(Moment also sells an aluminium lens mount frame that screws over just the top part of your phone, but we think the case offers better protection for your phone and will keep the lens from being jostled as well.). The lenses attach to the Moment case using a bayonet mount, similar to how a lens attaches to a DSLR. The kit features a 0.6x wide-angle lens capable of delivering a wide field of view that we found more useful than the ones included in similar lens kits, which were either ineffective or so wide that they veered into fish-eye territory. And the set’s hard-plastic rear lens cap feels destined to be lost. A well-placed hand may suffice in lieu of a lens hood. These clip-on lenses fit the iPhone and most other brands of smartphones, and they will likely fit the next generations of those devices as well. Capture your moment with the only mobile photography lens kit with a case attachment & clip mount. I’ve also read up on every recommended smartphone lens attachment we’ve found on the internet and considered what highly respected review sites such as TechRadar, The Phoblographer, CNET, and Fstoppers have had to say. The Criacr 3-in-1 Lens Kit set stands out from similar clip-on options because its wide lens (0.6x magnification) provides a useful field of view that goes beyond what your smartphone can capture without veering into fish-eye territory—similar to a GoPro action camera. The awkward sliding mounting plate that you have to use to connect the lenses to the case doesn’t make sense. Moment makes some of the best quality lenses on the market. She is also a professional photographer who has made her living photographing everything from rock stars to humpback whales. Moment’s 1.33x Anamorphic Lens gives your smartphone videos a wider cinematic look and cool lens flares. It's also fully compatible with MagSafe accessories. Our photo and travel teams have spent thousands of hours testing the must-haves and the nice-but-not-necessities for documenting your next adventure. ORDER YOUR NEW MOMENT iPHONE CASE HERE: https://geni.us/momentiphonecases Let's review every Moment Lens with the new iPhone 12 Pro Max. In dual- or multi-lens iPhone models, the lenses mount either over both lenses, the primary lens only, or over compatible lenses, depending on the iPhone model. Unlike cheaper plastic lenses, which can slightly degrade your images, Moment’s lenses use large glass optics that create sharp images with little to no distortion across the entire frame. iPhone lens and accessory manufacturer Moment has launched a new collection of mounts that make use of the magnet embedded in the Apple iPhone 12 to attach to the phone. Cheaper plastic iPhone lenses, for example, are prone to defects that can distort the image. FREE Shipping by Amazon. I have some of their lenses. Moment, the company that manufactures external lenses, apps and accessories for smartphones, is taking full advantage of the iPhone 12’s MagSafe technology. Moment’s 1.33x Anamorphic Lens can give your smartphone videos, and photos, a more cinematic appearance with sexy horizontal flares—something that even the latest three-camera iPhone can’t do yet. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. When you’re not using these lenses, they’re easy to stow in a bag or pocket because each one comes with a snug-fitting lens cap to protect it from dust and scratching as well as a small drawstring microfiber bag, which can also be useful for wiping off smudges. You can adjust the metal lens mount by screwing it in to tighten it, but even so, it remains susceptible to being bumped out of alignment. The lenses are significantly larger than Moment lenses, too, as they have screw-on metal lens caps that seem unnecessarily heavy. We did prefer the slightly warmer tones of the gold version, but the differences are subtle. Made from premium multi-coated optics, each lens delivers sharp and stunning images. In terms of image quality, these lenses are a noticeable step down from any Moment lens, with some blurring throughout the frame. With more and more lens makers jumping into this increasingly competitive market, we took a look for the first time this year at how smartphone anamorphic lenses compare. The iPhone SE turned heads earlier this year at a … When you’re done with the shot, you can unscrew the lens and replace it with another or just keep the case on without the lens. Moment’s durable case is a smooth and effective mounting system for our recommended lenses. These lenses delivered some of the most crisp and clear images in our testing, with very little distortion and no noticeable darkening of our images’ corners, so if your smartphone doesn’t have a super-wide lens, or if you think you need a more zoomed telephoto view, these are still a great choice. Erin Lodi is a freelance writer reporting on cameras and camera accessories at Wirecutter. As with most small tech gear, you can find several companies selling what appear to be identical products on Amazon. Although these items may well be the same and are likely sourced from the same original manufacturers, the brands reselling them can differ in the level of quality control and customer support they offer. Learn more. Or call 1‑800‑MY‑APPLE. LightChaser Pro for iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max systems changed the game in mobile content creation. It’s also a signal that this is a tool for serious photography enthusiasts. Moment has an iPhone case with mounting points embedded in them. Along with Lens and Cases, the Moment team created their own App. The clip-on mount can be easily bumped causing further image quality problems, but these lenses are a fun and affordable way to experiment prior to committing to a more expensive setup, and they work with your front-facing selfie camera. A case-mounted system also makes it easier to continue using your Moment lenses when you upgrade your phone; a new case is an inevitable purchase with each new phone, but Moment’s excellent track record of quickly releasing new cases for new phone models means the glass should work with the next generation of your device. Optimized for dual lens devices, the lens helps you achieve approximately 2x optical zoom when mounted over a single-lens camera or wide side of a dual lens and approximately 4x optical zoom when mounted over the iPhone telephoto lens. The Wide 18mm Lens expands your iPhone’s field of view just enough to feel like a fresh perspective (about 0.63x magnification). This clip-on set is a cheap way to add variety to your smartphone camera, offering