What AE/AF Lock Means for Your iPhone Photography
AE/AF Lock on your iPhone camera is a powerful feature that allows you to manually set and lock both the Auto Exposure (AE) and Auto Focus (AF) points. When activated, your iPhone camera will maintain the chosen exposure and focus settings, preventing them from automatically adjusting as you recompose your shot or as lighting conditions change slightly. This is crucial for achieving consistent, professional-looking photographs and videos where precise control over brightness and sharpness is paramount.
- AE/AF Lock fixes exposure and focus settings.
- Prevents automatic adjustments when recomposing.
- Essential for consistent lighting and sharpness.
- Gives users creative control over key camera parameters.
- Directly accessible within the native Camera app.
In essence, AE/AF Lock turns your iPhone into a more versatile photographic tool, moving beyond automatic adjustments. Instead of the iPhone's intelligent software making guesses about what you want to expose and focus on, you tell it precisely. This distinction is vital for photographers and videographers who understand that the camera's automatic decisions aren't always aligned with their artistic vision. Whether you're shooting a subject with challenging lighting, trying to maintain focus on a moving object, or simply want to ensure a consistent look across a series of shots, mastering AE/AF Lock is a fundamental skill.
The native Camera app on iOS is designed with user control in mind, and AE/AF Lock is a prime example of this philosophy. It’s not hidden behind obscure menus or requiring third-party applications; it’s readily available for immediate use. This accessibility means that even casual photographers can elevate their results by understanding and applying this simple yet effective technique. By understanding what AE and AF mean individually, you can better appreciate the combined power of locking them together.
Auto Exposure (AE) determines the overall brightness of your image by adjusting settings like aperture (though fixed on most iPhones), shutter speed, and ISO. Auto Focus (AF) ensures that the subject you want to be sharp is indeed sharp. Without AE/AF Lock, your iPhone camera constantly analyzes the scene, and if it detects a change in light or subject distance, it will try to re-evaluate and adjust these settings. This can lead to blown-out highlights, underexposed shadows, or a focus shift to an unintended part of the frame, particularly when you move the phone or the subject moves.
Understanding the automatic behavior of your iPhone camera is the first step toward appreciating why AE/AF Lock is so valuable. For instance, if you're shooting a portrait with a bright background, the camera might automatically darken the foreground subject to compensate for the bright sky. If you want the subject well-exposed, you need to override this automatic adjustment. Similarly, if you're filming a subject moving towards or away from you, the camera's focus might hunt back and forth, or settle on the background. AE/AF Lock provides the solution to these common photographic challenges, giving you the final say.
Understanding Auto Exposure (AE) and Auto Focus (AF)
Before diving into how to lock them, it’s essential to grasp what Auto Exposure (AE) and Auto Focus (AF) do independently. Your iPhone's camera system uses sophisticated algorithms to determine these settings automatically, aiming to produce pleasing results in most everyday shooting scenarios. However, these automatic decisions are based on what the camera 'sees' at any given moment, and sometimes, what you want to capture requires overriding these defaults.
Auto Exposure (AE) governs the brightness of your photograph. It works by balancing three key elements, often referred to as the 'exposure triangle': aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. On most iPhone models, the aperture is fixed, meaning it doesn't change like it does on dedicated cameras. Therefore, your iPhone primarily adjusts shutter speed (how long the sensor is exposed to light) and ISO (the sensor's sensitivity to light) to achieve the desired exposure. The goal is to get an image that is neither too dark (underexposed) nor too bright (overexposed), with detail in both the shadows and highlights. Without user intervention, the iPhone's AE system will constantly analyze the scene's light levels and adjust accordingly. This is generally effective, but it can be fooled by very bright or very dark areas within the frame, leading to an overall exposure that doesn't match your intent.
Auto Focus (AF) is responsible for ensuring that your subject is sharp and in focus. The iPhone camera uses phase-detection autofocus (PDAF) and other advanced methods to quickly determine the distance to your subject and adjust the lens elements to achieve critical focus. The system is designed to identify subjects and track them, especially in video mode. It also defaults to focusing on whatever is closest to the center of the frame or what it deems to be the primary subject. While impressive, this automatic focusing can sometimes shift to the background or foreground if the camera detects something else that it interprets as more important, or if you move your phone unexpectedly. This is particularly problematic when shooting subjects at a specific distance or when you want to maintain focus on a particular element within a scene, regardless of movement or changes in the background.
