Third-Party Camera Apps Unlock Finer Aperture Control on the iPhone 18 Pro
Blackmagic Camera and Moment Pro Camera II now offer ten aperture presets on the iPhone 18 Pro, going beyond the four f-stop settings available in Apple's native Camera app.
In manual mode, the native iOS camera app only lets users choose among f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4, and the same four values apply when the app controls the iris itself in auto aperture mode. That restriction is not a hardware limit: Apple's software development kit allows third-party camera apps to implement more granular aperture control.
Blackmagic Design's Blackmagic Camera app for iOS, which remains free, was among the first third-party options to support the iPhone 18 Pro's adjustable aperture. Rather than four stops, the app offers ten presets with additional options between the settings available in iOS. The iPhoneographers YouTube channel tested the feature in version 3.5 of the app last week and described it as "pretty buggy"; the app has since been updated to version 3.5.1, which Blackmagic says brings "general performance and stability improvements."
Moment announced on X on Thursday that its $12.99 Moment Pro Camera II app has also been updated to support the variable aperture. Users can adjust from f/1.48 to f/4.0 in one-third-stop increments, giving ten presets, matching Blackmagic's approach and the one most digital cameras take.
Because of the iPhone 18 Pro's small sensor, differences in background blur and depth of field may be difficult to see between photos shot a third of a stop apart. The Verge noted that more control is nonetheless not a bad thing.