Photo taken with an iPhone 15 Pro Max controlled using an Apple Watch Series 9.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Smartwatches and cameras rarely go together very well . We ’ve see smart wristwear with cameras fitted in the past , but the combination was n’t very successful , and few manufacturers even bother today .
However , Apple has convey the smartwatch / television camera jazz group exactly right with a special feature on theApple Watch — and it ’s one that does n’t get talk about often enough . But once you know about it , it has the electric potential to change the agency you use the tv camera on your phone entirely .
What does it do?
What is the characteristic ? The Apple Watch work out as a viewfinder and distant shutter for the television camera on your iPhone , so you may habituate the watch ’s covert to see what the earpiece ’s photographic camera sees in tangible meter . you may then take a photo without allude the phone at all or need another individual with you to work the photographic camera . It ’s not the only smartwatch that has such a feature , but it ’s the one I ’ve found I use the most because it work so well .
Why is it useful ? While you’re able to always take selfies with the front camera , the iPhone ’s rearward cameras take superior photos and have a far more precise and realistic portrait mode . But to get the good photos possible , you have to defend the television camera “ backward ” and guess how you ’re couch the guess , apply the timekeeper , and hope for the honorable . Alternatively , you need another person . Having the Apple Watch on your wrist work out all these problem .
I do n’t take many selfies , but there have been time when I ’ve needed to take photograph of myself for some articles I was writing and did n’t have anyone around to help out . And , really , who want to ask someone to take potentially dozens of photos as you seek to get the pose and saying right ? This is how I first come to utilize this Apple Watch feature extensively and to substantiate its potential .
How does it work?
The feature is wide-eyed and seamless to use . reach the camera app on your earphone , then find the camera ikon on the Apple Watch ’s app menu , tap it , and wait for it to connect . You will see a resilient view , in colour , from your iPhone ’s camera on your wrist , along with a few options .
By nonremittal , the Apple Watch activate a three - second timekeeper for photos taken using the app , but this can be turn off . you’re able to also flip between the front and rearward cameras and activate the flash . Each photo you take can also be seen on the vigil , so you know if it ’s what you want or not .
When the camera is countersink to the standard Photo mode , it mechanically postulate a burst photo of 10 frames , allowing you to pick the well . And if you defend down the shutter button , the app will take a TV until you unblock it . If you switch to video , you could start and block recording on the watch . I really wish the way rotating the Digital Crown changes the zoom from the wide angle to 25x . The Apple Watch ’s tv camera app can also wake the camera up on your telephone , so if it locks or you block to get to the photographic camera , just open up the app on the Apple Watch to start it again . It ’s a true multifunctional tool .
Because it ’s a bouncy aspect ( well , almost , as there is a slight delay due to the information traveling over Bluetooth ) , you’re able to compose your shot in real meter without have to worry that the timer is going to suddenly ladder out . you’re able to check over the results on your wrist , then try again as many clock time as you want — all without find like a gist to the somebody you ’ve roped into photographic obligation . It ’s as freeing as it is immediate and reliable . But there are a few thing you need to consider before using it .
The first is that you ca n’t change camera modes or crystalline lens from the Apple Watch , so you should set it to portrait , video , or photo modality before you move from the iPhone ; otherwise , it just takes photos with the main camera . Also , to get the most from it , you will need a tripod and bearer for your phone . I ’ve been using the excellent Joby GorillaPod Mobile tripod and the GripTight Pro 2 bearer for a while , and it ’s a versatile , commodious , and lightweight setup .
A simple tool for creativity
Throughout myOuttaFocuscolumns so far ( and into the future ) , a lean musical theme is to highlight how mobile devices canmake you more creativewhen it comes to picture taking , and despite it not actually convey photo , the Apple Watch ’s tv camera app still manages to do just that . I first used it in sincere when I shot myiPhone 15 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro tv camera comparison video , which had a short turnround time , so I needed to work fast .
It saved the day when it came prison term to take selfies and for those essential ancillary shooting of me using the earphone , with the Apple Watch feature do it possible to do so in no sentence and without the need to discover a willing photographer . In fact , in some of the exposure , you’re able to see I ’m wearingtwoApple Watches , one for each phone , to make life easier . I ’ve used it several fourth dimension for body of work since then , too , with the most recent being to shoot exposure of me wearing theRay - Ban Meta smart glasses .
The vantage of using the Apple Watch as a finder are obvious for still , but it ’s perhaps even better if you need to apply your iPhone ’s video camera for vlogging . It makes it so easy to border your shots , reduces the amount of clip spent editing later on , and adds more opportunity to get creative with television camera location as you’re able to always see what it ’ll disk . If you have aspirations of being a lifestyle vlogger and want to capture your day-after-day act on video , using a smartwatch as a viewfinder will make it much easier to get the right shots the first time — and on your own .
A must-have camera accessory
Although I ’ve concentrated on the Apple Watch here , and I really like the way the camera app is follow through and works , the same type of lineament is available on theGoogle Pixel Watch 2if you deploy the Google Camera app , and also on theSamsung Galaxy Watch 6 . Health and fitness trailing on a smartwatch gets the most aid , and the viewfinder feature film is n’t spill about anywhere near as much , but it is a genuine welfare for photographers and video makers .
Why ? It does something very particular by letting you capture pic and TV that otherwise may be impossible to get on your own . And once you get started , you cursorily start to think about how it can improve or change how you use the photographic camera on your phone . I have it off that it inspire this way . It genuinely opens up new originative avenues for the solo creator , and for a smartwatch feature of speech , and not a camera feature , I guess that ’s awe-inspiring .
