iPhone Macro: A Big Day for Small Things

I feel the need to point out that Nikon has always called extreme closeup lenses micro instead of the oxymoronic macro the rest of the industry uses: https://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/f-mount/#special.

While this is obviously a promo for the Halide camera app (which is awesome, mind you) it's full of useful information on macro photography, regardless.

This bit in particular caught my eye: "What makes Halide 2.5’s Macro Mode so special? For one, it brings Macro capabilities to all iPhones." (not just the iPhone 13 Pro)

While the 13 Pro's lens is undoubtedly a marvel of engineering, I feel like all those 'mind.blown' reviews must have been written by youngsters who never used a dedicated macro lens on a (D)SLR.

It is may be worth mentioning that it is very difficult to get such amazing pictures without a very stable setup -- both for the subject and for the camera. Even if you have enough light for a high shutter speed, it can be difficult to compose a macro shot if there is any motion at all. And, as was pointed out, lighting/shadows can be tricky when the "camera" lens is just a few inches away.

Or just old people like me trying to read serial numbers on electronics hardware.