The challenge arises when the camera's automatic interpretation of the scene doesn't align with your creative goals. For example, if you're photographing a person standing in front of a very bright window, the camera might expose for the window, making the person appear as a dark silhouette. Conversely, if you focus on a dark object, the camera might overexpose the brighter background. Similarly, in video, if your subject is stationary but the background is changing in brightness or distance (e.g., a person walking behind them), the camera might constantly try to refocus or re-expose, resulting in distracting shifts. AE/AF Lock provides the solution by allowing you to tell the camera, "This is what I want you to expose for, and this is what I want you to focus on, and don't change it unless I tell you to."
Why AE and AF Lock Together?
The synergy between AE and AF lock is where the real power lies for mobile photographers. While you can adjust exposure compensation independently, locking both parameters ensures a stable foundation for your shot. Imagine you've set the perfect exposure for a scene, perhaps by tapping on a specific area to meter the light, and then you want to recompose slightly to improve the framing. If AE and AF are not locked, the act of moving the phone or changing the framing can cause the camera to re-evaluate the scene, potentially altering your carefully chosen exposure and focus. Locking them prevents this unwanted drift, ensuring that the brightness and sharpness you initially selected remain consistent. This is particularly valuable in situations where you're not just taking a snapshot but actively composing a deliberate image or recording a video clip where continuity is key. By locking them together, you gain a level of control that mimics the manual adjustments available on professional cameras, all within the intuitive interface of your iPhone.
When you lock AE/AF, you are essentially telling your iPhone camera: "This is the exposure and focus I want, and I don't want you to change it."
How to Activate AE/AF Lock on Your iPhone
Activating AE/AF Lock on your iPhone is a straightforward process, designed to be accessible within the native Camera app. You don't need to navigate through complex settings menus or download third-party applications. The feature is integrated directly into the live camera view, making it available the moment you open the Camera app.
The primary method involves a simple tap-and-hold gesture. Open the Camera app on your iPhone. Frame your shot as you normally would, pointing the camera at your subject or scene. Once your iPhone's camera has automatically focused on a point and set an initial exposure (you'll see the square focus reticle and the sun icon appear, indicating the camera's current assessment), press and hold your finger on the screen over the area you want to lock both focus and exposure. Keep your finger pressed down for a moment. You should observe a confirmation indicator appear on the screen. This typically takes the form of a small yellow banner at the top of the screen that says 'AE/AF LOCK'. This confirms that your exposure and focus settings are now locked to the point you selected.
Once AE/AF Lock is active, you can lift your finger. The camera will now maintain the locked exposure and focus settings, even if you move the phone or recompose your shot. The yellow 'AE/AF LOCK' banner will remain visible, serving as a constant reminder that these settings are fixed. This allows you the freedom to adjust your framing, zoom slightly (though digital zoom can degrade quality), or make minor movements without fear of the camera's automatic systems interfering with your chosen settings.
Adjusting Exposure After Locking
While AE/AF Lock fixes the exposure point, your iPhone still provides a way to fine-tune the brightness level *after* you've locked both focus and exposure. This is an incredibly useful secondary control that adds another layer of creative command. After you have successfully activated AE/AF Lock and the yellow banner appears, you will notice a small sun icon next to the AE/AF Lock indicator or within the focus reticle. This sun icon represents the exposure level. You can tap and drag this sun icon up or down to manually adjust the exposure compensation. Dragging the sun icon upwards will make the image brighter, while dragging it downwards will make it darker. This allows you to make subtle or significant adjustments to the overall brightness while keeping the focus point and the original metering point locked. This is invaluable for situations where the automatic metering point might be slightly off, or you want to intentionally brighten or darken a scene beyond what the initial lock point suggested.
This secondary adjustment is critical for achieving the precise look you desire. For example, if you locked AE/AF on a subject's face, but the overall scene is slightly too dark for your liking, you can then slide the sun icon upwards to brighten the image without changing where the camera is focusing or how it's metering the light relative to the locked point. It's a two-step process: first, establish your primary AE/AF point, and second, refine the brightness. Remember that this exposure adjustment is relative to the locked metering point. If you were to unlock AE/AF and tap on a different area, the camera would re-evaluate exposure based on that new point.
