This Letter investigates the effects of different phase-shifting algorithms on the quality of high-resolution three-dimensional (3-D) profilometry produced with nearly focused binary patterns. From theoretical analyses, simulations, and experiments, we found that the nine-step phase-shifting algorithm produces accurate 3-D measurements at high speed without the limited depth range and calibration difficulties that typically plague binary defocusing methods. We also found that the use of more fringe patterns does not necessarily enhance measurement quality.