How close can the iPhone camera go with this add-on?
By Stan Horaczek | Published Jan 29, 2014 12:35 AM EST
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21x
A close-up of ice crystals on a window using the 21x optics and then collar. You can see that the center of the frame is fairly sharp.
Screen
A typical screen from a porch door with the 21x optic. This gives you a good idea of how much distortion you get at the edges with the highest magnification.
Jeans
At 21x, you really are getting very close. This macro shot of jeans reveals texture that’s not otherwise visible.
Sugar Packets
A shot of some sugar packets using the 14x optic. You can see just how shallow the depth of field is when you get up this close, even with the iPhone’s small sensor.
Salt Shaker
Another example shot with the 14x optics, this time of a salt shaker. Once again you can see the shallow depth of field. It actually throws some pretty nice bokeh.
Salt
Generic table salt photographed with the 21x optic. You can see that it’s a victim of camera shake, which isn’t uncommon when getting up this close.
Lettuce
This lettuce shot with the 14x optic was tricky to get. The depth of field is so shallow and holding the camera still is tricky, so you have to do a little trial and error before things look just right.
Speaker cover
This abstract of a speaker cover shows what happens when you switch up the angle of the 21x optics. When you’re not shooting straight on, you can get a better idea of how narrow the depth of field really is. It also helps that the iPhone loves to shoot pretty much everything at F/2.2.
Egg Carton
Could you tell this was an egg carton without looking at the title? Probably not. At 21x magnification, like I said before, things tend to get very abstract.
Lavender
This was shot with the 14x optic and you can once again see where the sharpness begins to fall off. But, as long as you keep your subject near the middle, it looks fine.
Ukulele Strings
Another example of the 21x optic shot from an angle.
Eyeball
This eyeball selfie was shot with the 14x optic because it’s easiest to hold in front of your eye without mashing down your eyelashes. This one was particularly tricky because I couldn’t actually see what I was shooting. Still, it’s not a bad frame considering the means of taking it.
Plywood
A close-up of a knot in a piece of sanded plywood taken with the 21x optic.
21x Magnification
A standard piece of lined paper taken with the 21x optic. See the next two slides to see the difference in magnification.
14x
This is the middle optic. You can clearly see the distortion of the lines, which would likely benefit from some fixing in post.
7x
The least magnified optic lets in more of the scene, but it’s still a lot closer than the typical iPhone camera can get.