Unlocking AE/AF Lock
To revert your iPhone camera back to its automatic AE and AF tracking, simply tap anywhere on the screen again. This second tap will usually reset the focus and exposure back to dynamic, automatic mode. The yellow 'AE/AF LOCK' banner will disappear, and the camera will resume its normal behavior of analyzing the scene and adjusting focus and exposure as needed. It's a quick and intuitive way to switch back and forth between locked and automatic modes, allowing for flexibility during a shooting session. If you find yourself constantly adjusting or if the camera is behaving unexpectedly, a simple tap to unlock and then re-tapping on your desired subject can often resolve the issue and re-establish the automatic tracking.
It's important to note that the behavior of unlocking can sometimes vary slightly depending on your iPhone model and the iOS version. However, the general principle of tapping the screen to reset is consistent. If the simple tap doesn't seem to work, try closing and reopening the Camera app, or even restarting your iPhone, though this is rarely necessary for this particular function. The goal is to return the camera's intelligence to its default state, allowing it to dynamically adjust its settings based on the live scene.
Practical Scenarios for Using AE/AF Lock
AE/AF Lock isn't just a technical feature; it's a practical tool that solves common photography problems and enables creative opportunities. Understanding when and why to use it can significantly elevate the quality and consistency of your iPhone photos and videos.
One of the most common use cases is shooting in high-contrast or backlit environments. Imagine you're trying to photograph a person standing in front of a bright window or a sunny sky. If you simply tap to focus on the person, the camera might expose for the bright background, rendering your subject as a dark silhouette. By tapping and holding on the person's face to activate AE/AF Lock, you lock the exposure and focus onto them. Then, you can use the exposure slider (the sun icon) to manually brighten the exposure until your subject is correctly lit, while the background remains naturally bright without being blown out. This allows you to capture well-exposed subjects even in challenging lighting.
Another frequent scenario is maintaining focus on a subject that is not in the center of the frame, or when the subject is moving. If you are filming a video and the subject is moving across the frame, or if you are trying to compose a shot where the subject is off to the side, tapping and holding on the subject to lock focus ensures that they remain sharp. This is particularly useful if the background is closer to the camera than the subject, or vice versa, and the camera might otherwise try to focus on the background. The lock ensures your subject stays in crisp focus throughout the recording or the series of shots.
For food photography or product shots where you want a shallow depth of field, and perhaps the background is a bit cluttered, AE/AF Lock is invaluable. You can tap and hold on your subject to lock focus and exposure. Then, you can subtly recompose or zoom slightly to get the best angle, confident that the focus point on your food or product won't shift. This is also useful for macro photography with your iPhone, where even the slightest movement can cause focus to shift to a different plane.
In landscape photography, you might want to ensure a specific element in the foreground is sharp while also metering the scene's overall brightness. You can tap and hold on that foreground element to lock focus and exposure. Then, you can adjust the exposure slider up or down to achieve the desired mood and brightness for the entire scene, ensuring that critical foreground detail remains sharp and correctly exposed.
Macro Photography and Close-Ups
When you're getting extremely close to a subject for a macro shot or a detailed close-up, the iPhone camera's autofocus can become less reliable. The minimum focusing distance for many iPhone cameras means that at very close ranges, the camera might struggle to lock onto a precise point, or it might "hunt" for focus repeatedly. Activating AE/AF Lock on the specific detail you want to be sharp – perhaps the intricate pattern on an insect's wing or the texture of a dewdrop – ensures that this crucial detail remains in focus. After locking, you can slightly adjust the distance between your iPhone and the subject, or shift the phone itself, to find that sweet spot of sharpness, knowing that the focus won't wander. This level of control is essential for capturing the fine details that make macro photography compelling.
Furthermore, for close-up shots, controlling exposure is just as important. Lighting can change dramatically over a small area. Locking the exposure to a specific point on your subject ensures that the brightness is consistent. For instance, if you're photographing a flower with vibrant petals, you'll want to lock exposure on the petals to ensure their color is accurately represented, rather than letting the camera be influenced by a darker background or a very bright sky above. The ability to then fine-tune the exposure compensation means you can deliberately make the shot brighter or darker to achieve a specific artistic effect, without compromising the sharpness of your primary subject.
