This is the battery case every serious iPhone photographer needs
Chances are, if you're serious about iPhone photography, you know all about Moment and its high-quality miniature lenses that attach to the camera.
Three years after its original Kickstarter success, the company's returning to the crowdfunding site to launch three new products: a slim battery case with a dedicated shutter button and integrated lens-mount system, a barebones wooden case with an integrated lens-mount, and a new wide-angle lens designed from the ground up for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus' larger camera aperture.
"These are the best products we have ever made," says Marc Barros, co-founder of Moment. "Designed for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, our new battery case, photo case and wide lens are the first products in the market to match the quality that Apple delivers. If you love shooting on your phone, these products are for you."
Barros came by the Mashable office last week to show me prototypes of the three products. Like all of Moment's existing lineup of lenses and cases, the new gear looks and feels well-made — not at all shoddy.
My favorite of the trio is the Battery Photo Case for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, which will sell for $99.99 ($79.99 for the Early Bird Special). It looks sort like a mix between a Mophie and an Apple Smart Battery Case — but better in every way.
It looks sort like a mix between a Mophie and an Apple Smart Battery Case — but better in every way.
Besides being easy to put on and remove (the top half peels back like on the Smart Battery Case), it has a 2,500 mAh battery — which is enough to recharge it fully and then some — a shutter button that works like a real camera (half-press to autofocus and full press to shoot) in conjunction with the Moment camera app, and a lens-mount for attaching Moment lenses.
But whereas Apple only makes a Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 7 and not the iPhone 7 Plus, Moment sells a version for the larger iPhone with a 3,500 mAh battery. Moreover, you can mount lenses to both the regular wide-angle camera and the tele camera.
As with most popular battery cases, the Photo Battery Case also redirects sound from the side of the iPhone's bottom speaker upwards at you.
Another nice touch is the ability to turn the battery on and off. On Mophie's, there's a physical switch that you can press to turn charging on/off. Apple's Smart Battery Case offers no such control — once it's on, it's always charging your iPhone, which sucks if you want to save the power for later use.
A switch is convenient, but Barros says they decided not to include one because people could accidentally hit it. Instead, the Photo Battery Case splits the difference with a software toggle within the Moment app:
For those who don't need a built-in battery or might not want the extra bulk of the Photo Battery Case, Moment's also selling a new Photo Case for $29.99, available in "American Dark Walnut" or "Black Coated Canvas".
The Photo Case doesn't have any shutter button like the company's existing lens cases -- they're just good-looking cases that support Moment lenses and have a loop for attaching a lanyard.
Cases are cool, but what about lenses? Moment's got one new lens: A newly designed aspherical wide-angle lens with a larger lens diameter to better accommodate the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus' larger apertures. For existing Moment lens owners, Moment will offer a small adapter that'll convert the smaller diameter mount to the larger ones.
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.
