How to use the iPhone 8 Plus camera: The ultimate guide

The iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and upcoming iPhone X all have great camera systems, but the iPhone 8 Plus and X have a few features over their smaller cousin thanks to a secondary 56mm-equivalent "telephoto" lens system.

If you happen to find yourself in possession of an iPhone 8 Plus, you can shoot using the 28mm-equivalent wide-angle lens using Photo mode, zoom up to 10x digitally, shoot with an added depth of field or lighting effects using Portrait mode, and more. Here's what you need to know!

How to use Zoom on the iPhone 8 Plus

Digital zoom is never going to be great — you're essentially just cropping and enlarging pixels from the original photo. But, more often than not, we use digital zooms when composing iPhone images — especially if we're shooting a subject from far away. Thanks to its multi-camera system, the iPhone 8 Plus offers an up-to-10x digital zoom when composing your images — and better still, that zoom is now a one-handed circular swipe. Here's how it works!

How to use Portrait mode on the iPhone 8 Plus

While people love the #plusclub for a variety of reasons, I chose a Plus model for one reason, and one reason only: Portrait mode. Exclusively available for the iPhone 7 Plus, 8 Plus, and upcoming iPhone X, this mode uses the 56mm-equivalent "telephoto" lens on your iPhone to shoot incredible images (in portrait or landscape orientation) with "bokeh"-style blurred backgrounds and foregrounds.

How to shoot with the telephoto lens on the iPhone 8 Plus

When you pick up an iPhone 8 Plus, you're also getting a great multi-camera system to take photographs and shoot video. By default, you shoot with the iPhone's 12-megapixel wide-angle f/1.8 lens, but you can also amp up the magnification and take photos with its 56mm-equivalent "telephoto" lens — both in the Camera app, with Portrait mode, or in a variety of great third-party apps.

More great camera content

Want to learn more about shooting photos with your iPhone? Check our full Camera Ultimate Guide!

Serenity was formerly the Managing Editor at iMore, and now works for Apple. She's been talking, writing about, and tinkering with Apple products since she was old enough to double-click. In her spare time, she sketches, sings, and in her secret superhero life, plays roller derby. Follow her on Twitter @settern.

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