In the hands of amateurs, cameras can throw up quite a few tricks that make popular art interesting. The same goes for the camera on the smartphone. Take the 0.5 lens (called “zero point five”) or ultra-wide lens, which is available on the rear of many phones. It can take fantastic photos but some geometric distortions can give way to innovative shots.
Smartphone brands probably didn’t realise the power of the lens while implementing the 0.5 lens but a lot of youngsters are taking selfies with it. It’s an odd choice, with oddly satisfying results. If not anything, the trend shows that kids are having fun and nobody should stop them from doing so.
The problem with taking selfies on the 0.5 lens is that you have to use the rear camera, meaning you are not aware of the final output. It can be that perfect shot which could have interested someone like Andy Warhol. The ultra-wide technology on smartphones has been around for some years. It was perhaps the most interesting feature on the Samsung Galaxy S10 in 2019 and then on Apple’s iPhone 11.
To take an ultra-wide selfie, one needs to stretch out the hand as much as possible, especially during groupfies. To achieve a comical quality, get the Plastic Man arm moving. Or stretch and hold the phone perpendicular to the forehead… the results can be hilarious.
The New York Times says the wide- and ultra-wide-angle lenses were first patented in 1862 and these lenses are often used to capture landscape and architectural shots. With wide angle, subjects closer to the lens appear larger while those away, will appear smaller.
Selfies in 0.5 mode rock when it’s a night around town and friends want to have fun. The photos appear as casual as the occasion demands.
The older generation has not been very welcoming about 0.5 selfies when The New York Times carried an article on the topic but let’s face it, it’s a trend. Also, it may appear like a ploy to market ultra-wide cameras on the phone. But the truth is, when the first selfies appeared, Paris Hilton and the likes made it a trend. In 2013, Oxford Dictionaries even added “selfie” to its online dictionary and called it the Word of the Year. That something new can be done with the selfie after so many years is interesting enough.
Tips and tricks
• Stretch your arms as much as possible to get a selfie in ultra-wide mode on the rear camera.
• People nearer to the camera will appear big while those away will appear small.
• Try top-down or perpendicular 0.5 selfies.
• Take 0.5 selfies when you are out partying and are casually dressed.