Cat's Eye: Manual Camera

A full manual camera, with Portrait, a solar compass and depth of field in view.

◉ NEW: solar compass. Where the sun rises and sets today, where it is now, which way shadows fall and when golden hour begins
◉ NEW: depth of field. What stays sharp at each distance, and the hyperfocal distance in one tap
◉ NEW: a new screen, with every control in view and labelled, the three lenses and the front camera
◉ Portrait: the background is blurred using the real distance measured by the LiDAR scanner, no generative AI
◉ Real aperture from ƒ/1.48 to ƒ/4 on iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max: the ring moves the blades
◉ Shutter, aperture, ISO and zoom on four rings around the viewfinder

THE SUN, BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT

Tap “sun” and a plate appears that turns with the camera: today’s path of the sun, when it rises and sets, where it is now and a little figure with its shadow. It tells you whether the light is in front, to the side or behind, and alerts you to golden hour and blue hour.

WHAT WILL BE SHARP

Tap “DoF” and you’ll see, for the lens, zoom and aperture you have set, from where to where things are sharp at the distance you choose. “Focus at hyperfocal” sets focus at the hyperfocal distance: everything is sharp from half that distance to infinity, the classic trick for landscapes.

PORTRAIT — THE BACKGROUND BLURRED YOUR WAY

Choose Portrait by swiping under the shutter and shoot, in AUTO too. Cat's Eye measures the distance of every point with the LiDAR scanner and blurs the background like a fast lens. Then, in the editor:

• A slider from ƒ/1.4 to ƒ/16 sets how much the background is blurred.
• “Sharp zone” sets how much stays in focus around the person.
• “Subject light” brightens only the person, ideal against the light.
• Six bokeh styles: creamy, classic, cat’s eye, anamorphic, bubble and hexagon.

On iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, a second shot with the aperture closed fixes the depth on railings, bars and leaves.

AUTO OR MANUAL

In AUTO 1 the screen stays clean: frame and shoot. Tap the mode button and the four rings appear (AUTO 2); tap again and you’re in M, with the values the camera was using. Each ring has an A position: take aperture off A and you’re in Av; shutter, Tv; both, M.

• Ultra Wide, Main and Tele with one tap, and the front camera with SELFIE.
• Zoom with two fingers or its ring, in millimeters and magnification; the digital range is marked in amber with the megapixels you really have left.
• Exposure compensation, auto or Kelvin white balance, flash and torch, in the top row.
• Distance-based focus peaking (with LiDAR), zebras and RGB histogram.
• Tap to focus, hold to lock, double-tap to track the subject; manual focus in one tap.

AND ALSO

• Photos in 4:3, 16:9 or 1:1, as HEIF, JPEG or ProRAW, up to 48 MP.
• Burst and self-timer; shoot with the volume buttons too.
• Standby: the screen goes black when you’re not using it or face down, and comes back with a tap or when you lift the iPhone.
• The viewer shows your Cat's Eye photos as they are in your library.

WHAT EACH iPhone DOES

• iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max: Portrait with the second shot, an aperture that really moves and distance peaking.
• Other iPhone Pro models with LiDAR: Portrait, the full manual camera and distance peaking.
• All others: the full manual camera, with the fixed aperture of their lens.

One-time purchase. No subscription. No account. Your photos go to your library and never leave your phone; nor does the solar compass’s location.

Cat's Eye is made by Andrés Arocha, author of Camera Trainer and PhotoPractice.