PRODUCT REVIEW: Olloclip Quick Connect Lens for iPhone 4/4s

Photo Credit: Olloclip.com

I got the Olloclip today via FedEx. It was my “we’re sorry you had so much drama with this iPhone 4s situation” offering from Apple, for which I am immensely appreciative... That whole thing is a different story for a different day.   Follow the jump for the review and more pics!

When I got home I tested it out right when I opened the package, and thankfully the weather was excellent today and it was sunny, so I could get a few pics in real fast. It’s tiny, and it's a neat little thing, but the only lens I bothered with for the most part was the macro.  I did a few wide angle but since my backyard and house are far from picturesque, I didn’t bother with that a lot! Maybe Ill go to the park this weekend or something and look for a photo op.

I took a bunch of pics of my wedding set because it was the first thing I thought of that might be neat for a closeup, especially since my engagement ring stone is a unique branded cut and has a neat pattern. The lighting wasn’t fantastic at this hour (430cst in the winter) so they’re not ideal but maybe Ill mess with it this weekend in better daylight. 

I also got a shot of my eye--and for the record I do not wear colored contacts (though some mornings i really wish I did bec I drop them in my white sink a little more often than I should admit). That’s my real eye color, though it is admittedly greener today than normal as I have on a green sweater, then some grass/weeds, and some of the wood on my deck in back.  By the time I got done with the grass and my ring, my weird neighbor dude was outside tinkering with something in his yard and I was on the path to escape undetected. In part because for some reason the idea of this guy seeing me take ring photos was embarrassing, even though the idea of anyone seeing it any other time doesn’t seem to bother me. But I digress...

The official website, www.olloclip.com, describes the lenses as such:

“The Fisheye lens captures approximately a 180 Degree field-of-view and produces some striking images. 

The Wide-Angle lens is great for when you need that extra field of view, approximately double that of the normal iPhone.

The Macro lens applies roughly a 10X multiplier and allows you to focus the iPhone within 12-15mm of the subject. The Macro lens is cleverly concealed within the olloclip and can be accessed by unscrewing the Wide-Angle lens that is normally attached to it.”

With the Macro you really do get right on top of the item. Almost a half inch away. The phone tends to figure out the focusing pretty well though, and while it took a minute to get the thing ON the phone, especially since I was trying to get it on over a screen protector which this little thing promptly ruined and lifted, and about two more seconds to screw the wide-angle attachment back off the phone, I got it figured out pretty much instantly. It would be pretty cool at a sporting event or on a vacation to get a nice picture.  

All you really do is slip it on over a naked iPhone 4/4s on the corner. It’s just a plastic part with the lens on either side, it kind of straddles the power button (unless you’re using the front camera anyway.)

The only editing I did to these was cropping for size. I did not color correct, contrast, anything. Just cropped to be reasonable for web viewing. I hope that the crispness doesn’t  go away with the upload...

The following pics are with the Macro Lens:

And a couple with the Wide-Angle:

I have no desire to really mess with fisheye, I just am not interested in it! 

My diamond needs some cleaning apparently, and I also apparently need to invest in some weight loss AND really excellent anti-aging eye cream. That I did not need magnified! 

It’s a fun little thing though, I probably would buy it, though knowing it’s a waste of a Zagg...eh not a positive. But the photos you can get with this, esp in the macro area...pretty dope. 

The biggest, and, besides price ($69.99), only, CON I will say about it is, to me, a huge negative and kind of an epic fail in my opinion: It will rip your screen protector right off your screen. So if you use Zaggs or anything of the sort, don't get this unless you're eager to reapply a new one. I am replacing mine tomorrow night anyway, but just an FYI. I have concerns about it scratching the glass on the phone, but the company claims that isn’t likely.  It needs to fit snugly, I get that. But it’s still annoying. I have not tested out anything PhotoJojo (because it’s ALWAYS sold out!) but those appear to connect via magnet OR adhesive something, which also doesn’t appeal to me. But for someone who isn’t worried about ruining a screen protector, this is a cool little gizmo.  

UPDATE: On a whim since I need to reapply a Zagg, I tried it with a PowerSupport one that they sell at the Apple store (antiglare, not my favorite screen protector though) and it DID seem to work with that. It didn't seem to jack it up either. Just wanted to point that out.

UPDATE 2: It was requested that I take some more pics that are the same subject with all three lenses/without the lens. So here they are. 

My shoes:

Regular Camera, no lens (macro won't work without me being RIGHT on top)

Wide Angle:

 Fisheye:

My hand:

Regular Camera, no zoom

With Macro, no zoom:

 (hey it's only slightly less gross today! I see a big of gunk on it and some dust specks and tiny thread or hair fragment)

With Wide Angle, No Zoom:

With Fisheye: