Olloclip 4-in-1 Photo Lens for Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5 Review

Olloclip 4-in-1 Photo Lens for Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5 Review

Most people enjoy digital photography in some shape or form these days, from the professional photographer who carries a DSLR with lenses costing more than my car, to the abundance of smartphone photographers relying on Instagram filters to make their selfies more palatable.

Somewhere in the middle is the amateur photographer who’s interested in capturing some cool artsy shots with relatively inexpensive kit and finding that the smartphone in their pocket is becoming increasingly capable of meeting these needs. This is where Olloclip come in, providing compact multi-lens solutions that attach to a smartphone and allow you to capture those wide-angle and macro shots that usually require a “proper” camera.

 

Olloclip_box

 

Olloclip have made their name by providing quality clip-on lenses for iPhones and have now flown under our radar since releasing a version for the Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5. I’m still rocking the S4 so that’ll be the version I’ll be evaluating, but the only real difference is the bracket size as far as I can tell.

Depending on which lens you want to use the Olloclip attaches across the top-left or top-right corners of the phone. This covers the flash and obscures either the volume or power button (but thankfully doesn’t press them). The clip is easy to attach and remove, but once fitted sits fairly securely.

 

Olloclip_Contents

 

The left lens adds a wide-angle view to your camera allowing you to get more of the scene into your shot without stepping back. On the right is the ultra-wide angle fisheye lens.  The photos below should give you a good idea of the difference these lenses make.  They’re all taken with the phone in the same position.  The first shows what’s captured without the Olloclip attached, the second with the wide-angle lens and the third with the fisheye lens.

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No Attachment

Wide Angle

Wide Angle

Fisheye

Fisheye

 

As you can see the lenses make a significant difference to the amount of the scene you can capture while retaining the clarity of the original lens.  As normal for these types of lenses you do get some barrelling around the edge of the image.  Apparently there’s an app for the iPhone which post-processes the wide-angle and fisheye shots and removes this barrelling, and we’d like the same for Android please Olloclip.

Unscrewing the left wide-angle lens gives you your 10x macro lens, allowing you to magnify and keep focus while extremely close to your subject. Unscrew the right fisheye lens for the 15x magnification macro lens.  Again to show you the effect of these lenses, the photos below are of the same leaf taken as close as possible while staying in focus.

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No Attachment

 

10x Macro

10x Macro

15x Macro

15x Macro

 

Again the lenses are very clear and really add a new perspective to the world and the photos you’re able to capture.  Be aware that macro magnification also magnifies camera shake, and you can probably see from the sample images that these lenses have a narrow depth of field.  Therefore you may need a little patience with taking a few shots before you get the one you want.

Rather than something you’d keep attached to your phone, the design really lends itself to something you’ll take out and clip to your phone for those times when you want that specialized shot. If you like to keep your phone in a case, then bare in mind that the clip only attaches to a naked phone. It shouldn’t be a huge deal to remove your case when you want to use the Olloclip, but again this may bother some.

The included lens covers are a nice touch so you don’t have to worry about scratches or fingerprints, but they are easy to get lost if you’re not careful to put them away in the microfibre bag.  If the lenses do get a little grubby you can also use the bag to give them a quick polish…

10x Macro

10x Macro

15x Macro

15x Macro

 

Retailing at $69.99 on Amazon US or £59.99 on Amazon UK these lenses are a lot more expensive than the plastic versions you can find on eBay for a few quid, but significantly cheaper than a proper camera lens attachment. I feel the price is easily justified considering the build quality and clarity of these lenses.

If you aren’t quite ready to dive into the world of DSLR’s but still want to take your smartphone photography to the next level then Olloclip’s solution is definitely well worth checking out.

 




 

You can find full details of these lens attachments plus their other range of lenses at the Olloclip website…

Olloclip

 

 

Associate Editor and part of the team of gadget reviewers at DroidHorizon. Also been known to dabble in software development to pay the bills.

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