Manual Focus Camera

Getting started

Manual Focus Camera gives you direct control of the camera's focus, for the situations where autofocus locks onto the wrong thing — glass, fencing, foliage — or gives up on a subject that is too far away.

On first launch the app asks for permission to use the:

• Camera — to show the live preview and take photos.
• Photo Library — to save the photos you take.

If you declined either, you can re-enable it in iOS Settings → Manual Focus Camera.

Setting focus by hand

1. Find the Focus slider. It runs vertically down the right-hand side of the live preview, with the current value shown above it.
2. Drag it until the subject is sharp. The scale runs from 0.00 (as close as the lens will focus) to 1.00 (infinity). Distant aircraft, ships and landscapes sit near the top of the range.
3. It stays where you put it. The focus does not drift, re-evaluate or reset while you frame the shot.
4. Take the photo with the green shutter button.

Controls

• Focus slider — vertical, on the right. Low values focus near, high values focus far.
• Focus readout — the number above the slider, so you can return to a setting you know works.
• Focus peaking — the live preview highlights the areas that are genuinely in focus, so you can confirm the subject is sharp before you shoot.
• AF button — top left, for handing focus back to the camera's automatic mode.
• Chevron — bottom left, opens the Controls panel.
• Shutter — the green button at the bottom.

The Controls panel

Opened with the chevron at the bottom left. It contains:

• Filters — None, B&W, Retro, Sepia, Faded and Contrast, previewed live before you shoot.
• Tone presets — Neutral, Noir, Faded and Punchy.
• Saturation, Brightness and Contrast — fine adjustment, each with a numeric value.
• Focus — the same focus value, adjustable here as well.

Getting the shot

Through a window

Autofocus tends to lock onto the glass itself, or onto raindrops and dirt on it. Set the focus past the glass and onto the scene outside, then leave it alone — this works from a car, a train, an aircraft seat, or an aquarium or enclosure.

Distant subjects

Aircraft, ships and wildlife at a distance often sit beyond the range where autofocus can find anything to lock onto, so it hunts back and forth. Set the focus near the top of the range instead, and it will hold through the whole approach or pass.

Past an obstruction

Leaves, branches, cables and wire fencing sit closer to the lens than your subject, so autofocus chooses them. Set the focus manually on the subject behind, and the obstruction falls out of focus where it belongs.

Through binoculars or a spotting scope

Holding a phone to an eyepiece gives autofocus almost nothing usable to work with. Set the focus by hand once and it will stay put between shots.

FAQ