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Clip On Lens for Phone

I was picking up a SD card at Walmart today and saw they make clip on lenses for camera phones, pretty cheap too. IIRC it was a Vivitar 8X zoom for around $13. I almost bought it, but decided to see what else was available first. I see some on Amazon with up to 12X or even more but they start to get more pricey.

Has anyone used any of these? How well do they work? Would 12X be that much better than 8X? Do they manually focus, or does the camera still auto focus? Thanks in advance for any info.
 
How coincidental Troy. My brother in law showed me one of these very lenses this past weekend. I didn't get a good chance to evaluate it and I didn't ask him what the magnification factor was but it was very cool. He stumbled on it when researching a zoom camera he wanted to buy and got it instead. The device was probably about 4" long and clipped on perfectly to my Galaxy S7.
 
I use an Olioclip 4 n 1 on my ipod touch. A pseudo fish eye and a wide angle which screw off and leave you with 15x & 10x macros. Probably play with the fisheye most but the macros have their moments as well. I read of a Swiss company that was making glass clipon lenses for the iphone.

For better or worse...from last summer, i now have a tripod.
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dave
 
I use an Olioclip 4 n 1 on my ipod touch. A pseudo fish eye and a wide angle which screw off and leave you with 15x & 10x macros. Probably play with the fisheye most but the macros have their moments as well. I read of a Swiss company that was making glass clipon lenses for the iphone.

For better or worse...from last summer, i now have a tripod.
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dave

Amazing. I had no idea about these devices until this past weekend. Your pics are fantastic!

I'm going to look into the wide angle. I've always loved exaggerated perspectives. Good stuff :thumbup:
 
Awesome pics @davent ! :thumbup1:

Now I think I need to get the macro, wide and fish eye lenses. They had a pack of those at Walmart too. All three lenses for $7 I think. The telephoto is what really grabbed my attention at first as that is what I really miss about my real camera. I may just pick up one of the packs tomorrow. My ZTE Majesty Pro wont except screw on type lenses, but these sat they work with most smart phones and tablets. Maybe I'll just pick up the cheaper 3 pack and see how well it fits.
 
Thanks Lane & Troy. The clip ons do add another level of fun to this game, another colour in the crayon box. I do have another set of cheaper lenses that i used before i bought these but now as set up for the olio's the others don't fit.

Did this for a shoe thread using the wide angle lens and a little tabletop tripod. Another photobucket disappeared.
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dave
 
Cool pic. Nice axe. For a second I thought you must be a south paw, then I realized we're looking in a mirror.
 
Awesome pics @davent ! :thumbup1:

Now I think I need to get the macro, wide and fish eye lenses. They had a pack of those at Walmart too. All three lenses for $7 I think. The telephoto is what really grabbed my attention at first as that is what I really miss about my real camera. I may just pick up one of the packs tomorrow. My ZTE Majesty Pro wont except screw on type lenses, but these sat they work with most smart phones and tablets. Maybe I'll just pick up the cheaper 3 pack and see how well it fits.
+1 ... get the 3-pack and play around with it.

That will show you what these lenses can and cannot do. The $7 will be money well spent in terms of educating yourself before you upgrade to high end lenses.
 
Well I picked up the 3 pack at lunch today. It seemed decent enough that I went back for the Telephoto. I also strolled through the clearance isle and found another 3 piece set on clearance for $2 so I grabbed it too. I haven't had much time to play with them yet, but I will let you know what I think after I do.
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Here's a pic of a horsefly I got through the window of my work truck using the macro form the Vivitar set.
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Not the best lighting and the window could have been cleaner, but I think it shows some potential.
 
Well I picked up the 3 pack at lunch today. It seemed decent enough that I went back for the Telephoto. I also strolled through the clearance isle and found another 3 piece set on clearance for $2 so I grabbed it too. I haven't had much time to play with them yet, but I will let you know what I think after I do. View attachment 809655 View attachment 809656 Here's a pic of a horsefly I got through the window of my work truck using the macro form the Vivitar set.
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Not the best lighting and the window could have been cleaner, but I think it shows some potential.

Great start Troy!

Do you have a case on your camera? I always have mine in a rubberized case (probably about 1/8" thick or so) and wondering if that might affect optical quality. Still very cool.
 
Thanks guys!
No case on the phone. I think it was a little too dark in the truck and too bright outside to get the detail it could have had. Also the lens cover the flash so I couldn't use it. The flash probably would have made a glare on the window anyway.
 
Well I think the zoom lens is going back. There is no adjustment to the zoom, just a focus. It unscrews from the base easier than the focus turns. So there is a lot of fumbling around trying to focus while the camera tries to adjust. The big lens also doesn't want to stay clip into place as well as the smaller ones. I've been playing with it on and off for a few hours and this is as close to in focus as I could get. Quite a bit of warping and distortion too.
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Well I think the zoom lens is going back. There is no adjustment to the zoom, just a focus. It unscrews from the base easier than the focus turns. So there is a lot of fumbling around trying to focus while the camera tries to adjust. The big lens also doesn't want to stay clip into place as well as the smaller ones. I've been playing with it on and off for a few hours and this is as close to in focus as I could get. Quite a bit of warping and distortion too.
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Yep, I would have to agree Troy. I also didn't realize how inexpensive these lenses are.
 
I just ordered an "AMIR" super wide and macro lens. As inexpensive as this one is it won't be any major loss if it turns out to be a disappointment.

I've always had a fondness for the extreme exaggeration of perspective with super wide's. Hopefully it will produce something worth posting!
 
I just ordered an "AMIR" super wide and macro lens. As inexpensive as this one is it won't be any major loss if it turns out to be a disappointment.

I've always had a fondness for the extreme exaggeration of perspective with super wide's. Hopefully it will produce something worth posting!
Awesome! Can't wait to see what you come up with. As cheap/affordable these things are it seems like they cold be a whole new rabbit hole.
 
Thanks Lane! Congrats on the lens.

I found a little spider willing to let me take some more macro pics today.
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