Auto-focus is a feature on Apple's iPhone camera, which focuses it upon a specific area of the screen for both still images and video. Auto-focus made its debut with the launch of the iPhone 3GS in 2009, and is a standard camera feature for all iPhone models that officially support video. Auto-focus can be enabled upon older iPhone models by either jail-breaking (or hacking) the device, as well as through various third-party iPhone apps.
Automatic Auto-Focus
The iPhone camera will automatically center upon an object or person in a screen shot, which is highlighted by a large white box with a glowing blue outline on the screen. The iPhone will also adjust the exposure and the white balance within the highlighted region, in order to enhance and improve the overall quality of the specific area in the image or video.
Changing the Auto-Focus Selection
You can choose a different object or person within the screen shot for the iPhone to auto-focus upon by simply tapping the person or object on the screen with your finger. The iPhone will highlight the region that is selected by a small white box with a glowing blue outline, and will noticeably adjust the exposure as well as the white balance of the specific area.
Hardware Specs
According to "Ars Technica," the auto-focus camera that is built within the iPhone uses a 1/4-inch, 3.2-megapixel CIS that is paired with a true auto-focus lens, which helps to enhance the resolution of the image and video.
The camera is manufactured by OmniVision, who won the contract to build the auto-focus camera for Apple, whose previous iPhone models (the iPhone 2G and the iPhone 3G) used only a 2-megapixel camera, which lacked the ability to demonstrate true auto-focus.
For Older iPhones (Via Jail-Breaking)
Auto-focus is officially not supported by Apple if you have an iPhone 3G or an iPhone 2G, both of which have a 2.0-megapixel camera. You can, however, enable auto-focus on an iPhone 3G or iPhone 2G by jail-breaking, or hacking, the device.
Jail-breaking is when you modify the iPhone's operating system in order to alter the functions or features of the device as well install third-party software not approved by Apple.
Jail-breaking an iPhone 3G or iPhone 2G model will enable you to implement auto-focus on your respective iPhone models, although the quality of the image or video that is enhanced will be poor when compared against newer iPhones due to the hardware limitation of the 2.0-megapixel camera.
Older iPhones (Third Party Apps)
Auto-focus can also be enabled upon older iPhone models with the aid of a third-party app by JFDP called Auto-focus for 3G/2G Camera.
This third-party programs will allow you to auto-focus images and video on your iPhone by using passive auto-focusing, which relies entirely upon the software to enhance the specific region of the image or video.
This third-party programs mimic the auto-focus feature in newer models of the iPhone, although the quality of the image or video section that is enhanced is inferior when compared against images and videos enhanced on more advanced iPhones.
Tags: image video, iPhone models, iPhone iPhone, specific area, 0-megapixel camera, adjust exposure, although quality