Smartphones today have cameras that rival all but the highest-end DSLRs. With a little practice, even an amateur photographer can take professional photos with just their camera.
This becomes even easier when you think about the range of attachable, portable camera lenses for phones. Many of these simply attach to your phone and fit in your pocket, so you can take them anywhere without the need for a dedicated camera bag.
We’ve researched the market and rounded up the best camera attachments for phones to help you perfect your Instagram game.
Olloclip is one of the genuine iPhone camera accessory manufacturers. The company makes clip-on lenses for a wide range of phones from the iPhone 8 to X.
While previous models are no longer in production, smart shoppers can still explore lens attachments for the iPhone 6. The most recent version caters to the iPhone X and includes a Macro lens. Features 15x magnification, Fisheye and Super-wide lenses.
Olloclip also makes other accessories such as handles and carrying cases. If you want to get into photography without much hassle, Olloclip is a great place to start — if you’re an iPhone user.
If you’re a serious photographer, then Moment is the company for you. The moment moves towards premium, high-quality mobile photography equipment, and their prices reflect that.
Where Olloclip can sell a full set of lenses for around $90, a single lens from Moment can cost more than $120. Moment sells everything a photographer could possibly need, from an 18mm wide-angle lens to a 62mm UV filter.
Moment also sells counterweight gimbal and lighting accessories. In addition to the photography device, the Moment Pro Camera app is one of the most versatile and powerful camera apps available to iPhone users.
It overhauls the basic functionality of your phone’s camera and grants full manual control over ISO, shutter speed, white balance, etc.
If Olloclip is the easy solution for taking photos on your phone, then the Aukey Ora series is the entry-level version. For just $19.99, users get a two-in-one lens kit that includes a 140-degree wide-angle lens and a 10x macro lens. The lens clips onto your phone easily to easily swap between the two.
The downside is that Aukey Ora only works with iPhone 6, 7, and 8, Samsung phones and “other Android smartphones.” To find out if it will work with your device, you may need to do a little digging. One thing no one can argue is the quality. Aukey packs quite a punch of photography for such a low price.
Sony QX10 & QX100 (Amazon)
Sony has long been known for quality cameras, but the QX10 and QX100 are definitely of the “experimental” category. Marketed as a smartphone camera, they actually use the phone itself as a viewfinder.
The lens links to the phone and gives full control to the user. While you can purchase a clip to attach the lens to your phone, it’s not always the most elegant solution.
Otherwise, the specs on these cameras are impressive. The QX10 offers 10x zoom, while the QX100 has significantly higher specs with a 20-megapixel sensor and 1.8 aperture for low-light photography. These aren’t the cheapest solutions, but if you love Sony cameras and want a portable solution, the QX10 and QX100 could be a great choice for you.
Tips for Android users
If you search for phone camera lenses, most of the results will be for iPhones. Android cameras are powerful, but Apple has done a great job marketing their phones as having the best camera of any phone.
As a result, a lot of manufacturers offer their devices to iPhone users. However, a little digging should help you find a lens that’s right for your phone’s camera, as long as you have a mainstream Android device.
