Magnifying Lens For Cell Phone Camera

The best lenses for iPhone and Android phones can radically transform your smartphone photography. While smartphone camera arrays are getting ameliorate and meliorate, there are however certain things beyond their physical limitations, and a clip-on lens, or even better, a full clip-on lens kit, tin can open new shooting possibilities similar macro, fisheye and telephoto.

While the best photographic camera phones
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now accept multi-camera arrays that include ultra-wide, standard and telephoto lenses, it’due south the main camera that has the best sensor, and using an improver lens with this may give better results than your phone’s secondary cameras.

Add-on lenses are even more than useful if you’ve picked upwardly one of the best budget camera phones
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The world of smartphone lenses is frequently irresolute, and manufacturers come and go. If yous’re only looking for a bit of snapping fun, there are plenty of inexpensive kits on the market that can delivery adequate results, only if quality is your aim, stick to a serious brand like ShiftCam or Moment.

Videography can be an expensive game to get into information technology afterward you’ve added upward the cost of the best camera for video, the best cine lenses and all the accessories you might need. Nevertheless, smartphone lenses are getting and then adept these days you no longer have to spend an insane amount of money to invest in kit that volition assist you shoot professional-looking films. The ShiftCam Videography ProLens Kit includes a 1.33x anamorphic lens and a 60mm telephoto lens so that yous can shoot ultra-wide and extra zoomed-in without degrading the image quality. Both lenses are actually like shooting fish in a barrel to employ and tin either be attached to the front of your phone using the phone-specific case mount or the universal adapter. I actually preferred the universal adapter as I found the case mount moved around a bit and the universal one stayed firmly in place. I was pleasantly surprised with the horizontal lens flares you achieved with the anamorphic lens. It was like shooting fish in a barrel to de-squeeze the footage in Final Cutting Pro (there is a handy video on YouTube that shows you lot exactly how to convert it) and information technology actually does brand everything you shoot with it look that little more pro.

The ShiftCam 10x macro lens isn’t the most versatile lens but what it does, information technology does really well. The upwardly-close particular it’s able to capture is insane, even your eyes can’t make out some of the tiny fibres and details this lens tin can pick upwards. Yous do have to get really close to whatsoever you’re shooting, if you lot’re further away than one-1.5cm your image will be blurred but for shooting found veins, water droplets or interesting textures it’due south perfect. If y’all desire to shoot insects you’d be better off with the 75mm long range macro as yous don’t take to get quite as close and chance scaring off the creepy crawlies you’re trying to capture. You tin can buy information technology either on its own or every bit a kit with the 75mm macro lens.

Optical zoom is always going to be better than digital zoom so if yous find yourself regularly using the zoom feature on your phone, invest in a zoom lens instead. The Moment 58mm lens is equivalent to a 2x zoom which may not seem like much just on a smartphone is makes all the difference. Images are much sharper and colors are more than authentic. The one annoying things about the lens is you take to adhere it to your phone using the Moment phone instance which is bought separately but at least it has a nice finish with a smart wooden console. Information technology’due south great for both photos and videos and when you’re non using information technology you tin store it safely equally it comes with a secure rubber lens cap and a fabric carry case. If you lot’re off on holiday and don’t want to take lots of camera kit with you, phone lenses and this ane particularly is a great alternative.

If you’re filmmaking with your phone, an anamorphic lens
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is the perfect cheap add-on to give your footage that swish cinematic look. We really rate the Moment Anamorphic lens, which works with most recent iPhones or Android phones, as long as you take the right adapter. Locking securely in place, the anamorphic 1.33x lens produces images of impressive quality and is an ideal companion for any smartphone filmmaker.

Moment makes cases to fit a wide range of smartphones, and you will needed a defended Moment case or adapter before you tin mountain whatsoever Moment filters.

