We have been seeing third-party lenses for phone cameras – the types that you can attach on top of your phone’s camera – for a while now.
Once a rage (Sony even made dedicated lens-shaped cameras for phones at one stage), their popularity has been dipping in recent times as phone cameras get better – you now can get decent zoom (2-4x) and ultrawide options on the phone itself.
But that does not mean that the third-party camera lens is dead, especially at lower budget points, where smartphones still have limited or no good quality zoom.
And if you are looking to add some zoom muscle to your phone but do not want to spend a bomb in the process, then we suggest you try the Adcom 8x Telephoto Zoom Mobile Phone Camera Lens, which is generally available at a price in the rage of Rs 900 – Rs 999.
As its name indicates, it adds 8x telephoto zoom to your smartphone and if handled well, it actually does a rather good job of it.
We have been seeing third-party lenses for phone cameras – the types that you can attach on top of your phone’s camera – for a while now. Once a rage (Sony even made dedicated lens-shaped cameras for phones at one stage), their popularity has been dipping in recent times as phone cameras get better – you now can get decent zoom (2-4x) and ultrawide options on the phone itself. But that does not mean that the third-party camera lens is dead, especially at lower budget points, where smartphones still have limited or no good quality zoom. And if you are looking to add some zoom muscle to your phone but do not want to spend a bomb in the process, then we suggest you try the Adcom 8x Telephoto Zoom Mobile Phone Camera Lens, which is generally available at a price in the rage of Rs 900 – Rs 999. As its name indicates, it adds 8x telephoto zoom to your smartphone and if handled well, it actually does a rather good job of it.
Fix it, clip it onto the phone and shoot
It comes with a carry case and a clip (Express Photo) It comes with a carry case and a clip (Express Photo)
The telephoto lens is in the form of a black cylindrical tube, which Adcom says is made of anodised aluminium, with lenses on either side. One of the ends can be attached to a clip, which is then placed over the camera of the phone to which you want to add zoom, with the clip holding it in place. A very nice touch is the option to sharpen the focus by moving a ring on the front of the lens – a slightly DSLR-like feel. The whole system seems very solidly built with the parts of the clip that are attached to the phone being soft in texture so as to not scratch the display or the camera. The attachment of the lens to the clip is not very smooth, however, and is a little on the rough side. This does result in your taking a bit of time to screw the lens on and off the clip (the grooves are a little rough), but on the flip side, ensures that the lens does not get removed accidentally. This is not a set-up for those who want to take those quick, impulse snaps – it takes a minute or two to get everything ready from attaching the lens to the clip to getting the clip right over the camera you wish to shoot from. We would also have liked some sort of carrying case for the clip and lens – you get a very basic plastic ziplock bag.
