Halide Camera App Unlocks Full Aperture Control for iPhone 18 Pro

A fresh update to Lux Optics’ Halide camera app for iPhone and iPad introduces two new photography styles and enhances support for the variable aperture on the latest iPhone 18 Pro’s main camera. While Halide isn’t the first alternative to the default iOS camera app to embrace this feature, it provides more precise control over aperture settings compared to other third-party options.

The standard iOS camera app restricts aperture adjustments to just four presets, whereas both the BlackMagic Camera and Moment Pro Camera II apps offer 10 presets in 1/3 stop increments, akin to what you’d find on most digital cameras. Halide Mark III takes it a step further, allowing users to choose any f-stop setting from f/1.48 to f/4.0. While the difference between f/4.0 and f/3.99 may be negligible, the flexibility is there. The Halide team is also exploring the addition of f-stop presets in future updates based on user input.

Halide Mark III debuted earlier this year, featuring a new film simulation engine and various looks that can be applied to images. The latest update introduces a new Dawn look, which infuses “filmic warmth in the mid-tones and highlights with gentle, rich shadows,” alongside Quicksilver, which “combines high contrast with muted color, inspired by silver-retention processes.”