left or right to manually scroll the focal lengths in between the default settings. The higher the number, the more the camera zooms in. 

Use this method to switch between lenses in all photo modes, except for Portrait mode. Ultra-wide isn’t available for Portrait mode. The iPhone 11’s ultra-wide camera is also available in both vertical or horizontal positioning. 

Ultra-Wide Angle Lens for Photography

The iPhone 11 ultra-wide camera is a great solution for anyone struggling to fit everything into the frame with the wide iPhone lens. The ultra-wide lens fits much more into the frame. It has a significantly wider viewing angle than the standard camera lens on the iPhone. This allows for zooming out, rather than zooming in. The ultra-wide angle makes things appear smaller but includes more of the entire scene in the photo. 

Ultra-Wide Angle Photography Ideas

The iPhone ultra-wide lens is useful anywhere you can’t physically move back further from the subject in order to fit more into the frame. Here are some examples of where the iPhone ultra-wide camera is a perfect choice for impressive shots.

Ultra-Wide Angle: Landscape Photography

The iPhone 11 ultra-wide lens allows more of a scene to be captured. This makes it perfect for shooting dramatic landscape photos. The extra-wide field of view captures more surrounding scenery, as well as more foreground detail. This includes more vast skies, longer mountain ranges, and wider ocean views.

The wider perspective helps convey a stronger sense of space and a more natural view of the surroundings. The result is more vivid photos. 

Ultra-Wide Angle: City Photography

The iPhone ultra-wide camera is great for city photography. Find a location to capture a picturesque view of a city. The ultra-wide lens allows entire buildings to fit into the frame for impressive architecture photography. Travel enthusiasts can take more expanse, dramatic photos of favorite cities and feel more of a part of the action.

Ultra-Wide Angle: Interior Photography

From an indoor perspective, the ultra-wide camera allows more of the composition into a single photo. There is no need for crowding together when taking photos of a large group in a small room. Photographing more details in a crowded interior scene, such as in a shop or at a sporting event is easier to accomplish.

The iPhone Ultra Wide lens opens up photography options. The ultra-wide angle and different perspective from the standard camera produce impressive images in a range not available in iPhones before. Find more photography tips to work on composing those iPhone 11 ultra-wide camera shots. Wherever life takes you, capture more with the iPhone Ultra Wide angle lens.

Take photos. Keep memories.

All those ultra-wide scenes should be kept somewhere they can be enjoyed by everyone. While the iPhone ultra-wide camera takes great photos, showing them off there doesn’t do them justice. Our photo books are available in various sizes for showcasing these memories. They’re available in both hard-cover and soft-cover varieties.