Video Recording Consistency
For videographers using their iPhone, AE/AF Lock is arguably even more critical than for still photography. In video, focus and exposure shifts are much more noticeable and distracting to viewers. If you're recording an interview, you want the subject's face to remain in sharp focus and consistently lit throughout the entire clip. Tapping and holding on the subject's face before you start recording locks these settings. This prevents the camera from shifting focus to the background if the subject moves slightly, or from altering the exposure if a cloud passes overhead. The result is a much more professional-looking video with smooth, stable visuals.
Consider recording an event where the lighting might fluctuate slightly, or where objects might move in the background. By locking AE/AF on your primary subject, you ensure that their appearance remains constant. You can then use the manual exposure adjustment to compensate for larger, scene-wide lighting changes if necessary, but the core focus and exposure reference point stays put. This level of control is what differentiates amateur footage from more polished productions, and it's readily available to any iPhone user.
Troubleshooting Common AE/AF Lock Issues
While AE/AF Lock is generally reliable, users might occasionally encounter issues or confusion. Understanding these common problems and their solutions can help ensure you always get the results you expect.
One frequent point of confusion is not seeing the 'AE/AF LOCK' banner. This usually happens if the tap-and-hold gesture wasn't sustained long enough, or if it was a very quick tap rather than a press. The camera needs a moment to register the command. Ensure you press and hold your finger on the desired area for at least one to two seconds until the yellow banner appears. If it still doesn't show up, try tapping on a different area of the screen, as some areas might be too close to the edge or might be less suitable for the camera's metering and focusing systems.
Another issue is when the focus or exposure seems to shift *after* the lock has been activated. This is rare, but it can occur if the iPhone's system encounters an unexpected error, or if the phone is subjected to a strong jolt or extreme environmental changes (like rapid temperature shifts). In such cases, the most straightforward solution is to simply tap anywhere on the screen to unlock AE/AF, and then re-apply the lock by tapping and holding on your desired area. This forces the camera system to re-evaluate and re-establish the lock parameters.
Sometimes, users might find that even after locking, the exposure compensation slider (the sun icon) doesn't appear. This typically means that AE/AF Lock has not been successfully activated. Go back to the initial step: press and hold firmly on the screen until the 'AE/AF LOCK' banner appears. Once it's visible, the sun icon should also be present, allowing you to adjust brightness. If you tap and hold, and only see the focus square move and reset, you haven't engaged the lock function correctly.
When AE/AF Lock Might Not Be Ideal
While AE/AF Lock is a powerful tool, there are situations where relying on automatic settings or more dynamic adjustments might be preferable. If you are shooting in rapidly changing lighting conditions, such as during a sunset with fast-moving clouds, locking AE/AF might prevent the camera from adapting to the subtle shifts, potentially leading to over or underexposure as the light evolves. In such dynamic scenes, allowing the camera to continuously adjust might yield better results, or you might need to manually adjust exposure more frequently.
Similarly, if you are capturing a scene with a very wide dynamic range where you intend to edit the image later using HDR processing or other advanced techniques, locking exposure might not be your primary concern. The goal might be to capture the raw data, and letting the camera make its best guess, or using specific HDR modes, could be more appropriate. For casual snapshots where the subject is centrally located and the lighting is even, the iPhone's automatic systems are often highly effective, and the added step of locking AE/AF might not be necessary and could even introduce an unwanted constraint.
If you're shooting in extremely low light and the camera is struggling to achieve focus or a usable exposure, the AE/AF Lock might fix it to a point that is still too dark or too blurry. In such cases, it might be better to switch to Night mode (if available and appropriate) or use a third-party camera app that offers more manual control over ISO and shutter speed, which are the fundamental elements of exposure. The native AE/AF Lock is a great tool for control, but it operates within the confines of the iPhone's automated processing. For very specific, demanding photographic challenges, more advanced tools might be required.
Understanding the Limitations of Digital Zoom
It's important to remember that while AE/AF Lock allows you to recompose and even zoom slightly after locking, using the digital zoom feature on your iPhone can degrade image quality. Unlike optical zoom found on some iPhone models (which physically alters the lens), digital zoom simply crops and enlarges the image. This results in a loss of detail and increased pixelation, especially when zooming in significantly. Therefore, after locking AE/AF and before recomposing, it's generally advisable to use the optical zoom ranges (if your iPhone has multiple lenses) as much as possible before resorting to digital zoom. Even when AE/AF is locked, the quality implications of digital zoom remain unchanged.
