Next Level Smartphone Photography
The camera on the smartphones are getting better and better. Right now I have the iPhone 8 Plus and I’m already impressed by the photo quality. Of course it will never replace my Mirrorless or DSLR camera, but it is so easy to take good snapshots for everyday use.
There are different brands that produce lenses for smartphones. I decided to go for Black Eye because I heard some good stories about it. They sell lens kits but you can also choose to buy just one lens. I was very curious to try the Cinema Wide lens, the Pro Lens Kit and the Filming Handle Tripod. The Pro Kit contains the 3x Tele lens, a HD Macro lens and the Full Frame Fish Eye lens.
Tip: the lenses work best without a smartphone cover, this is also the only downside of these lenses in my opinion.
The lenses I own are the:
Black Eye Pro Tele 3x Smartphone Lens
(EN) / (NL)
Black Eye Cinema Wide Angle Smartphone Lens
(EN) / (NL )
Black Eye HD Macro Smartphone Lens
(EN) / (NL)
Black Eye Pro Full Frame Fish Eye Smartphone Lens
(EN) / (NL)
Black Eye Filming Handle Tripod
(EN) / (NL)
The kit is packed in a hard case, and the Cinema Wide lens comes with a small yellow dust bag to keep the lens safe in your purse or pocket.
“The Clipper Attachment System is universal and suits most mobile devices on the market regardless of the brand or model. Universal compatibility means longer product lifecycle, so the lenses will do the trick even you update your phone to a newer model.”
FIRST IMPRESSION
The lenses have a professional look and it’s a super easy clip system to mount the lenses on your phone. The only other smartphone lenses I ever tried where super cheap so I ended up using them once. I have the Black Eye products for 2-3 months and this time I’m impressed by the high quality. First I used the lenses in London for a longer period and soon the Cinema Wide Angle lens became my favorite!
SHARPNESS
The middle of the photo is the very sharp, so make sure your subject is in the middle of your shot. The corners can be quite blurry, especially with the Wide Angle lens so keep this in mind when shooting. Of course the sharpness also depends on the smartphone you are using.
VIGNETTE
I have the iPhone 8 Plus and I removed my protection cover for the best results. It takes some practice to place the Black Eye lens perfect over the iPhone lens, if it’s not mounted correctly, you will see a dark vignette effect in your photos. If you are able to mount the lens correctly (what can take some time in the beginning), you won’t see the darker corners.
WHY?
When or why would you use a lens for your smartphone? To be more creative on the go! Sometimes you don’t (or you can’t) carry your camera around, but your phone is probably always with you, so with these super compact lenses in your pocket you can create cool images everywhere you go.
BEFORE AND AFTER
In Antwerp I shot a few before- and after images with the Tele 3x Lens, the Cinema Wide Angle Lens and the HD Macro Lens. I didn’t used the Fish Eye lens because I personally don’t like this effect, but the lens has the same quality as the other lenses so if you are a Fish Eye fan, give it a try!
I’ll definitely use these lenses more often to get better images for my Instagram stories and posts. Do you use an extra lens for your smartphone?
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