Best iPhone Camera Lenses: Temporary Smartphone Camera Lenses 2022
Find the best iPhone lenses for your device with our top picks to suit all budgets.
Take your iPhone photography to new heights with an arsenal of iPhone lenses.
Why should you invest in an iPhone lens? They can completely transform your iPhone photos to make them better or add interesting effects your iPhone can’t do alone. Perhaps you want extra distance to shoot something far away, or a wider angle for landscapes. iPhone lenses can help you achieve this.
While the latest iPhone models are capable of amazing photos, clip-on iPhone lenses can add that extra oomph to level up your photography. Enhance the iPhone 13’s Cinematic Mode with an anamorphic lens to add extra atmosphere, or make your iPhone 12 Pro Max Telephoto go that extra mile.
So that’s why extra iPhone lenses can help you get amazing and even professional photos. Check out our top iPhone lenses below to suit all budgets, quality, professionalism and versatility in your photos.
Best iPhone lenses to buy in 2022
1. Moment Anamorphic Lens — £47.51
Best overall iPhone lens
Moment lenses have a fantastic reputation but can be a little harder to get hold of in the UK compared to other iPhone lens models. This mobile phone lens is supposedly used with the same high-grade glass used in 4K film lenses, so expect great videos from this iPhone wide angle lens. The Moment Anamorphic lens is commonly used with iPhones, but is also compatible with all phones, provided there’s an M-Series case for it (you will need to pay a little extra), plus, this iPhone clip-on lens can be attached to any lens on a dual-lens or tri-lens phone.
The Moment Anamorphic Lens is able to stretch out your images and videos by 33% horizontally, opening you up to a new world beyond your standard iPhone lens. It can be placed so that you can hold your phone in landscape or portrait mode too, meaning this mobile phone lens offers you some flexibility in your shooting style.
What’s in the box?
- 1 x 1.33X Anamorphic Lens
- 1 x Universal 17mm thread clip
- 1 x lens storage bag
- 1 x wipe cloth
- 1 x gift box.
Technical specs
- Size: 21.85mm x 33.25mm x 30.25mm
- Weight: 37.6g
- Number of lenses: 2 pieces 2 groups
- Max focal length: 18mm
- Min focal length: NA
- Focus type: Manual focus
- Type of lenses: Anamorphic.
Pros
- Full control over ISO and shutter speed
- Can shoot in 24fps for video.
Cons
- Can produce unwanted lens flare at times.
2. Apexel 36x Telephoto — £51.99
Best telephoto lens for smartphones
A zoom lens for a mobile phone can be useful in capturing images far away. The Apexel 36x Telephoto iPhone lens provides, you guessed it, 36x zoom. There’s also a tripod for your phone included too, meaning you get a bang for your buck.
This telescope lens for phones transforms it into a pretty powerful long-distance photo snapper, and the tripod ensures your photos remain stable upon capture. Use its remote shutter for when you want to capture images or video at a distance too.
If you don’t mind a bit of the vignetting it causes, the Apexel 36x Telephoto is one of the best iPhone lenses for telephoto capture.
What’s in the box?
- 1 x Apexel 36x Telephoto lens
- 1 x Tripod
- 1 x Universal clip.
Technical specs
- Size: 254mm x 78mm x 78mm
- Weight: 48g
- Number of lenses: One
- Max focal length: 1
- Min focal length: 1
- Focus type: Manual
- Type of lenses: Telephoto.
Pros
- Can see objects over 200ft away.
Cons
- Tripod could be better as it’s quite small.
3. Angfly 4K HD 2-in1 lens kit — £35.66
Best smartphone macro lens
One of the best smartphone macro lens kits for your iPhone has to be the Angfly 4K HD 2-in-1 lens kit. It comes with both a wide-angle and macro lens, but it’s the latter that really stands out.
It’s specifically built for dual-lens phones, making it great for an iPhone 11 lens or improving your iPhone 12 camera set-up (provided it’s a 12 or 12 Mini). THe Anglfy can capture 4K and HD photos and videos without loss of quality. It’s also adopted with a “world advanced” Aspherical lens to minimise lens glare, which is quite common with phone lenses.
In terms of it being the best iPhone macro lens, this lens works about one inch away from whatever subject you want to capture and can bring out impressive textures and detail. The only tiny downside is you’ll have to remove your phone case in order to use it. So if you don’t mind this extra step, then you can expect images from this macro phone lens.
What’s in the box?
- 1 x 4K HD Wide Angle Lens
- 1 x Super Macro Lens
- 2 x Universal Clip
- 1 x Lens Cover
- 1 x Microfiber Bag
- 1 x User Manual
- 1 x Handmade Box.
