Review: Olloclip Lens for iPhone 5

If you own an iPhone and is into photography, a snap-on lens accessory is a necessity.  I am into photography and I own an iPhone 5 so I was excited when I got the Olloclip lens.  I wanted a lens accessory for my phone but I only recently learned about Olloclip. The Olloclip is a 3-in-1 photo lens that works with the iPhone 5, and also the iPod Touch 5 through an included adaptor.  There’s a version for the iPhone 4 and 4S if that’s the iPhone model you own.   Read on to find out if the Olloclip is any good.

Olloclip Lens – Design and Features

For the price of P2,950, the Olloclip is a steal.  The entire device offers three types of lens, namely, fish eye, wide angle and macro.   These types of lenses are all included in one contraption so if you are travelling or covering an event using only your iPhone 5, you won’t be carrying anything else.  The side that shows the bigger lens is the fish eye lens while the other side is the wide angle lens.  To use the macro lens, you only need to unscrew the wide angle lens.

The lens is a snap-on accessory and easily slips into the iPhone.  At first I was worried that the Olliclip will scratch my iPhone since it appeared to be tighter than it needed to be.  After gathering enough courage, I snapped on the Olloclip and discovered that it fit snugly and did not scratch my phone.

The Olloclip fits tightly so sudden movements will not remove the lens from its tight grip. It’s surprisingly easy to remove so if you need to use the other side of the contraption, it’s easy to swap sides.

To protect the glass of the lens from being scratched, the package includes lens caps for both sides.  The lens caps fit tightly and do not come off easily.  There’s also a carrying pouch that doubles as a cleaning cloth in case you accidentally put smudges on the lens.

Olloclip Lens – Performance and Image Quality

The Olloclip is one cool accessory.  It easily transforms your photos into interesting shots that you wouldn’t have achieved with only the iPhone 5’s camera or with photo editing apps.  What I like best about the Olloclip is the fish eye lens.  The fish eye effect is really cool and it transforms a rather boring photo into something edgy.   Fish eye lens for DSLRs are expensive so it’s really nice to have something like the Olloclip to get the same effect using only the iPhone 5.

Here’s a sample photo I took using the fish eye lens on the Olloclip.

The second best Olloclip lens for me is the macro lens.  It easily takes macro shots like a DSLR lens, although you need to put the lens really close to the subject.   The details on the shots are clear, although still not as good as those taken by macro lens on a DSLR. But hey, remember that the Olloclip only costs P2,950 while a macro lens for a DLSR costs a lot.

Here are sample macro shots I took using the Olloclip.  One is a close up shot of the “backspace” button on my laptop and one is a shot of a one-peso coin.

The Olloclip’s wide angle lens works but I’m not too impressed.  It covers a wider angle, alright, but the image is distorted on the edges and the clarity leaves too much to be desired.  But if you need something that’s able to cover a wider area, the Olloclip’s wide angle lens can do the trick. Just don’t expect too much in terms of image quality.  Here’s a sample shot using the wide angle lens of the Olloclip.

The Olloclip is a must have accessory for iPhone 5 owners that are into photography.  It complements the excellent camera of the iPhone 5 and takes photography into a higher level.  If you love playing with your shots being creative with your phone, the Olloclip will be a big help.  I highly recommend this for photography enthusiasts.  For the price of P2,950, it’s a steal.

In the Philippines, you can buy the Olloclip lens from DigiHub, Digital Arena, E-Central, F8 Photoshop, Globotel, iCenter, Liteware, Macy’s Camerashop, Mobile1 and PRG Photostop.

Rating: 9.2/10