Olloclip iPhone Lenses Review

Olloclip 3-in-1 (left), Olloclip 2x Telephoto (middle), Olloclip Circular Polarizing Filter (right), iPhone running the (free) Olloclip App which allows a grid correction for distortions. 

The best camera is always the one you have with you - thus one of my most used cameras actually is my iPhone. A year ago I got the Olloclip 3-in-1 add-on lenses which can be used as a Fisheye, Macro and Wide-angle lens. All lenses are made of real glass (not pressed plastic) and optical surfaces are multi-coated against reflections. The lens barrels are metal, the clip which attaches the lenses to the iPhone is made of plastic in order to not scratch the iPhone. The Olloclips are incompatible with bumpers or iPhone cases (except the Olloclip flip-case which I don't own). 

Image-quality-wise the best of these three lenses is the Macro. It is remarkably sharp and works very well with the iPhone's AF. 

Very sharp in-focus area and narrow depth-of-field (normal for Macro lenses).

I'm also quite happy with the Fisheye which I would rate a bit like a Lomography lens. It allows very creative and interesting pictures however please don't expect the quality of the Canon L Fisheye lens. It has strong chromatic aberrations in the corners and isn't very sharp. Nevertheless it allows me to take pictures with my iPhone which would be impossible otherwise. Often I find myself converting the pictures to b/w because the color fringes are too disturbing: 

Dublin Convention Center, WMIC 2012, September 2012 

Dublin Convention Center, WMIC 2012, September 2012. Please note that there is no ghosting although I was pointing the lens directly at the ceiling lights in the center of the frame. The anti-reflection coating of the glass surfaces is quite effective.

Chicago, view from John Hancock Center, October 2012. Note that the sun is inside the frame in the upper right corner of the image reducing overall contrast - however flare could be a lot worse! The Olloclip lenses consist of multicoated glass surfaces and are way better than the pressed plastic lenses of the Lomo Fisheye 2 or other iPhone optics. If you enlarge this photo you will notice that it would look a lot better if the John Hancock Center's facility management would have had the kindness to clean the windows before I took the picture. In fact this is a picture taken under the most adverse conditions:  through a dirty window against the light. Considering the price and size of this fisheye optics I'm quite impressed with the results.

London Eye, September 2012

London Heathrow Tube Station, September 2012

Wien, Kunsthistorisches Museum, October 2012

And then there is also a wide-angle lens in the 3-in-one Olloclip which I consider quality-wise so inadaequate that I never use it. 

Nevertheless, for a product priced at about 70 € the quality is amazing and I take it with me wherever I go - although obviously it's not Hasselblad, Zeiss or Canon L glass quality.  These lenses allowed me to take some pretty interesting pictures because they happend to be the only camera system I discovered inside the pocket of my jacket.  ;-)

Yesterday I received a 2nd Olloclip consisting of a 2x Telephoto Lens and a Circular Polarisation Filter which can be attached to any Olloclip lens (Fisheye, 2x Telephoto, Wide Angle, iPhone camera without additional lens) - with the exception of the Macro Lens. (99 €)

Fortunately the function of the Circular Polarization Filter doesn't depend on the physics understanding of the Olloclip marketing department: 

"The Circular Polarizing Lens is designed to reduce glare from reflected surfaces and show colors more true to life. When rotated, the lens blocks certain wavelengths of light from entering the camera lens and hitting the camera’s sensor. When undesired light (typically from light bulbs or sun) is not blocked, the result can be photos with glare and washed-out colors."   -- product description on Olloclip's website 

WTF???? Blocking "certain wavelengths of light"??? Polarized "undesired light from light bulbs"?   OMG. 8-/

I'm looking forward to give this system a try and will post some example shots taken with the Telephoto lens and the Circular Polarizing Filter .