Three Lenses is Better Than One: How to Use iPhone Lenses to Change Perspective

Three Lenses is Better Than One: How to Use iPhone Lenses to Change Perspective

Until the release of the iPhone X in 2017, one glaring limitation of iPhones over a “real” camera was the single fixed lens that came with every one. Back in the day almost every compact digital camera came with a zoom lens that could shoot from wide angle (think real estate agents or landscapes) to 4x telephoto (think moms at their kids’ sports camps). iPhones had that all-purpose single lens that didn’t seem quite wide enough or long enough to do a great job of either. It was the digital equivalent of the Kodak Brownie camera. A compact camera with an average length lens that didn’t offer the same creative options as a real camera. 

With the release of the iPhone 11 Pro last September, though, the 3 lens setup now offers some of the perspectives that zoom lenses do and it’s a lot of fun to use. 

At first glance, zoom and lens length seems more of a convenience than a creative tool. Professional photographers, however, often use different lens lengths to change perspective in the photo and get different and interesting looks. 

Using the ultra wide angle lens close up to the subject emphasizes what's nearest and adds depth to the shot

These images were taken at a local beach using the 3 different lenses on my iPhone 11 Pro to show how each lens creates a totally different perspective. They were all taken from the same spot.

I walk by this bath house every time I visit the beach. I like the weathered brick and where it is worn down from decades of showers by beachgoers. With the telephoto (2x) lens I get detail in the wood and brick and can emphasize texture of the spot. Telephoto tends to compress distance so it looks like the hallway on the left is shorter than the hallways in either of the other shots.

Using the normal (1x) lens I get a more normal perspective and a little more dimension in the shot. With the sand leading off to the right and the tree on the left balancing the wooden deck and white downspout. The red bricks offer a nice, balanced contrast to the greens.

When I choose the ultra wide-angle (.5x) lens, I get a better sense of the beach and the whole bath house. It looks older, almost abandoned, waiting for something to happen. The sand now becomes more as important as the structure and it feels like there are things going on just outside the frame.

This is a great exercise. It was actually the first shot - the telephoto of the 2 bathroom entrances - that caught my attention and got me to stop and shoot the scene. But looking at the sequence now, it's the last one with the ultra-wide view that I like the best. Next time you see something to shoot, find a spot and use the 3 lens (or 2 lens if you have an older iPhone) and study the perspective that a different lens can make. sometimes subtle, but important.