One of the most touted features of the iPhone 13 series is the ability to shoot macro photography as close as only 2cm away from the subject, something ostensibly impossible on previous iPhone models… or was it?
Halide Mark II - Pro Camera, referred to simply as Halide, is the most popular and feature expansive photography app available on the iPhone. It unlocks a number of photographic doors Apple’s standard camera app leads you into thinking are impossible - including taking macro-level photography on older iPhone models prior to the 13 series.
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If you listen to Apple, they’ll tell you only the iPhone 13 series has the capability to shoot macro due to the new camera sensors having much closer focal ranges, however, the Halide app begs to differ.
The app explains that “[our] Macro Mode lets you get super-close-up shots with excellent quality thanks to Al and focus tools”.
While there’s undoubtedly going to be a better quality end-result on one of the latest iPhone 13 models, you can still push the limits of your older iPhone by downloading Halide from the app store right here.
How to shoot in macro even if you don’t have the iPhone 13
To shoot in macro:
1) Download the Halide app from the app store
2) Press the AF (autofocus) button to trigger manual focus on.
3) Select the flower icon in the bottom lefthand corner.
4) Bring your phone up close and personal to the subject in preparation of the shot
5) Adjust the focus sensors using the slider bar across the bottom of the viewfinder.
An example of Halide's unique 'green highlight' focus system. When the green lines are sharpest, you know the image is in focus.
And that’s it! You should be able to adjust the focus so a previously blurry shot can now look nearly as high quality as if you had the latest iPhone 13.