Advanced Techniques and Tips for AE/AF Lock
Once you've mastered the basic activation of AE/AF Lock, you can explore more advanced techniques and integrate it into your workflow for even better results. The key is to think strategically about when and where you apply the lock.
Consider using AE/AF Lock as a form of "manual focus" and "manual exposure" on your iPhone. For shots where precise depth of field is critical, like product photography or artistic portraits, you can lock focus on your subject. Then, if you need to adjust the framing or distance slightly, you can do so, and the focus will remain pinned to your subject. This is particularly useful if you're shooting with the phone mounted on a tripod, where small adjustments to framing are made without moving the phone itself.
For videography, practice locking AE/AF on a point in the scene and then deliberately moving the camera to see how the locked parameters behave. This helps you understand the boundaries of the lock and when it might be challenged. For instance, if you lock focus on a subject and then pan rapidly, the focus might appear to lag if the subject is moving towards or away from the camera within the pan. Understanding these dynamics allows you to anticipate them and adjust your shooting style accordingly.
Another tip is to use the exposure compensation slider (the sun icon) creatively. Even after locking AE/AF, you can use this slider to intentionally overexpose or underexpose the image relative to the locked metering point. This allows you to achieve specific looks, such as a brighter, airier feel by overexposing slightly, or a darker, moodier tone by underexposing. This manual control over brightness, combined with locked focus, offers a level of creative command that significantly enhances your ability to translate your vision into photos and videos.
Using AE/AF Lock with Third-Party Camera Apps
Many third-party camera applications offer more granular manual controls than the native iPhone Camera app. If you're using an app like Halide, ProCamera, or FiLMiC Pro, you'll often find dedicated sliders or buttons for manual focus, exposure adjustment (ISO, shutter speed), and white balance. While these apps provide direct manual control, the concept of AE/AF Lock from the native app can still be relevant.
In apps that allow manual focus and exposure, you essentially achieve a permanent lock by setting those values yourself. However, some apps might still have an "auto" mode that can re-engage if you're not careful. In such cases, you might still find an AE/AF Lock equivalent function, or you'll need to ensure that once you set your manual parameters, they are truly locked and will not revert. For apps that primarily offer manual control, understanding the native AE/AF Lock feature on your iPhone can still be a useful benchmark for understanding how cameras manage exposure and focus, even if the implementation is different.
For instance, if you're using a manual focus app, you can still use the native AE/AF Lock to set a reference exposure before switching to your manual controls in the third-party app. This allows you to leverage the iPhone's intelligent metering for an initial exposure setting, and then take over manual focus and potentially refine exposure further within the advanced app. This hybrid approach can be very effective for achieving precise results.
Integrating with Other iPhone Camera Features
AE/AF Lock works harmoniously with other iPhone camera features. For example, when shooting in Portrait mode, the iPhone's software handles depth mapping and background blur (bokeh). While you can't directly lock focus in the same way as the standard camera mode, the principle of ensuring the subject is correctly exposed and sharp is still paramount. You can tap on your subject to ensure the camera is metering and focusing on them accurately before the depth effect is applied.
When using Live Photos, the still image is captured when you press the shutter button, and a short video clip is recorded before and after. Activating AE/AF Lock before capturing a Live Photo ensures that the primary still frame is sharp and correctly exposed according to your chosen settings. The subsequent motion and sound captured in the Live Photo will then be recorded with the locked exposure and focus as the baseline.
For HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography, which is often enabled automatically on newer iPhones, AE/AF Lock can still be beneficial. You can tap to lock your desired focus and exposure point. The iPhone will then capture multiple frames at different exposures to create the final HDR image, ensuring that your chosen point of interest is accurately metered and in focus within that process. This provides a more controlled approach to HDR capture, preventing the camera from auto-selecting a metering point that might not be optimal for your intended subject.
Understanding the Exposure Compensation Slider
The exposure compensation slider, often represented by a sun icon, is a critical companion to AE/AF Lock. It provides a way to fine-tune the brightness of your image *after* you've locked the exposure point. This is where a significant portion of creative control over the image's mood and appearance lies, especially when using the native Camera app.
