Back in 2021, Apple introduced a new iPhone camera capability in the form of a new macro lens option with the ultrawide camera. It was exclusive to the Pro models until last year when it was extended across the iPhone 16 and 17 range.
As a built-in feature, it’s pretty impressive, but it doesn’t come close to the razor-thin depth of field you get with a dedicated macro lens. But a $150 snap-on iPhone lens gives you something remarkably close to this …
Macro lenses
Any keen photographer will know the phenomenon of gear lust. There’s an endless list of new camera bodies, lenses and accessories that can catch your eye. Being able to resist these passing fancies is a core skill for photographers, especially as many of them would be something you would use enthusiastically for a few days or a few weeks before putting it back into the drawer, never to be used again.
A macro lens is something I successfully resisted for many years for precisely that reason, and because a decent one is not cheap. It’s a lens which combines two characteristics. First, it lets you focus on something very close to the lens. Second, it has an extremely shallow depth of field which helps to highlight the very specific area of the photograph you want to capture while blurring everything else.
I finally invested in one when I took up part-time wedding photography for a few years. It was typically used exactly once per wedding, but since couples always loved these shots, I consider that it more than earned its keep.
iPhone photographers have two advantages where macro photography is concerned. First, the built-in capability will be enough for many, while for others it will demonstrate to you that this is a style of photography you really enjoy and therefore justifies some expense. Second, if you do want a more capable macro lens for an iPhone, one can be yours for a relatively modest sum.
How much more capable? Here’s the same shot taken with the built-in macro camera capability on the iPhone 16 Pro Max and with the Sandmarc 100mm macro lens (use the slider to compare):
Both photos are unedited other than size and quality being reduced for web use
The Sandmarc Macro Lens: Specs
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