Making iPhone Camera Focus Past Glass

November 11, 2011 6:35 PM

I'm trying to make a video of a road trip with my iPhone 4. But the camera keeps focusing on the windshield, rather than on the unfolding landscape. Help?
posted by Quisp Lover to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

Best answer: If you are running iOS 5 you can lock the autofocus. Try pointing the camera somewhere where it CAN focus off into the distance (maybe out the window?) and tap and hold on the screen. A normal tap will tap-to-focus, but a tap and hold will autofocus, and then lock the autofocus and the white balance. Then turn back toward your windshield and shoot away.
posted by raygan at 7:28 PM on November 11, 2011

Response by poster: Great answer, thanks!

Unfortunately, I'm still in iOs 4, and unwilling to update, because that will make the phone impossible to jailbreak (for a while), so I can't get a good price on eBay (and use profit to update to 4S).

Am I out of luck? I've seen driving videos successfully shot on iPhones before. They must have employed some trick....
posted by Quisp Lover at 7:34 PM on November 11, 2011

Best answer: Have you tried cleaning the windshield so the camera can't see it to focus on it? That's always worked pretty well for the autofocus lenses on my SLR. Why yes, I am a troglodyte. How nice of you to notice.
posted by DrGail at 7:51 PM on November 11, 2011

Response by poster: Yeah, the window hygiene IS pretty cruddy. Huh! Never imagined a solution as simple as that. I'll try in the morning! Thanks!
posted by Quisp Lover at 8:44 PM on November 11, 2011

Best answer: The tip I've used for this is simply to get the camera as close as you can (ideally, on) to the glass. If it's close enough, it won't be in focus range and the camera won't "see" it. Work for normal P&S cameras just fine.
posted by chairface at 9:18 PM on November 11, 2011

Response by poster: Makes great sense! Thanks!
posted by Quisp Lover at 9:46 PM on November 11, 2011