When you activate AE/AF Lock by pressing and holding on the screen, the camera captures the metering information for that specific point. The sun icon that appears allows you to adjust the overall brightness of the image relative to that metering. Sliding the sun icon upwards increases the exposure, making the image brighter. This is useful if the locked area is in shadow, or if you simply want a brighter, more vibrant look. Conversely, sliding the sun icon downwards decreases the exposure, making the image darker. This is helpful if the locked area is in bright light and you want to prevent overexposure, or if you are aiming for a more dramatic, moody aesthetic.
It's important to understand that this adjustment is relative. If you lock AE/AF on a mid-tone area and increase exposure, everything in the frame will become brighter. If you lock on a dark area and decrease exposure, everything will become darker. The effect is applied globally but is influenced by the initial metering point. This is a powerful tool for correcting minor over or underexposure that the camera might have initially chosen, even after you've locked the primary exposure point.
Why the Sun Icon Appears and Disappears
The sun icon, which controls the exposure compensation, typically appears immediately after you've activated AE/AF Lock. It's directly linked to the locked state. When AE/AF Lock is active, the sun icon allows you to make manual adjustments to brightness. Once you tap the screen to unlock AE/AF, both the 'AE/AF LOCK' banner and the sun icon will disappear, indicating that the camera has reverted to its automatic exposure and focus tracking. If you find the sun icon is not appearing when AE/AF Lock is active, ensure you have successfully engaged the lock by pressing and holding until the banner is visible. Sometimes, a quick tap that doesn't fully engage the lock might show the focus square but not the exposure controls.
The presence of the sun icon signifies that you are in a mode where manual exposure adjustments relative to a locked point are possible. Its disappearance upon unlocking reminds you that the camera is now managing exposure automatically again. This visual cue is essential for understanding your current level of control within the Camera app. If you want to make manual exposure adjustments, you must first activate AE/AF Lock, which then brings the sun icon into play.
Exposure Compensation vs. Manual Mode
It's vital to distinguish the exposure compensation slider available with AE/AF Lock from full manual control. In the native Camera app, AE/AF Lock provides a form of "program mode" with exposure compensation. You lock the focus and metering point, and then you can adjust the brightness up or down. However, the iPhone is still deciding the exact shutter speed and ISO values to achieve that target exposure. You are not directly setting these values.
For true manual control over shutter speed, ISO, and focus, you would need to use a third-party camera application that is designed to offer these advanced features. Apps like Halide, ProCamera, or FiLMiC Pro give you direct sliders for each parameter, allowing you to set them independently and lock them precisely. While AE/AF Lock is incredibly useful for many scenarios and significantly improves control over the native camera, it doesn't offer the same depth of control as dedicated manual photography apps. However, for most users, the convenience and effectiveness of AE/AF Lock within the built-in Camera app are more than sufficient for achieving professional-looking results without the complexity of full manual settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What does AE/AF Lock mean on an iPhone?
AE/AF Lock on an iPhone means Auto Exposure and Auto Focus are locked. This prevents the camera from automatically changing brightness and focus when you recompose your shot, giving you consistent control.
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How do I lock focus and exposure on my iPhone camera?
Open the Camera app, tap and hold on the screen where you want to lock focus and exposure. A yellow 'AE/AF LOCK' banner will appear, confirming the settings are fixed.
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Can I adjust brightness after locking AE/AF on my iPhone?
Yes, after locking AE/AF, a sun icon appears. Drag this icon up or down to manually adjust the exposure compensation and fine-tune the image brightness.
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When should I use AE/AF Lock on my iPhone?
Use AE/AF Lock for challenging lighting (like backlighting), when shooting subjects that are not centered, for consistent video recording, or any time you need precise control over focus and exposure.
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How do I unlock AE/AF Lock on my iPhone?
To unlock AE/AF Lock, simply tap anywhere on the iPhone screen again. The yellow 'AE/AF LOCK' banner will disappear, and the camera will return to automatic mode.
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Does AE/AF Lock work in all iPhone camera modes?
AE/AF Lock is primarily available and most effective in the standard Photo and Video modes. Its functionality may differ or be less direct in modes like Portrait, Night, or Macro.
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What is the difference between AE/AF Lock and manual mode?
AE/AF Lock in the native app fixes exposure and focus based on your selection but still uses automatic adjustments for shutter speed and ISO. True manual mode in third-party apps allows direct control over these individual settings.