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ShiftCam recently debuted its photography kit of six lenses for smartphones, and nosotros have to say we’ve been actually impressed. The kit can exist bought with dedicated mounts for iPhone 11 or iPhone 13, or in that location’south a universal lens mountain accessory that’ll slide over well-nigh normal-sized smartphones (check the ShiftCam website for a full compatibility breakup).

Keep in mind with these ShiftCam lenses that you lot volition need a dedicated example or phone mountain adaptor to adhere them to your phone.

The lenses themselves are hugely impressive. The kit puts at your disposal an 18mm broad-angle, a 230° fisheye, a ane.33x anamorphic, a 60mm telephoto, a 75mm long-range macro and a 25mm traditional macro – all of which tin be radically transformative for a telephone camera. Some volition exist more useful than others; you’ll discover yourself reaching for a telephoto or macro a lot more than an extreme fisheye. However, it’southward still an immensely impressive kit, and well-priced too, for what you get. If you’re keen to seriously upgrade your smartphone’s camera rig, this is a fantastic all-in-one packet for doing so. The merely reason it’s last on our list is that we’ve included some of the lenses individually in a higher place but if you want complete versatility, the kit is worth information technology.

Read more than:
ShiftCam lenses for iPhone hands-on review
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This ii-in-1 kit from Xenvo volition work with the vast majority of smartphones, fitting snugly over cases to provide a quick and easy bolster to your image-making. The lenses included are a macro and a wide-angle; the macro is excellent, making smartphone shut-upwardly photography an impressive reality. The broad-angle is decent enough, though some users have noticed slightly smudging in the corners. Withal, it’s a useful kit, and with an LED light included to add further versatility to your shut-up work, this is a neat way for a user on a budget to boot their smartphone photography upwards a notch.

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If you like telephoto shooting, this is the last word in terms of reach. The Apexel 36x telephoto transforms your phone into a powerful long-distance shooter, and comes with a useful mini-tripod to ensure yous can proceed your shots stable.

It also has a remote shutter for capturing images at a altitude; less useful when working with such a long lens, simply information technology hardly hurts to have it, and the overall toll of the kit is still pleasingly low.

Information technology’s not the highest-quality lens, with some users complaining of a little vignetting in images, simply for the price and the uniqueness, it can’t be beat.

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Where most universal lens kits fit to phones with large clips, this solution from

Nelomo

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employs a rubber-ended screw.

This means the lens mount can clamp to phones measuring between 7mm and 10mm thick, which caters for most recent handsets including the iPhone viii and X, the Samsung Milky way S9, and the Google Pixel iii.

The kit comes with iii lenses, including a wide 230-caste fisheye, a ‘super wide angle’ lens, and a macro lens which offers the equivalent of a 15X zoom. In that location’south also a microfibre cleaning cloth and bag, plus a protective bear example and hook for clipping information technology to your backpack.

The only drawback here is how the lens mount might non clench effectually your telephone if it’s already wearing a thick case, given the 10mm thickness limit.

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This three-lens kit represents fantabulous value for coin, as under £x. For that you get a fisheye lens, macro lens and wide-angle lens.

Conveniently, the lenses screw over the top of each other, making it quick and easy to switch between one and the other.

Y’all’ll desire to make sure you proceed these lenses clean and scratch-gratis though, as when using the current of air lens yous’ll actually be shooting through both that and the macro lens underneath.

The kit comes with a carry pouch and the prune mechanism means the lens mount should fit most smartphones and tablets.

You could fifty-fifty fit it to the webcam above the screen of your laptop if you’re always feeling creative during a Skype chat.

How we examination lenses

We test lenses using both real world sample images and lab tests. Our lab tests are carried out scientifically in controlled conditions using the Imatest testing suite, which consists of custom charts and analysis software that measures resolution in line widths/moving-picture show height, a measurement widely used in lens and photographic camera testing. We find the combination of lab and real-globe testing works best, equally each reveals different qualities and characteristics. Telephone lenses are not able to be lab-tested in the same lens simply we do put them through some rigorous test shoots.

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