Several articles about taking macro shots with an iPhone have been circling the web lately. The first seen here, instructs people to destroy a DVD player and extract the laser’s focusing lens. A second article posed on Make Magazine’s Blog uses the front lens from a disposable camera to achieve a similar result. The results from both methods are impressive. However, I will show you a few much simpler methods which are easier, faster, cheaper, and produce better results!
Magnifying Glass:
Don’t ruin that DVD player! The simplest way to shoot macro on your iPhone is with a humble magnifying glass! The penny seen on the left (click it to see the full rez) was taken using this method. Simply hold any magnifying glass (this one would work just fine
Credit Card Magnifier:
If carrying around a full magnifying glass doesn’t suit you, consider getting a credit card sized magnifying reader. You can pick one up at pharmacies and most book stores. I bought mine at Barnes and Noble for less than five dollars. The quality won’t be as high as what you can get from a magnifying glass, but you can’t beat the convenience. Slip it into your wallet or purse and use it any time you want to snap a barcode or get some small text in focus. Amazon sells the one below, an Itoya PL-A Pocketlens
The pictures below were taken using this method. On the left is a dollar bill taken without the lens. The iPhone 3GS simply cannot focus close enough to capture the detail. With the credit card lens (picture taken at the same distance) everything is in (relatively) good focus. It’s the difference between a fuzzy “Huh?” and readable text, and it certainly has it’s uses.
And finally, how to get truly Extreme Close-Ups (for free) with an iPhone-
A Drop of Water:
That’s right folks, get huge magnification from just one drop of water! In this case, we are letting the curved surface of a drop of water suspended on the iPhone lens distort the image. The effect can be seen in the images above: strong enlargement and very close focus. The optical quality of a drop of water is not nearly the same as that of manufactured glass, but it does allow you to get much closer and best of all, it;s free. The round bezel that covers the actual camera inside the iPhone (seen below on the left) makes a perfect place to suspend a droplet.
The picture on the right shows the drop from the side. As you can see, it doesn’t need to be very big. A drop that is big enough to provide a roundish curve is all that is needed. Interestingly, the size of the drop controls both the amount of magnification and the minimum focusing distance. A tiny drop, just enough to wet the lens, will not magnify much but it will allow you to get closer to the subject. A huge, ready to drip off drop, on the other hand, will magnify intensely and require you to hold your iPhone steady just a few millimeters above your subject. It will also exaggerate distortion around the edges, providing sharp focus only at the center of the drop. A nice, “medium” sized drop, like the one pictured above on the right, will allow you to take pictures less than an inch away from the lens with out distorting too heavily around the edges.
The result is similar to photographs from a Holga, sharp in the middle and increasingly soft at the edges, as can be observed in the photograph at the beginning of this post. Like any technique, practice makes perfect. The wobbling water over the lens will exaggerate any shaking movements you make while taking a picture. It helps to take the picture in bright daylight so a high shutter speed minimizes this problem. Also, the center of focus will be in the tip of the drop, so be sure to hold the iPhone at an angle such that the drop is well centered on the lens. For those concerned about getting their iPhone wet, use caution and only apply a tiny drop to the lens. I’ve been doing this for quite some time, to no ill effect.
This may not be the most practical method of macro photography, but anyone with a cellphone and a spare drop of water can give it a try! Have a look below for a few more images produced using this method, and don’t forget to click to see the full resolution.
About Steve
The water drop is a terrible suggestion. Water and iPhones do not mix! When I was trying to buy a used 3G from eBay I was shocked at the number of water damaged iPhones. Some of them were simply splashed with water. It appears that Apple has not designed any kind of water resistance into their phones. There is even a water dot which changes color when exposed to moisture. Even having the phone in a humid environment is enough to change the color of the water dot. When that dot changes color your phone’s warranty becomes void. The camera is poking out of a small hole in the back of the case. It is a tight fit but if you do the water drop lens trick a few times, it will seep into the electronics and then it is all over. The contacts on modern ships are so small that even a tiny amount of water can short them out. Here is a list of iPhones for sale on eBay with water damage:
http://tinyurl.com/qszbws
Using my 1G iPhone and a drop of water, I got extreme close-ups of Lincoln sitting in his memorial on the back of a penny as well as just the chest and head of the eagle on a quarter. Regarding the risk of water damage, while I’m sure the lens isn’t gasket-tight, if you put the drop on quickly and immediately face the drop downward, I expect gravity will do its job to keep the phone’s innards dry enough.
What fun!
I expect gravity will do its job to keep the phone’s innards dry enough.
Try Googling “capillary action” and “meniscus” and let us know if you still believe that statement.
Hey Jason, I still believe his comment. I googled both terms and both are unrelated to a liquid sitting on a tight seal. Capillary action refers to liquids thorugh a “POROUS media”. I don’t think glass or metal fits that description. Second, the term meniscus refers to the shape of the liquid based on the media it is in, either being attracted to particles of the liquid or particles of the media it’s in. Neither refers water seeping through glass or metal and into your phone.
That being said, the iPhone can get wet. I’m sure everyone has seen the ‘iphone in the pool’, I’ve used mine in the rain, I’ve gotten the glass and the back on my 3g, and 3gs wet. I’ve used it with wet hands, etc. As long as you aren’t getting water into the open holes, I’m going to say the 3g and 3gs phones are sealed pretty well, as are most apple products. The moisture detection pads are inside the headphone jack, inside the speaker and mic area, inside the sim area, and INSIDE the phone in general. Getting the outside wet does not mean the inside is going to be wet. Putting water on your lens does NOT mean your moisture detection pads will be triggered.
http://www.makroshots.com
how do u like my photos?
This is cute, but for a few dollars, you can make this much more convenient and get better quality shots by 3D printing this lens holder at Shapeways:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-an-iPhone-4-or-4S-slide-on-macro-lens/
This is very clever. It is interesting that the first microscope, developed by van Leeuwenhoek in about 1700 used a water drop lens.
This is a seriously brilliant idea. But I’m going to top you by adding strobes to my iPhone.
Generally when I come across these sort of things I like to post them on Digg.