How To Make The Iphone 6 Camera Better

The iPhone just seems to get better with every new iteration of the device - seemingly leaving the humble compact camera far behind in its wake.

But it's not all just Apple hype, the iPhone 6 has recently been heralded as the best smartphone camera to have ever existed by respected independent industry bod DxO Labs.

Apple has shied away from chasing huge pixel counts, sticking with the same 8MP resolution that has been featured on the camera since the iPhone 4S. There's also the same f/2.2 lens and processor - the majority of new changes are "under the hood".

Perhaps the biggest new change is the addition of Focus Pixels (in camera terminology that's the addition of phase detection pixels) and in real terms means that the camera is capable of focusing at twice the speed of the iPhone 5S.

One of the most interesting new features is the ability to change the exposure of a photo manually - we'll talk about that more later. There's also improved face detection, to include blink and smile detection for best shots in burst mode.

Here's 10 ways you can get the most from your iPhone 6 camera.

1. Change Exposure Manually

10 tips and tricks for your iPhone 6 camera

Photographing something a little dark, or a little bright? That's no problem with the new manual exposure control option. First you'll need to tap the area on the photo that you want to be the main subject and therefore base the exposure on.

If the camera doesn't accurately guess the exposure, use the slider to make adjustments by dragging your finger up and down the screen. You can use it to creative effect by producing high key or low key looks too.

2. Better Group Shots with Timer Mode

Co-ordinate your friends with three or ten seconds notice from the new timer mode or just use it to set up awkward shots, angles or even selfies. What's more the camera will fire off a burst when the countdown timer reaches zero, giving you the opportunity to choose the best photo from the bunch - great for weeding out blinkers and grumpy faces.

3. Time lapse mode

One of the new fun modes is the time lapse setting. Simply select this and the camera will take a new photo every few seconds. When you're ready, press stop and a video will be created showing a time lapse of the event you've just photographed. It's great for sports, sunsets, or just your dog fooling around.

For best effect though, you'll either need an extremely steady hand, or something sturdy to rest the phone on - such as a stand or tripod adaptor.

4. Get better shots with burst mode

There are lots of ways to utilise burst mode to make sure you get the shots you need. It's not just for group shots, it could be used when you're photographing a sports event and want to make sure you capture the crucial part, or maybe something like a wedding or a party.

Hold down the shutter icon on screen, or either of the volume buttons, to take a burst. A number will appear on screen showing you how many shots you've taken. Once you're done, click the picture in the corner of the screen.

You'll now notice that you can press select - the one which the iPhone has deemed to be the best will have a grey circle underneath it, but you can choose a different one if you prefer. Make your selection and press done. You can opt to keep all of the shots, or only the ones you want to save memory.