In macro photography, the camera is positioned very close to the subject, requiring a lens that can focus at short distances. On iPhones with macro capability, the 0.5× Ultra Wide lens is used for close-up photography and can focus on subjects as close as approximately 2 cm. On older iPhone models without a dedicated macro lens, close-up photos are taken with the 1× Wide lens instead. Telephoto lenses are generally not suitable for macro photography because they have much longer minimum focusing distances. For example, on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the 1× Wide lens requires a distance of about 20 cm to focus, while the 5× Tele lens requires approximately 135 cm.
Automatic A mode: selects lenses for you
In ProCamera's automatic A mode as well as in the native iPhone Camera app, switching between lenses for macro shots doesn't mean you're changing lenses. In both cases the app uses Multi-Lens Fusion, automatically selecting the most suitable lens or combination of lenses for the scene.
For instance, if you select the 5× Tele lens but the subject is closer than the lens can focus (approximately 135 cm on the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max), the Camera app automatically switches to the 1× Wide lens and digitally crops the image to maintain the selected 5× view. If the subject is closer than about 20 cm, it switches to the 0.5× Ultra Wide lens instead, again digitally cropping the image to simulate a telephoto shot. This automatic lens switching happens seamlessly and is generally not indicated in the Camera app.
To verify which physical lens was used to capture a photo, open it in ProCamera, tap the "i" Info button in the bottom toolbar, and double-tap the EXIF data table. Alternatively, open the photo in the iPhone Photos app and tap the Info button. A macro photo captured at 3×, 4×, or 5× in ProCamera’s automatic A mode—or in Apple’s Camera app—may actually have been taken with the 0.5× Ultra Wide lens. The EXIF metadata reveals which lens was actually used, as shown in the screenshots below.
Manual M and semi-automatic SI mode: provide full control of lens selection
Gain full control over your camera in ProCamera’s semi-automatic SI or manual M mode, where only the selected physical lens is ever used. Apple’s native Camera app, by contrast, always uses the fusion camera system with automatic lens switching. ProCamera offers both approaches: automatic A mode uses the fusion camera system, while SI and M modes keep only the selected physical lens active. For example, in SI and M mode, selecting the Tele lens means only this lens will be utilized, without automatic switching.
This distinction is especially important for macro photography. In SI/M mode, the selected Tele lens will never switch automatically. As a result, subjects that are closer than the lens’s minimum focusing distance will appear out of focus. For example, on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the 5× Tele lens requires a minimum focusing distance of approximately 135 cm. If your subject is any closer, the photo will be blurry because the lens cannot focus at that distance—and the camera will not switch to a different lens.
For macro photography on newer iPhones, we generally recommend to use the 0.5× Ultra Wide lens. You might consider increasing the digital zoom level of the 0.5× Ultra Wide lens to get even closer to your subject. For maximum control, we suggest using manual focus with focus peaking. Simply tap the MF button to enable manual focus control.
For quick and easy manual macro photography settings, you can apply the Macro preset. In semi-automatic SI mode or manual M mode, (1) tap and hold the MF button, (2) select Macro, and the camera will switch to the macro lens at 1× zoom level with the closest possible focus distance active. The macro preset is available to all ProCamera users, regardless of ProCamera Up activation.
Tip on maintaining the minimum focus distance
Instead of adjusting the focus distance using the focus dial, you can maintain the minimum focus distance and physically move your camera closer or farther away to achieve sharp focus on your main subject.
The Lens selector looks different in the automatic A mode and in the semi-automatic SI, manual M modes, so you immediately see if the fusion camera or individual lenses are in use.
In automatic A mode, neither the Lens Selector nor the individual lens buttons have an outline, indicating that Multi-Lens Fusion is active. In this mode, similar to Apple’s Camera app, ProCamera can automatically switch between and combine captures from all available lenses to achieve the best possible result.
In manual M mode or semi-automatic SI mode, a blue outline around the active lens indicates that only this particular lens will be used.
When taking macro shots, ensure you have ample light to allow for short exposure durations. To avoid camera shake, utilize ProCamera’s Anti-Shake feature.
To learn more about optical and digital zooming in ProCamera, check out: Zooming in Photo modes
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