olloclip Mobile Photography Box Set for iPhone X REVIEW

When I was in high school, I wanted to take photography classes but was limited due to my family’s budget at the time. This was probably a blessing as I know I would have hated developing film and that may have soured my views on photography later on in life. Not taking those classes did not stop me from being interested in camera gear, photography, and video production. In fact, in my 20’s I bought my first video camera and recorded my friends and I doing stunts and skateboarding. This was when video editing was really made easily available for consumers. I worked hard editing that and it made my love of visual media even stronger.

I was finally able to afford a good Canon DSLR and started to teach myself how to use it. Over the years that first DSLR has been swapped out for a newer and better full-frame DSLR camera and I’ve gone from a beginner camera operator to more advanced. Of course, none of this matters if you don’t happen to have your main camera with you when the time arises. That’s a lesson I’ve learned the hard way but it’s also where the olloclip can come into play. It’s an amazingly small adapter full of great glass that can be used with your iPhone to give you some really unique shots and because of the size and it’s ability to be hung from your keychain you’re more likely to keep it with you always.

Since the release of the iPhone X, olloclip had to redesign their extraordinary clip in order to make it suit the revolutionary phone design. As a result, they came up with the Mobile Photography Box Set for iPhone X — a truly remarkable accessory for all iPhoneographers.

DETAILS

This all-new photography lens set from olloclip is designed specifically to work with iPhone X and it clips directly over the raised camera on the phone. This is a new part of the design because in previous versions you had to slide the olloclip lens across the top of the camera, which was not favorable. This set includes a fisheye, super-wide, and Macro 15x lenses. The system aligns with both front and rear-facing cameras and will work with most screen protectors. The Mobile Photography Box Set for iPhone X is meant to work exclusively with the new Connect X interchangeable lenses from olloclip. Unfortunately, previous generation Connect lenses are not compatible with this system.

COMPATIBILITY

• Works with caseless iPhone X
• Works with “olloclip-ready” phone case
• Does not work with any other phone case
• Screen protector compatible up to 0.5mm
• Not compatible with flash

FEATURES

• Three premium multi-element coated glass lenses deliver superior image quality
• Fisheye: Unique 180° spherical effect
• Super-Wide: 4-element lens with over 120-degree field of view
• Macro 15x: 15x magnification for the ultimate close-up
• Easy-to-use, patented system attaches and aligns instantly with no extra parts needed
• Selfie-ready to work seamlessly on both front and rear-facing cameras
• Connect X interchangeable lens system for creating the perfect set to match your adventure
• Expanding mount is compatible with all screen protectors
• Pendant Stand keeps the lens accessible and opens to create a pocket-sized tripod
• Works with all camera apps and is even great for video, time-lapse, panoramas and 360° VR photos
• Included in the box: Super-Wide, Fisheye and Macro 15x lenses, iPhone X clip + Pendant Stand, lens caps, microfiber cloth

USER EXPERIENCE

Because I’ve had a lot of previous experience with olloclips, I thought I knew what to expect. The lens system slides into place over your phone and you take pictures. Simple enough, right? Well, as I found out, this version of the olloclip is a major upgrade from Core olloclip lens set. First of all, the lens just clicks into place. There is a simple release button on the corner of the lens that makes it possible for you to release the system from its pendant or your phone. The olloclip lens fits perfectly over the iPhone X camera bump and that makes using it that much more enjoyable. I don’t have to worry about the lens moving around while I’m using it or it possibly falling off of the phone. I’ve had that ‘wobble’ before with olloclips, but this one stays locked in place and secure.

Micro press release from olloclip

Viewing press release using Macro olloclip lens

Something that’s very important to note is that even though it’s designed to work with both the front and rear-facing cameras, the olloclip Mobile Photography Box Set for iPhone X only has one side of the lens kit dedicated to each side fo the camera. For example, the part of the clip that holds the Fisheye lens will snap into place around the rear-facing camera with no problems, but if you try to use the opposite side with the wide angle, the phone won’t slide all the way into place. This means that if you want to use the wide angle with the rear-facing camera, you have to swap the placement of the lenses. This can become cumbersome — especially when you are on the go.

iPhone X with Wide Angle olloclip lens

iPhone X with no olloclip lens

Despite how wonderful the redesign of this olloclip is there are still two aspects of it that I’m not a fan of. First, you can’t use this lens system with any case other than the olloclip case. This has been the same for all olloclip lenses, but I would love to see them develop a solution to use with other styles of cases. The other design element I don’t really like is the plastic lens caps. They are a tight fit and therefore are a little harder to remove. I’ve had issues with these in the past and I end up touching the lens in the process. The other thing I don’t like about this that the looser they get, the easier it will be for them to fall off.

Using the lenses are very easy. Once the olloclip is locked into place you just use your camera as usual. The only suggestion I would really have for using the olloclip lenses is that you should place the lens on the camera while the phone is locked so that the camera can adjust focus with the lens on first.

iPhone X with Macro olloclip lens

CONCLUSION

If you use your iPhone for daily photography, you should invest in an olloclip for your model of iPhone. If you are an iPhone X user, this Mobile Photography Box Set should be in your toolkit. It’s an invaluable accessory for iPhoneographers and even though it has some quirks, the Mobile Photography Box Set is the best option I’ve seen for a mobile lens kit for the iPhone X.

For more details, visit olloclip
Find olloclip on Facebook and Twitter.

Related

Originally published at macsources.com on June 1, 2018.