Our 3 favorite iPhone lenses for shooting better Instagram photos
Your iPhone's cameras can take some pretty incredible photos. But just like a DSLR or mirrorless camera, you can take your photography to the next level simply by adding a lens.
Browsing Amazon brings up an endless number of clip-on lenses for your iPhone, most of which are trash. The sad fact is there are only a few lenses that are any good. On the plus side, it means you don't need to waste your time considering the sea of junk out there.
With the right lens attachment, you can transform your average-looking smartphone photos into shots worthy of getting more Instagram likes.
Moment lenses
Moment has long been our favorite lens attachments for iPhone. Established in 2014, Moment built its credibility making lenses with only the best optics. We're talking high-quality lenses with multiple glass elements for the best picture quality, corner to corner.
Fast forward to 2018, and Moment still makes the best iPhone lenses, period. Its latest V2 lenses continue the company's tradition of prioritizing quality above all.
Moment's V2 lenses work with the iPhone 7 all the way up to the iPhone X. If you've got an older iPhone, you'll have to hunt down the older versions since the lens mount is smaller.
With V2 lenses, you'll need to buy one of Moment's Photo Cases that come with a built-in mounting system. Popping a Moment lens in is literally a simple press and twist, which is another reason why we love them so much.
Our two favorite Moment lenses are the Wide and Superfish. The Wide lens expands your iPhone camera's field of view so you can squeeze up to 2x more stuff into a shot. More friends and family in a group photo. More scenery in a landscape picture. Just more everything.
It's the most versatile lens, and any serious iPhone photographer should have one in their pocket. $100 is a lot of money to drop on an iPhone lens, but trust us, it's worth the money after you start shooting with it.
The Superfish is our second go-to Moment lens. It's a fisheye-type lens and gives you an even wider 170-degree field of view.
The $80 lens distorts reality so you get a GoPro-ish look, but that's sometimes a desirable look that makes your photos stand out in your followers' feeds.
Moment also makes a tele portrait lens ($90) and and a macro lens ($90) for iPhone. If you've got iPhone 7 Plus or 8 Plus or X, you don't need a telephoto lens for portrait shots. However, if your iPhone doesn't come with a secondary rear camera, the tele portrait lens will do the trick. It's got a 60mm focal length, and just like a real camera portrait lens it's ultra sharp in the middle (to bring out face details) and softer around the edges.
Though not as versatile, the macro lens still helps you shoot some unique perspectives, allowing you to capture crispy details of subjects within a few centimeters. The macro lens is good for shooting things like bugs (if you can keep them still), flowers, and jewelry.
The best thing about Moment lenses is that they work with a few other phones as well. So if you ever decide to switch to a Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel phone, you only need to get a new Photo Case to mount them.
Olloclip lenses
If Moment lenses are way beyond your price range, we recommend Olloclip lenses. The company's been making iPhone lenses for as long as #iPhonenography has been a thing.
The Core Lens Set ($100) clips works on iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, and 8 Plus. For the same price as a single Moment lens, you get a fisheye, super-wide, and macro lenses.
The upside is you don't need a special case to use the Core Lens. The downside is the lens attachment only works without a case, which means you have to remove your case every time you want to attach it.
Another thing to consider: Olloclip lenses apparently don't play nice with screen protectors. Their tight fit can reportedly tear them up according to online reviews.
Olloclip also sells several other clip-on lenses for the iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, and 8 Plus. The Active Lens Set ($120) gives you 2x telephoto lens and ultra-wide.
The Macro Pro Lens Set ($80) lets you shoot macro photos at three different magnifications: 7x, 14x, and 21x. The Vista Lens Set ($120) gives you a 2x telephoto and 120-degree super-wide angle lens.
All of these Olloclip lenses are reversible, so you can put them over both the rear camera and the front camera. The same can't be said for Moment's lenses.
Image quality through Olloclip's lenses aren't as sharp as Moment lenses, but they're still better than many of the really cheap lenses out there.
iPhone X owners will get some Olloclip lens love soon, too. Unlike the above lenses, the iPhone X lens is a little less fiddly because it clips over the corner (the huge camera bump keeps it locked into place) and won't destroy your screen protector. Pre-order details including pricing and release are TBA, but know that it's coming soon!
ShiftCam 2.0
Adding and removing a lens is one of the main reasons why most people don't bother with them at all. It takes time to practice mounting them on like a pro so you don't miss any prize-winning 'grams.
We've seen our fair share of attachments with revolver lenses, but they're still on the bulky side. If size doesn't matter you should just go with Moments or Olloclip lenses.
However, if thinness is a top priority, the ShiftCam 2.0 is a good option. Available for iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8 Plus, and X, the ShiftCam 2.0 puts multiple lenses via a slider-type mechanism into a protective case.
Switching lenses is as easy as sliding to the lens you want. For iPhone 7 and 8, there's a 4-in-1 lens, a 6-in-1 for the iPhone X, and a 6-in-1 for the 7 Plus and 8 Plus.
Each one gives you varying lenses. For example, the 6-in-1 iPhone X case adds a 120-degree wide-angle, 2x telephoto, 180-degree fisheye, 10x macro, 20x macro, and front-facing wide-angle lenses — all for $70.
Image quality is the poorest compared to Moment and Olloclip — photos are softer on the edges and there's more noticeable color fringing, but that's to be expected from plastic lenses.
Look at this way: the lo-fi look is in. Embrace the imperfections and turn it into a photographic asset.
Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
