Manual Focus in Lightroom Mobile Camera

[JCW2]

I'm trying to manually focus my iPhone 13 Pro (iOS 16.1.1) in the Lightroom Mobile (vs. 8.0.1) Camera app.  For example, there are many cases where a forced infinity focus is very useful, as in a conventional SLR!

Although the manual-focus scale shown in the app is in meaningless units (0% to 100%), I have been told that 0% focuses on things nearest to the lens and 100% is furthest away.  This is not the case on my 13 Pro, however.  Judging from the on-screen image (difficult since I don't see any way to magnify it when focusing), infinity focus is considerably below 100%, somewhere around 75-85%.  Higher "percentages" of focus make the most distant objects (and everything else) distinctly blurred.  Can somebody explain what's going on?

When manual focus is activated, the app also shows a green overlay that has been described as "focus peaking."  It is supposed to highlight the highest contrast edges so that, when the bits you want in focus are green, you’ve focused correctly.  This is also problematic on my phone.  The apparent depth of field, as indicated by the green bordering, is so great as to be of limited help, even with the telephoto lens.  The true depth of field is not as great as indicated, judging from zooming into a resulting pictures.  Further, I can't find any way to read the manual-focus setting on the resulting pictures, only on the screen of LrM camera in real time.  (Nothing is shown in either "Focus Distance" or "Subject Distance" when the picture is imported into Lightroom Classic.)  Again, what am I missing?

Best Regards -- JCW2

[JCW2]

FYI, I believe iPhone 14 Pro camera behaves the same way in many respects.  12 Pro may be different, but there are certainly more of them out there. -- JCW2

[JCW2]

Does anyone here use the Pro mode on the Lightroom Mobile app with a modern iPhone (12 Pro, 13 Pro, or 14 Pro)?

If so, please post your exprience with manual focus in the Pro mode.  If there's a bug here, we really need to point it out to Adobe! -- JCW2

[JCW2]

Monitor -- Please delete this thread in favor of a similar one just posted in the Bugs section. -- JCW2

[F. McLion]

Hi JCW2,

Did it the other way round, since the bug section is to be used when a bug is confirmed by Adobe staff. We'll move the discussion thread once it is confirmed as a bug.

[JCW2]

OK, F. McLion -- Maybe this means that Adobe has noticed it (which is good!), but I still have not received any replies to this thread here... -- JCW2

[F. McLion]

Just in case you missed it ... it is Sunday, and I assume that even Adobe staff is not working on the weekends 😉

[JCW2]

True that -- The telephone support line is listed as M-F only (and not this Monday)🤷‍:male_sign:

[JCW2]

I'm trying to manually focus my iPhone 13 Pro (iOS 16.1.1), especially to Infinity, in the Lightroom Mobile (vs. 8.0.1) Camera app, but it's not working as advertised.  (Apologies for re-posting this as a Bug report, but I've received no response in the Discussions section.  If I had a way to delete the other thread, I would have done.)  I'm told that the same thing also happens with the iPhone 12 and 14.  This could be (1) a bug in LrM 8.0, (2) a bug in iOS 16.1, or (3) something I'm missing:

Although the manual-focus scale shown in the app is in meaningless units (0% to 100%), I have been told that 0% focuses on things nearest to the lens and 100% is furthest away.  The latter is definitely not the case on my 13 Pro, however.  Judging from the on-screen image (difficult since I don't see any way to magnify it when focusing), infinity focus is considerably below 100%, somewhere around 75-85%.  Higher "percentages" of focus make the most distant objects (and everything else) distinctly blurred.

When manual focus is activated, the app also shows a green overlay that has been described as "focus peaking."  I'm told that it's supposed to highlight the highest contrast edges so that, when the bits you want in focus are green, you’ve focused correctly.  This is also problematic on my phone.  The apparent depth of field, as indicated by the green bordering, is so great as to be of limited help, even with the telephoto lens.  The true depth of field is not as great as indicated, judging from zooming into a resulting pictures.  Further, I can't find any way to read the manual-focus setting on the resulting pictures, only on the screen of LrM camera in real time.  (Nothing is shown in either "Focus Distance" or "Subject Distance" when the picture is imported into Lightroom Classic.) -- JCW2

[identical thread here - Mod.]

[JCW2]

I finally got hold of Apple tech support on this problem.  Not surprisingly, however, Apple refuses to consider any issues manifested in a third-party app.  Apparently it's up to Adobe to solve "their own" problems.  Apple says it will only get involved if the third-party itself comes to them for help.

[JCW2]

FYI, I've finally gotten hold of Adobe Customer Care, first by telephone and then following up by email.  They escalated my problem to the developers, and I eventually got the following reply:

"We tried contacting you as already informed over the email and the on the next update the Manual focus as it's a limitation of the current app design."

I think this means that they admit to a flaw in the app design and maybe that it will be addressed in the next update of LrM.  Cheers! -- JCW2