Technical specs
No technical specs available.
Pros
- Impressive macro capability
- Wild field of view.
Cons
- Can make the phone feel front-heavy
- Doesn’t work with phone cases.
4. Olloclip iPhone 11 Pro ElitePack — £14.99
Best fisheye lens for iPhone
Build exclusively as a fisheye lens for iPhone, the Olloclip iPhone 11 Pro ElitePack is, you guessed it, an iPhone lens for iPhone 11 devices. However, we also discovered this lens kit can work on Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10e smartphone models too. It helps improve overall iPhone 11 camera quality and the differences can be quite stark if you want more distance or a fisheye effect without image manipulation.
The kit contains a 2x telephoto lens to give you more reach, as well as another lens that’s actually two lenses in one: a 180-degree fisheye lens, which is great for creative photography and a 15x macro lens for super-closeups. It used to be quite expensive but we managed to find a version that’s quite cheap, given the iPhone 11 is two models behind the latest ones out today.
The Olloclip attaches to iPhone 11 smartphones without a case, or with a compatible Olloclip case. So keep in mind you won’t be able to use an existing case while using the Olloclip camera system. Again, this is an extra step, but it’s a great way to reap the benefits of the cool fisheye iPhone lens too.
What’s in the box?
- 1 x Macro 15x Lens
- 1 x Telephoto 2x lens
- 1 x Fisheye Lens
- 1 x Bluetooth shutter release
- 1 x Microfibre bag.
Pros
- Caseless
- Fantastic iPhone image quality.
Cons
- Only works with iPhones.
5. ULANZI Anamorphic Lens — £55.95
Best anamorphic iPhone lens
Predominantly used as an iPhone lens for the iPhone 12 and 13, the ULANZI Anamorphic lens is capable of producing stunning images and particularly video quality.
Enriched with a Hollywood Dream Brushed Glare, this will create a dreamy brushed glare effect when faced with strong light. This iPhone lens can also extend the horizontal field of view by 58%, and open up a new 2.8:1 image field of view. It’s also possible to buy additional 52mm lens filters for this iPhone 12 lens, to create a variety of film effects. If you’re a creative person, this iPhone camera lens for anamorphic effects if the one for you.
If you have an iPhone 12 Pro Max, you may need a dedicated case from ULANZI. It’s worth it to achieve some great filming though and work in harmony to create some stunning visuals.
What’s in the box?
Technical specs
- Size: 146mm x 77mm x 43mm
- Weight:16g
- Number of lenses: One
- Max focal length: 17mm
- Min focal length: 17mm
- Focus type: Fixed focus
- Type of lenses: Anamorphic.
Pros
- Amazing quality for the price
- Comes with universal clips.
Cons
- Edges of the frame can get distorted.
6. ShiftCam Photography ProLens Kit for iPhone Smartphones — £149.99
Best iPhone lens kit
Need an all-around kit for your iPhone? The ShiftCam Photography ProLens kit is a powerhouse which includes two lenses, a 60mm telephoto lens and 18mm wide-angle lens. While it’s specifically built to fit iPhones, it can fit most Android phones too.
If you like to travel and capture your journeys, then this iPhone lens kit is for you. It’s perfect for taking buttery smooth portraits when combing the iPhone’s telephoto with the ShiftCam 60mm telephoto iPhone lens, and the wide-angle is perfect for those landscape photos or wide selfies.
As it’s iPhone-focused, there’s an iPhone-specific lens mount that can fit iPhone 11 up to the iPhone 13 series. However, if you have another type of phone or iPhone, you can get a universal lens mount for the ShiftCam too.
What’s in the box?
- 1 x Wide-angle ProLens
- 1 x Telephoto ProLens
- 1 x Universal mount
- 1 x Lens pouch
- 1 x Lens cleaning cloth.
Technical specs
- Size: 229mm x 139mm x 72mm
- Weight: 65g
- Number of lenses: Two
- Max focal length: Unknown
- Min focal length: Unknown
- Focus type: Manual
- Type of lenses: Wide-angle, Telephoto
Pros
- Lots of options for different types of photos and videos
- Great quality.
Cons
- Some lenses are more useful than others.
7. APEXEL Professional Macro Photography Lens for Smartphone — £49.99
Best macro iPhone lens
The APEXEL Professional Macro Photography lens is the best macro lens for mobile phones, including the iPhone. This iPhone macro lens is made of 5 pieces of quality glass lenses which all work to reduce reflections and glare. It has little to no distortion or vignetting either, meaning your close-ups with an iPhone can make for some decent macro imagery. Because of this, the depth of field you get when shooting, say, bugs or plants, you’re going to get some buttery smooth background blur for some really sharp yet artistic effects.
