By Mitchell Vanlerberg, Digital Storytelling Ninja – Learn to Flourish
Smartphones are becoming more versatile in terms of their capabilities. Now, they are breaking down the barriers for video production making it easier for the average individual to create high quality video content. Tools can be attached to a smartphone to push those barriers even farther by increasing the quality of the videos produced. In this article we’ll be discussing what type of camera lenses you can attach to your smartphone to improve the video recording capabilities of your device.
Lenses are able to enhance the quality of the footage taken on a smartphone. For example, a wide angle lens can increase the width of shot and a macro lens can capture fine detail on small objects.
If you haven’t already read our previous articles, we have gave our recommendations of tripods and microphones for smartphones, so check those out!
Moment 18mm Lens
The Moment 18mm lens is definitely one of the most expensive lenses for smartphones but it also provides the highest quality footage taken from smartphone devices. A special case for your phone must be purchased from Moment that specifically matches the lens. This is done to ensure the quality of the footage taken from the lenses is the best it could possibly be, because when the lens screws into the case it is aligned perfectly with the phone’s camera. Since a special case is used, the lenses are only available on specific smartphones which must be at least or a newer model than the iPhone 6, Samsung Galaxy S8 and Google Pixel. The Moment 18mm lens is currently listed for $160.
Pros:
- High quality video footage
- Wide angle lens
- Aligns perfectly to the phone’s camera
Cons:
- Special case must be purchased to use the lenses
- Only compatible with specific phones (iPhone 6, Samsung Galaxy S8, and Google Pixel or newer)
- Expensive
Universal 5 in 1 Lens Kit by CamKix
The Universal 5 in 1 Lens kit comes in a variety of sizes that include a wide angle lens, fisheye lens, and a macro lens. The lenses simply clamp onto the smartphone by clip. Each lens has a different use to give your video footage a unique look. The wide angle lens is used to capture larger scenes, such as landscapes or skylines. The fisheye is similar to an ultra-wide angle lens and is able to give your videos a rounder look. The macro lens is for extremely close up shots to capture the detail in small objects. The Universal Lens Kit by CamKix is currently listed for $30.
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Comes with more than one lens
- No extra attachment needed
- Works on both Android and iPhone devices
Cons:
- Lenses might not align with camera perfectly
- Attachment clips are fragile
Black Eye Pro Cinema Wide Angle Lens
The Black Eye Wide Angle lens is similar to the lenses by CamKix where it attaches to the smartphone by a clamp. However, the quality of the lens itself it drastically higher quality. The glass in the lens is triple coated hand polished to produce the most natural colors possible. It is also able to attach to both the front and back camera on smartphone devices. There is also a built-in lens hood to help prevent optic flares in your photos or video. The Black Eye Pro Cinema Wide Angle Lens is currently listed at $120.
Pros:
- Has a lens cover to protect lens
- High quality glass lens
- Can be used on the front and back camera on smartphones
- Has built in lens hood to minimize optic flares
- No extra attachment needed
- Works on both Android and iPhone devices
Cons:
- Edges on footage have a slight blur
- Only has one lens
Recommendations
The best option to produce the best quality video for a reasonable price is the Black Eye lens. The Black Eye lens produces the same level of quality the Moment lenses produce except that it doesn’t need a special case to use the lens and is compatible with a larger variety of smartphones. If you want to use your smartphone for producing vlog, interview, or review style video, then the wide angle lens will be enough to meet your needs.
One of our favorite free tools for the on-the-go video creator is InShot. InShot is a video editing and creation app that is available for Android and iPhone. Grab our FREE InShot guide now to learn how to use this software to edit your footage, add photos, stickers, text and effects and share your video creations in the correct size on all the social media platforms.
Wishing you inspiration, innovation, and continuous learning!
The Learn to Flourish Team
(Prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of publication. Learn to Flourish does not receive a share of sales or any compensation from sharing any of these products, they’re just some of our favorites!)
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