Olloclip Core Lens Review for Smartphone Photography
In this digital age, smartphones have become our go-to devices for capturing everyday moments and preserving memories. While smartphone cameras have significantly improved over the years, they still have limitations when it comes to versatility and image quality.
The reason why I got the iPhone 7 plus in the first place, was the increased quality of the inbuilt camera app on the phone, the portrait mode and the freedom to practice my phone photography on the go.
But there are times when even your iPhone has its limitations. Such times, for instance, are when travelling without a wide-angle lens and there’s an epic landscape shot and all you have is an iPhone which can only capture a fraction of the image in front of you.
That’s where Olloclip lenses step in. If you like this Olloclip review then, you like my review on the best travel cameras guide.
What Is Olloclip?
Olloclip, a leading brand in smartphone camera accessories, offers a range of clip-on lenses that expand the capabilities of your smartphone camera. In this Olloclip review, we’ll explore the advantages of using Olloclip lenses and delve into each lens’s features and creative possibilities.
How Does Olloclip Work?
The Olloclip Core Lens set includes three different lenses: a fisheye lens, a 120-degree wide-angle lens, and a 15x macro lens. However you have to unscrew the fisheye lens to reveal the macro lens underneath.
The mount is sized so one lens can fit over the front-facing camera and another lens can fit over the rear-facing camera. It enables you to remove the mount and flip it over changing the orientation, which allows it to line up properly with the telephoto lens on the back of the iPhone or smartphone.
This means all the lenses can be paired with the standard wide-angle lens or the telephoto lens on the iPhone. But based on my experience, I found the Olloclip lenses to work best when mainly used with the wide-angle lens.
Olloclip Review Unboxing and Setup
Upon receiving your Olloclip lens kit, you’ll be greeted with sleek packaging that exudes quality. Inside, you’ll find a lens clip and a set of lenses designed to work seamlessly with your smartphone. Attaching the lens clip to your device is a breeze. It snugly fits over your smartphone’s camera, ensuring a secure grip.
Olloclip lenses are compatible with various iPhone models, including the latest releases. Additionally, the lenses can be used with both the front and rear cameras, allowing you to capture stunning selfies or breathtaking landscapes effortlessly.
Olloclip Core Lens Set – Review of Each Lens
📸 Super-wide Lens
If you want to capture breathtaking landscapes or group photos that include everyone, the super-wide lens is your perfect companion. It expands the field of view, allowing you to fit more into the frame.
The wide-angle lens captures a 120-degree (up from 75-degrees) field of view which is great for landscape shots and, it can be attached to the front-facing camera for group selfies.
The difference in the wide-angle lens and my normal iPhone camera was immediately noticeable, but not overly drastic like a fisheye lens.
The barrel distortion around the edge of a photo was also noticeable. There was also some vignetting in the images, which I easily removed while using one on my mobile editing apps.
📸 Fisheye Lens
For those seeking a unique perspective, the fisheye lens adds a creative touch to your smartphone photography. It provides a 180-degree field of view, resulting in a distinctive curved effect and a black circle at the outer edges and results in an extremely distorted looking image.
The photos highlight the fisheye lens’s ability to transform ordinary scenes into visually captivating compositions. Experimenting with different angles and subjects can lead to stunning and unexpected results.
📸 15x Macro Lens
The macro lens unlocks a mesmerising world of intricate details. With a 15x magnification, it allows you to capture the tiniest subjects with astonishing clarity.
Whether it’s capturing the delicate petals of a flower or the texture of a butterfly’s wings, the macro lens opens up endless artistic possibilities. The macro photos truly showcase the lens’s ability to capture mesmerising details that often go unnoticed by the naked eye.
It is easy for things to go wrong thou. A handshake could ruin a shot (although it was hard to get a sharp photo at that magnification, without a tripod), but when done right, a macro lens can show you how beautiful nature is with the interesting details and patterns you see in it.
📸 Telephoto Lens
The telephoto lens is perfect for capturing distant subjects with enhanced detail. It magnifies your smartphone camera’s zoom capabilities by 2x, bringing you closer to your subject without sacrificing image quality.
The telephoto lens is particularly useful for portrait photography, where it creates a beautiful background blur effect, making your subjects stand out. Photos taken with and without the lens showcase the noticeable difference in sharpness and depth.
Using Olloclip Attachment with the iPhone 7 Plus Telephoto Lens
I have tried using my Olloclip lenses with the iPhone 7 Plus’s 56mm telephoto lens, but all I saw was a black screen.
With the iPhone default camera, the “the lens offers a 2x optical zoom” mode doesn’t always activate the telephoto lens, depending on the lighting conditions.
You will need a third-party app to use the Olloclip lens with the iPhone telephone lens, but I found this to be unnecessary as I mainly bought the set to use the wide-angle lens
Olloclip Lens System Overall Verdict
Olloclip lenses offer a remarkable enhancement to your smartphone photography experience. They provide versatility and convenience, allowing you to elevate your smartphone camera’s capabilities without the need for bulky equipment.
While they don’t replace professional cameras like my Fujifilm X-T4, Olloclip lenses serve as excellent companions, ensuring you never miss a precious moment. What sets Olloclip apart is its affordability and value-for-money, making it a top choice for photography enthusiasts on a budget.
Considerations and Compatibility
Olloclip lenses are designed to be compatible with various iPhone models. However, it’s essential to check the specific compatibility for your device before purchasing. It’s worth noting that if you decide to upgrade your smartphone, you may need to purchase new lenses that match the dimensions of your new device’s camera.
Olloclip Core Lens Set Review Wrap-Up
With their ease of use, portability, and remarkable image quality, they are a must-have accessory for any smartphone photographer. The Olloclip core lens set allows you to get great photos. The wide-angle lens offers you amazing travel landscape photos and will up your photography game (and get your Instagram likes flowing) even with the slight distortion around the edges of the image.
The macro and fisheye lens to me seemed more of a novelty than lenses that I would use in my iPhone mobile photography. I found the mini tripod useful and it come in handy with shots in both landscape and portrait mode in situations that called for a level-based and steady hands.
The core lens set also, has other drawbacks like ― they can’t be used with standard phone cases, they can’t be used with the telephone lens in the iPhone 7 plus without a third party app and there is a slight drop in the image quality compared with the default iPhone camera app.
If the core lens set where at a lower price point, I would not hesitate to advise you to add them as accessories to your existing mobile photography kit. Enhance your smartphone photography with Olloclip lenses, and unlock a whole new world of creativity and visual storytelling!
Have you tried Olloclip core lens set? We’d love to hear about your experiences and see the stunning photos you’ve captured.