a fish-eye, a macro, and a wide lens that’s better than most in this price range, along with a convenient carrying case. The company also make an anamorphic lens for those who want to use their iPhone … However, these pro lenses don’t come with the clip mount, so the price gets pretty steep for a single lens plus a clip that you must purchase separately. Moment uses a case mounting system in order to properly center its lenses in front of (and to position them at the optimal distance in front of) your smartphone’s camera. Each lens comes with a snug-fitting plastic lens cap, but we recommend keeping the included lens cloth with you for removing dust and smudges while you’re shooting. The Moment Tele 58mm Lens gets you closer for tighter, crisper shots without using the digital zoom. The initial buy-in cost of about $150 for the anamorphic lens and $40 for a case makes Moment one of the most expensive lens systems we tested. Gets you two times closer—no need to rely on digital zoom, Moment mount interface easily attaches to Moment Photo Case (sold separately) with a simple twist-and-lock design, Made with aerospace-grade metal and the same hand-polished glass used for high-end 4K film lenses. If you’re looking for a serious tool to amp up your smartphone videos and photos, we recommend Moment’s Anamorphic Lens. But this is close to the price of the lens. There has been a slew of complaints on the official Apple forums as well as Reddit about the same. If you’re ready to invest further in mobile photography, Moment offers more accessories than any of its competitors, from two- and four-lens carrying cases to wrist and neck straps to cases that include a shutter button with half-press functionality when paired with the Moment app. Most people fall into one of two categories of smartphone photographer: the enthusiast who uses their phone’s camera just as seriously and frequently as they would any other camera in their arsenal, and the more casual snapshot shooter. We found that the Criacr lenses fit with some thinner smartphone cases (such as our pick for the best iPhone case), but not with all of the thin cases we tried. © 2021 Wirecutter, Inc., A New York Times Company. But maybe these subtle flaws aren’t a major concern for you if you’re just looking to jazz up your Instagram story with some new angles. This lens works in the same way as the Moment wide and anamorphic lenses, but gives a much wider view. She started her career as a photojournalist working in newspapers—shooting film—and was the mobile-imaging editor at DPReview. But the optics aren’t as crisp as the design aesthetics, even though this system is fairly similar to the Moment system in price. The Moment Macro iPhone camera lens captures life-sized images of the smallest objects. The Moment iPhone 12 drop-in Lens Mount enables you to easily attach any M-Series lens to your iPhone 12 with a Moment Case or Thin Case. Using these lenses requires an additional purchase, the Moment Photo Case. horizontal lens elements and an ovular aperture inside the square-shaped lens. Olloclip’s larger Super-Wide Pro Lens and Telephoto Pro Lens also use the same clip attachment that slides over the top of your phone but can’t work with a case. The Criacr 3-in-1 Lens Kit is a solid choice if you’re not ready to commit to a more expensive, case-based lens accessory system and aren’t overly concerned about image quality. Like most well-made lens attachments, the optics are made of glass and can be used for shooting 4k. Moment’s Anamorphic Lens gives a more cinematic feel to smartphone photos and videos. Note: Products sold through this website that do not bear the Apple brand name are serviced and supported exclusively by their manufacturers in accordance with terms and conditions packaged with the products. We believe getting a better attachment system is worth spending a bit more. If your current case doesn’t work with the Criacr lens set, we recommend investing in a thin case to use while you’re shooting with these lens clip-ons; adding a new case is always less expensive than replacing your phone. Each of the three lenses, which includes a 15x macro lens and a 180-degree fish-eye lens, can be securely stored inside a three-compartment carrying case with a wrist strap. However, at that point, you’ve already crossed the $100 mark—and at that threshold, we would rather invest in a system like Moment’s, which has a bit more history, a more robust selection of models, and a faster response time in updating its accessories for the latest iPhones. melgross said about 3 months ago. As if the iPhone 12 display and close-range autofocus issues weren’t enough, users are now reporting that they encounter random lens flares when there is a bright light source in the camera-view.. This thin case comes with a drop-in mount that allows you to connect any Moment lens or filter to your iPhone 12 Pro. The Moment Cold Shoe Mount is a great way to mount various accessories to the back of an iPhone 12. We’ve spent hundreds of hours over the past few years testing hundreds of iPhone and iPad accessories to find the best ones. This combo costs nearly the same as Moment’s system, yet Bitplay doesn’t offer the same kind of longevity and product selection behind the brand and seems to be a bit behind on offering a case for the latest edition of iPhone, whereas our top pick had a compatible case for pre-order almost immediately. The latest lenses from ShiftCam are heavier and larger than the competition and feel unbalanced when mounted to the company’s cheap plastic case. Using our app will allow you to select the iPhone lens you want the camera to use and not automatically switch between the two. Please contact the manufacturer directly for technical support and customer service. You’ll definitely notice their weight in your hand and in your pocket—at 1.8 ounces, the wide lens weighs as much as two AA batteries—but the solid mounting system and superior optics are worth the extra weight. As this is a modular system, you'll also be able to replace lens mounts on the aforementioned Moment … In fact, it gives a 50° wider field of view than the ultrawide lens on the iPhone 11. We find newer iPhones more slippery than ever before, as well as more expensive, making it riskier than ever to use a lens system that requires you to remove your protective case from your phone. The photos aren’t always perfect, resulting in distortion, blurriness, color shifts, or all of the above, but depending on your intended use, these drawbacks may be perfectly tolerable.