Clean your iPhone lens and keep it clean
Taking better photos with your iPhone (Tip #1)
So you want to take better photos with your iPhone?
You think it would go without saying, but it would amaze you the number of images we see on phlow and elsewhere that have been taken with a dirty lens. So I’m going to say it… if you want to take better images on your iPhone start by cleaning your lens.
The actual lens on the iPhone is quite small and housed within an external casing. But here’s the thing… Your iPhone spends a lot of time in your pocket, in your hands, against your ear and hair, exposing it to all sorts of dust, fingerprints and other general rubbish — as a result IT WILL GET DIRTY. Dirt, grease, oil, fingerprints… they all have a huge effect on your images.
A simple fingerprint, means that oil has been transferred from your skin onto the lens casing and other dust and dirt particles will quite easily stick to that oily residue.
There is no point spending all your time looking for that great location, perfect point of view and spectacular light, only to have the glass of your lens caked in dirt. It blocks the light from entering the sensor, leave smudges and blurs on the images and ruin all your hard work.
How to clean your iPhone lens
Apple does offer some general information about cleaning your iPhone that is worth reading, however they don’t deal specifically with the camera.
Just like any other lens for a DSLR camera, to clean the iPhone lens it is recommended that you use a microfibre cloth, such as the kind you get for cleaning your glasses. Failing that an old, well worn cotton t-shirt would work just as well.
A quick breath on the lens casing adds a tiny amount of moisture which assists in removing even the most stubborn of dirt — resist the urge to use any sort of liquid, even if it’s just water, anywhere near the device. Carefully clean the lens casing using the corner of the cloth using small, soft circles with the same care and attention as if you were polishing the lens itself.
If you have been dipping your phone in the mud or have managed to bake something onto it, then you may want to consider something like a LensPen which are generally made for larger cameras and you can pick up online for about £12. This is at the more extreme end however, and I would suggest that you may want to rethink how you are looking after your iPhone if you have reached this stage — you may have noticed, but Apple devices aren’t cheap you know!
For anything more extreme that may require taking the device to bits, our suggestion is… DON’T. There are videos that show you how to do this kind of thing but please just take it to the genius bar and pay the small fee (if they even charge you for it) to have a professional do it. This is far easier and cheaper than trying to get them to reassemble it once you have it in 20 pieces.
Taking some simple steps to ensure your iPhone lens is clean and grime free will mean your beautiful images are far less likely to be ruined by unwanted marks, spots and blurring.
