See full version: The best lenses for iPhone and Android phones in 2021: add-on phone lenses
The world of the best lenses for iPhone and Android phones is an ever-changing one. New products come and go all the time, and there’s a fair amount of cheap stuff on the market that you ideally want to avoid. However, if you can be discerning, a good clip-on phone lens can be an incredible way of improving your smartphone photography. more
There are loads of different types of lenses for smartphones. Shop around and you can find telephotos, macros, anamorphics, ultra-wide-angles, fisheyes and more – sometimes all together in a handy pack! Which ones you pick up will depend on what you want to do. If you’re shooting portraits, a telephoto is a good choice. Architecture and landscapes? Try a wide angle. Video? The anamorphic lens might be just what you need. [links]
The fact of the matter is that smartphones have limitations, and they are physical. It simply isn't really impossible to include complex optics inside an object with the dimensions we expect of a smartphone. The multi-camera arrays of some phones go some way to rectifying, but they are always going to hit a wall, and this is especially true if you've sensibly plumped for one of the best budget camera phones. That’s why clip-on lenses can be such a good solution. here
These are the best lenses for iPhone and Android camera phones for keen photographers who want a different view!
Several smartphone cameras have a sensor dedicated to taking monochrome shots. The real benefit of black-and-white photos is sharpness, which is why some photographers prefer images without any color in them. Modern phones are smart enough to blend that sharpness with information coming through color sensors to produce a shot that is, theoretically, more accurately lit. here
Even so, depth sensors will still appear on more affordable phones and those that seek to create depth effects without expensive optics, such as Lenovo’s Moto G7 devices. [links]
A bit of distortion might creep into photos taken with an ultra-wide lens, but the best modern-day smartphones can make the necessary adjustments to keep everything looking as natural as possible.
Where a monochrome sensor is included, it can usually be isolated from other lenses to capture unique black-and-white photos of your travels. This option can be found within the camera app’s settings and if you’re a fan of the format, it’s something to look out for. here
While multiple lenses don’t guarantee better photos, they each have a specific purpose. Now that you know what they can do, check out phone reviews and sample images, when you can find them, to see if what images speak to you the most.
When it comes to the low light scenarios, even some of the major players in the camera game have a bad reputation here. To improve their low light performance, some of the smartphones come with the sensor with a higher megapixel count, which performs pixel binning to get better images. For example, Xiaomi MI A2 with its 20MP secondary sensor performs 4-in-1 pixel binning for better low light images. Some of the smartphone cameras also take a number of images in the quick instant and merges all of them to provide great quality images.
The camera samples presented above were taken from the Mate 20 Pro. You can see that the device has stretched the field of view elegantly without any sort of distortion or noise in the images. While I reviewed the Galaxy A9 2018, the ultra-wide-angle shots had barrel distortion. Since there is no noticeable fisheye effect, I would like to call it the job well done. here
But by maintaining an optimum field of view, the photographers can obtain some intriguing panoramic shots, cityscapes, landscape, real estate, and abstract images. more
In 2017, we saw the bandwagon of dual lens setup in the smartphones, which encroached even the mid-range and budget smartphone. And in 2018, the feature grew even more mainstream. However, to stay ahead in the camera game, some smartphone brands pushed their limit little further. So we were able to see multiple lenses setup in various handsets.
As the name implies, this type of lenses offers a wider field of view and these types of lenses see and capture images in a similar proportion to the human eye. The focal length for these types of lenses varies from 24mm – 35mm. And lower the number, the wider the field of view it offers.
The camera samples presented here is captured from the Mate 20 Pro. And as you can see, the zoomed in samples looks equally impressive as they pack a substantial amount of details. And since the subjects are zoomed in (telephoto zoom) up to 3x in the images, I didn’t have to go closer to the subject while composing the shots. The device also promises to capture up to 5x (from 3x to 5x there will be digital zooming) without any sort of loss in the image quality. Since the prime flagship smartphones like Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and iPhone XS Max can capture images with lossless zooming up to 2x, the capability of the Mate 20 Pro here is absolutely awe-inspiring. [links]
Generally, large apertures lenses will allow more light into the camera and help when we are taking photos in places that are dimly lit. But take that with a pinch of salt, as the quality of a lens really depends on the glass, not the aperture. The key is, do your own research online before buying a lens.
Advantages: Spy on somebody with this lens? Nah. Long telephoto lenses are usually used by wildlife photographers to shoot from far and not disturb animals… So that they don’t end up as lunch for the animals. here
What it is: As the name describes itself, this is a lens that zooms… Or if you want to make yourself look like an expert, just say “zoom lenses have a variable focal length”.