"It's still all the rage"

Apparently I'm making a post a month again. Not a great feeling when you used to do an edit and update twice a day.

My friend received a smartphone lens kit for her iPhone 6S about two weeks ago. She didn't tell me the model, but she's been sending me a ton of pictures. Gone are the days when you had your cache of stock lenses for your camera; now they fit in the palm of your hand and easily stashed in a pants pocket.

I completely understand the idea of having the adapters, but I really don't see a point. For me, using one of the basic models, I was able to capture some images, but not really to my liking. Sure, I could have turned a light on to make things work better, but no matter what I've tried, it's always hard to get things to focus correctly and look the way I want.

Case in point:

Macro lens

Fish eye lens

Wide angle lens

The macro isn't half bad, but the focus on the fish eye and wide angles look lousy. It's hard enough trying to get a decent focus with out an added lens with these phones, but when adding a lens that doesn't sit on the actual camera, it's a bit hard. Yes, there's a space between the adapter and the case; that's where there's a bit of a vignette effect around the latter two pictures. Even taking off the case, it's not much different, but maybe 15% better.

This isn't to say I haven't tried some other brands like Mpow iPhone Lens,3 in 1 Clip-On (which has an update here). I've gotten the same results with "the more expensive brand" as I have with the "cheapy deepy" brand. 

I wish I could say I am in love with this technology, but I really can't find something amazing to say. It's not something I enjoy doing, as I always tell people "I wouldn't have over a grand invested in a DSLR if I didn't like taking pictures". Relying on my cell phone (which is currently an iPhone 6S) isn't my thing. I know plenty of people who love their phones for the sole purpose of a camera, including someone I work with. He was a photographer in a past life and is always looking into the "next big thing" when it comes to picture taking. Given the fact his experience includes working for a big name  / national studio that does school photos, he knows his stuff. It also doesn't hurt he owns his own production company. So I would tend to trust his opinion a little more than someone on the street. That being said, his newly acquired liking for the adapters is not something I can agree to (and he has a Samsung Galaxy and Canon EOS Rebel T5i... with all the fixings). I seriously find it really hard to want to like it all, plain and simple. Maybe it's me not wanting to rely on my cell phone for everything, maybe it's me not wanting to join the Millennial technological bandwagon, who knows. I just find it interestingly silly the longer people become in love with this stuff. 

The only thing I know is I'll keep chugging along with my (now antiquated) Canon EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR Camera and continue watching the new models be bigger and better. 

** If you have tried one of the adapters or know someone who has, let me know thoughts and opinions. I am open to hearing what other people think... just like my friend who got the adapters - she's in love with them and doesn't want to get her Nikon fixed!

Until next time...

Cheers;