Master wide-lens iPhone photography

This guide is brought to you by Dan Mold – a Cambridgeshire-based, prize-winning photographer and author with over 13 years of photojournalism experience. Dan is also a former Adobe-certified Photoshop guru, so you know his tips are worth trusting when it comes to getting the most out of your images.

You may have heard of wide-angle photography, but what exactly does it mean, and how can you use it to improve your photos? On your iPhone, zooming in and out is determined by something called focal length, measured in millimetres. A focal length of around 50mm (full-frame equivalent) closely matches what the human eye naturally sees. To zoom in on distant subjects, you’d use a longer focal length, such as 300mm. Conversely, zooming out to a wider focal length – say, 24mm or lower – allows you to capture more of the scene in a single frame.

Since the iPhone 7 Plus, Apple has equipped its smartphones with multiple camera sensors and dedicated lenses, enabling features like optical zoom, macro photography and enhanced image processing. The default lens is typically a wide-angle 24mm, with additional cameras offering various focal lengths to suit different scenarios.

Using a wider angle lets you include more of the scene, making it ideal for expansive landscapes, travel shots such as the Grand Canyon, or large interior spaces like churches or cathedrals. However, ultra wide-angle lenses can introduce barrel distortion, particularly at the edges of the frame. This can cause straight lines – like the edges of buildings – to appear curved or bowed. While this might not be an issue in open landscapes, it’s less flattering for close-up portraits, where distortion can stretch or warp facial features and limbs.

Focal length explained: how to shoot wide angle on iPhone

Switching focal lengths in the Camera app is easy. In Photo mode, tap the zoom options at the bottom of the screen or swipe between them. On an iPhone 14 Pro, for instance, you can select from 0.5x, 1x, 2x or 3x, or even slide to fine-tune the zoom between these points. Alternatively, use the familiar pinch-to-zoom gesture to adjust your framing.

On the iPhone 14 Pro, the default 1x zoom equates to a 24mm focal length and delivers the best image quality – including support for ProRAW and resolutions up to 48.8MP. Switching to 0.5x uses the ultra-wide 13mm lens, but reduces resolution to 12.2MP. While this is still more than enough for most uses – especially viewing on a phone screen – it limits your ability to crop or print large without losing quality. If you’re aiming for a wider composition, consider physically stepping back rather than relying on the ultra-wide lens, so you can retain the highest image quality possible.

Shooting panoramas for a wider view

If you want to capture an ultra-wide scene without compromising on resolution, try using the Panorama mode. This feature stitches together a series of images as you pan your iPhone across the scene, creating a single wide image with impressive detail. It’s a great alternative when even the ultra-wide lens isn’t quite wide enough.

Before starting your panorama, it’s best to zoom to 1x or higher. This helps reduce distortion and makes it easier for your iPhone to blend the images seamlessly. Avoid including anything too close to the lens, as it can introduce stitching errors or visual glitches. Once you’ve panned across the scene, tap the shutter button to finish. You can then go into the Photos app to crop, straighten the horizon or make any additional edits – including exposure and colour adjustments.

Depth of field and image sharpness

Focal length and sensor size both affect depth of field – the area of an image that appears sharp. iPhones use small sensors, which naturally increase depth of field. Shooting with a wide or ultra-wide lens also contributes to this effect, helping to keep more of your image in sharp focus.

This makes wide-angle lenses particularly well-suited for landscapes, architecture and group shots, where you typically want everything from front to back to appear super sharp.

Clip-on lens options

Clip-on lens accessories can still be useful for smartphones, especially older models with only one or two lenses. These adapters can give you access to creative effects such as fisheye distortion or extreme wide-angle views.

That said, modern iPhones with dedicated ultra-wide lenses already offer excellent wide-angle performance, making clip-on options less essential. Adding extra glass in front of the lens can also reduce image quality. Still, for those using smartphones without a built-in ultra-wide lens, clip-on adapters can be a fun way to experiment. The fisheye lens is definitely worth playing around with as it has a totally distinct look for stills and video. I personally like the 3-in-1 clip on lenses as these come with a variety of ultra-wide and fisheye lens adapters for fun creative wide-angle effects, plus a third macro lens for you to experiment with close-up photography.

Tips and tricks

While wide-angle photography is great for travel and landscapes, there are a few things to bear in mind. Avoid getting too close to people when using ultra-wide lenses, especially for headshots – facial features can easily become distorted. For full length portraits you can get some quirky shots that distort limbs and make models look taller – as with everything in life, rules can sometimes be broken.

For shots of buildings and architecture, and even cityscapes and holiday photos, avoid tilting your camera upwards as this makes it likely that the straight lines in buildings will start to bow and lean-in towards the centre of the frame. Instead, shoot at head height or waist-level. If you need a more expansive view, try switching to your ultra-wide lens or shooting a panorama.

Finally, don’t expect a beautifully blurred background when shooting wide-angle. The deep depth of field means most of the scene will remain in focus. This makes wide angle lenses a great choice for travel shots, landscapes, architecture and group shots – as everything in your scene will likely be pin sharp with a deep depth of field. If you’re aiming to isolate your subject with a soft background, it’s better to zoom in to a longer focal length where background blur and subject separation are more pronounced.