Take Detailed Close-up Photos With Your iPhone

The Apple iPhone sports a nice two megapixel camera with a CMOS sensor — better than what you get with most mobile devices. But the cheap, tiny lens means that the iPhone is pretty lousy at capturing clear, detailed photos taken at ranges closer than about eight inches. In photo speak, this is called “macrophotography.”

Here’s a simple and cheap hack you can employ to take incredibly sharp and detailed close-ups with your iPhone. It also works with just about any mobile phone with a built-in camera. Your results will vary, but the trick should improve the quality of your macro photos no matter what your device.

This technique was originally popularized by Flickr user (and iPhone owner) curiouslee. You can see some of his macro iPhone images in his Flickr stream.
What You’ll Need

1. An iPhone
2. A 3-lens magnifier from Radio Shack, $9.
Ready for Your Close-up?

1. Position one of the magnifier’s three lenses over the iPhone’s camera. Hold it flush against the iPhone’s body, right over the camera, like so: