iPhone Lenses for Fun & Profit

Will cool, clever and profitable accessories transform smartphones from point & shoot killers into cash cows?

February 2, 2012 By Jason Schneider

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According to the conventional wisdom and a recent article in the New York Times, the impressive picture-taking capabilities of the latest smartphones—Apple iPhones in particular—may lead to the rapid demise of digital point-and-shoot cameras as we know them, especially lower end models. If the ubiquitous iPhone 4 that provided 5MP still capture and 720p HD video capability served as a wake-up call to the imaging industry, the latest iPhone 4S that delivers 8MP still capture and 1080p Full HD video has really shaken things up. Indeed, analysts are wondering aloud whether we are in the midst of a paradigm shift as profound as the digital revolution itself.

Well, on the way to Armageddon, something fascinating has happened. Savvy cell phone shooters, even those who extol the omnipresence and convenience of their beloved iPhones, and believe the image quality they deliver is “good enough,” have discovered that these sleek little do-everything devices have some frustrating limitations when it comes to serious picture taking.

Optically, they are far less flexible than even the most compact point and shoot when it comes to providing ultra-wide-angle to telephoto coverage, their macro capability is often quite limited, and they’re so thin and light they’re not so hot for capturing smooth professional-looking video clips when shooting handheld. That’s one reason the Steadicam Smoothee, a miniature iPhone/smartphone-compatible version of the ingenious $60K Steadicam image stabilization rigs used by Hollywood cinematographers, has been a surprisingly brisk seller (at $179.95) since its inception about two years ago.

It’s also why there is now a plethora of lenses, lens adapters, filters, video rigs and software available for enhancing the iPhone shooting experience and dramatically extending its shooting range.

One pioneering company that offers an extensive array of optical iPhone accessories and lenses is photojojo.com, which boldly (and accurately) describes itself as an awesome resource for assorted iPhone and smartphone gadgets ranging from $15-$250. Googling “iPhone lenses” or “iPhone accessories” will call up a remarkably diverse array of other devices and their sources. To give you a clearer picture of this emerging product niche, herewith is a quick rundown of some of the amazing, amusing and unlikely widgets we found at Photojojo and on the Internet.

The iPhone SLR Lens Mount
This ingenious case-adapter combination lets users mount Canon EF or Nikon F-mount lenses (there’s a separate model for each system) to an iPhone 4/4S, giving them manual focus, depth-of-field control, etc. The basic idea is for consumers to use the telephoto, wide-angle, macro and fixed focal length SLR lenses they already own on their phone camera, vastly increasing its optical flexibility. Two loopholes on each end of the adapter case let users attach a camera strap so they can carry the whole rig around their necks like a regular DSLR. Smartphone shooters can even use an OWLE iPhone video rig (see item below) with the SLR mount since both use a 37mm thread, and the newly designed rings affix tightly to the backing of the latest iPhones. There’s a little cutout notch to keep the flash exposed for use. Downsides: It may not work perfectly on the iPhone3G/S due to the curve of the phone, and there may be some vignetting in telephoto and fisheye shots. $249 for Nikon or Canon versions. photojojo.com

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