I adore photography and while most of the time I rely on my DSLR to help me get the shots I need, sometimes moments just happen. At these times I need to use my trusty iPhone 6. I first heard about the olloclip 4-IN-1 Lens for iPhone’s from another bloggers review and thought they looked great. Fast forward a year or two and I was sent one to have a play with myself.
What is an olloclip?
An olloclip is a small addition to your essential camera/phone kit. It weighs less than 23g and is around an inch in diameter. The olloclip slides over the lens of your phone to turn your standard camera lens into something more powerful and fun. The four lens options are macro x10, macro x15, wide angle and fisheye. The olloclip fits in a bracket which can be kept on a lanyard in your bag, so it’s to hand.
Testing the olloclip
You can fit the olloclip to your phone directly making sure a certain insert is in the clip casing or you can use the phone case which comes with it.
The Wide Angle lens
There’s some distortion when shooting something with with a prominent straight line. The lines will appear a little bowed. However, it is not enough of an effect to ruin your photos. I found it a really handy option when out and about especially on a day out, as it mean’t I could get more in the shot as I would be able to with my DSLR.
Here’s a comparison between a standard shot with no olloclip, when the wide angled lens is added. The camera was held in the same place for both shots.
The X10 Macro
This lens offers very good magnification. It is tricky to get a steady focus and there was a lot of refocusing going on. However, there is a good depth of field when you eventually get the shot. The shadows the phone cast caused some issues, when shooting indoors as I did hear.
The X15 Macro
Obviously similar to the x10, but with even more zooming power. You have to be really close to the object you are photographing, so again you can be in your own light, but the magnification is excellent.
The fun Fish Eye lens
This is definitely the most fun lens. It’s a 180° lens so wraps round the image creating exaggerated shots. You have to practice as if you’re not careful you catch your fingers on the edge of the shot. So you have to experiment with holding the hold a little differently.
The olloclip 4-IN-1 lens retails for £69.99 from Apple and other major retailers. It comes in red, black and silver. There are also other options in terms of the lenses offered, so take a look and see if there’s one to suit your needs.
If you want to make your iPhone a bit more flexible, then it’s definitely one to add to your Christmas list.
Disclosure: I was sent the olloclip 4-IN-1 Lens in return for an honest review.