You’re going to want to get quite close up though (you can take images from as little as 0.5-inches away), as if you’re just a little too far away the APEXEL macro lens can be prone to some blur around the edges.
What’s in the box?
- 1 x APEXEL macro lens
- 1 x clip
- 1 x manual
- 1 x cleaning cloth.
Technical specs
- Size: 40 x 40 x 80 millimetres
- Weight: 12g
- Number of lenses: One
- Max focal length: 100mm
- Min focal length: 33mm
- Focus type: Manual
- Type of lenses: Macro.
Pros
- Sharp imagery
- The lens clamp can be manually extended from 6mm up to 10mm.
Cons
- Needs decent light exposure to work properly.
8. Xenvo Pro Lens Macro/Wide Kit — £75.66
Best value iPhone lens kit
This two-in-one cheap iPhone lens kit will work with a ton of other smartphones too. It’s macro and wide-angle lenses make it flexible for all kinds of situations and it’s a great little kit to take on travels too. It contains “TruGrip” technology on its lens clip, which allows it to attach securely providing a non-slip fit.
The macro has been highly commended, but be mindful of some tiny distortions using the wide-angle lens around the corners of your photos. It also comes with an LED light which is great for brightening up your macro photography. Overall, it’s a great budget iPhone lens kit that includes a lot of features for the price.
What’s in the box?
- 1 x Xenvo Pro Lens kit
- 1 x EasyClip.
Technical specs
- Size: 86mm x 69mm x 66mm
- Weight: 34g
- Number of lenses: Two
- Max focal length: Unknown
- Min focal length: Unknown
- Focus type: Manual
- Type of lenses: Macro, wide.
Pros
- Fantastic macro lens
- Useful LED light.
Cons
- Wide-angle lens isn’t the sharpest.
And those are the best iPhone lenses for 2022. Shop these phone lenses for less using our Amazon student discounts, plus other student tech deals to save cash on future tech buys.
What is a macro lens?
A macro lens is a type of camera lens that works with very short focusing distances, taking sharp images of very small subjects like bugs or jewellery. It’s often used for close-ups to achieve sharp details.
A macro lens typically has a magnification ratio of 1:1 (or greater), and a minimum focusing distance of around 30cm. The 1:1 basically means it’s as true to real life as it can get in terms of size.
Other types of macro lenses may be advertised as 2:1, or 3:1. If you see these on a phone camera, that’s a macro lens. However, if you see 1:2, 1:3, or 1:4, those aren’t macro lenses.
Macro lenses can also be used to take clear portraits or pictures of still life too.
How many cameras does the iPhone 12 have?
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini have two 12MPl rear cameras, one wide and one ultra-wide.
The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max have three lenses, both of which have telephoto lenses in addition to the dual 12MP wide and ultra-wide lenses.
The iPhone 12 Pro’s telephoto camera has a 52mm focal length, which is 2x the main sensor’s 26mm focal length. However, the iPhone 12 Pro Max model has a 65mm telephoto lens, which works out to a 2.5x zoom from the main camera. This is why the latter costs a little extra.
How to take professional photos with an iPhone
With some simple tips and tricks, it can be really easy to take professional iPhone photos. Plus, they help level up your content game, especially if you like to share photos and videos on social media!
Here are our top iPhone photography tips.
1. Turn your iPhone upside down
This may go against all logic, but by turning your iPhone upside down to snap a photo, you change where the lens is in relation to the rest of the phone and the picture being taken. This is especially useful if taking a full-length picture of a person or a small object.
It can really make a difference between a professional iPhone photo than a regular one!
2. Turn on the grid to compose your iPhone photos
One simple iPhone photography trick is called the rule of thirds. This rule divides the field of your image into a three-by-three grid.
Placing your photo’s main subjects along these lines creates more visually compelling images.
3. Use camera controls
When it comes to iPhone 12 tips and tricks, you’ll want this one. Load up the camera app, and swipe up on the camera shooting modes row. This will display a whole new arsenal of controls, spending on how you want to shoot.
You’ll see things like Night Mode, controls to change exposure and much more.
4. Use burst mode
For truly professional iPhone photography, you won’t want to miss a moment. One iPhone 12 tip (and beyond) is to use the volume up button to take tons of shots in one go.
To enable this feature simply go on Settings > Camera and then toggle on the ‘Use Volume Up for Burst’. Easy!
5. Make use of leading lines
When you incorporate long, straight lines into your photo using an iPhone’s camera, you’ll stand out from the rest. Leading lines give your viewer’s eyes a journey to “follow” with the use of lines. These lines are called leading lines because they lead the eye around the picture.
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