ExoLens Review: Hands-On With a Professional Photography System for iPhone 6 [iOS Blo - اخبار التقنية

ahlam1399 · #1 02-24-2015, 08:41 PM

ExoLens Review: Hands-On With a Professional Photography System for iPhone 6 [iOS Blo

Apple's iPhone has topped Flickr's list of the top mobile cameras for years, With Apple even surpassing Nikon to be the number 2 camera brand on the service earlier this year. Smartphone Photography is booming and there has been ** shortage of accessories to help users take even better pictures, and one of the latest entries in this category is the ExoLens system.
ExoLens Review: Hands-On With Professional

ExoLens Review: Hands-On With Professional

Apple came to us two years ago looking for a higher end lens System for their upcoming devices? says John Willenborg, CEO at ExoLens. ?The goal was to engineer something that reflected the quality and precision of the iPhone 6 With the power of a mini DSLR."

What's in the Box

The ExoLens System comprises two lenses -- a 3x telephoto lens and a 165o wide angle lens -- that screw into a machined aluminum bracket that slides onto an iPhone. The bracket has an integrated 1/4"-20 tripod mount, which will also work With some selfie sticks/mo**pods. Also included are lens caps, a lens hood for the telephoto lens, and a microfiber carrying pouch. ExoLens officially launches today for the iPhone 6 With a retail price of $129.95, With a model for the iPhone 6 Plus planned for release in May.

ExoLens Review: Hands-On With Professional

All included items, except the microfiber pouch
The bracket is made of machined aluminum. The telephoto lens has a focal length of 90 mm and measures 37 mm x 24 mm and weighs 40 grams. The wide angle lens measures 37mm x 16mm and weighs 30 grams. The bracket and lenses feel solid and precisely made. The bracket is a darker gray than the space gray iPhone and is very light, weighing in at 25 grams.

How It Works

The ExoLens bracket slides onto an iPhone 6 ? it's lined With foam to avoid scratching the iPhone. It takes a fair amount of pressure to insert an iPhone but it's a snug and secure fit, which means the iPhone won't accidentally slide out of the bracket. This is, though, a downside of the ExoLens. It's **t possible to use the bracket on an iPhone 6 that's in a case and the bracket is bulky e**ugh to make it cumbersome to leave on an iPhone all the time, **t to mention that it doesn't offer much protection to an iPhone to act as a case to begin with. Removing a case from an iPhone, then putting on the ExoLens bracket and attaching a lens takes a minute, so capturing images spontaneously using the System could be difficult.

ExoLens Review: Hands-On With Professional

If you've got a planned event or photo shoot, this probably won't be an issue. The lenses screw into the bracket easily and augment the iPhone's capabilities to take wider landscape images or zoom in on objects or scenery that would **rmally require using the iPhone's digital zoom.

The bracket has a cut-out for the wake/sleep button on the right side and leaves the bottom of the iPhone completely uncovered. The tripod mount is on the left side and does **t interfere With the volume buttons or mute/silent switch. On the back, it's positioned over the iPhone's camera lens so that the included lenses are centered perfectly over it when installed. **tably, it does cover the iPhone's flash. It is for use With the rear-facing camera only, unlike the lens sets recently released by Olloclip, which will work With the front-facing camera too.

While it's easy e**ugh to hold an iPhone steady in your hands using the ExoLens system, it's really optimized for use With a tripod With its built-in tripod mount. The bracket is easy to mount on a tripod and holds the lenses securely, turning the iPhone 6 into a "mini DSLR" as intended.

ExoLens Review: Hands-On With Professional

The Lenses in Action

Here are pictures captured With an iPhone 6 With ** lens attached, the 165o wide angle lens attached, and the 3x telephoto lens attached, respectively:

[IMG]http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2015/02/iphone-6-**-lens-copy.jpg[/IMG]Taken With the iPhone 6, ** lens attached
ExoLens Review: Hands-On With Professional

Taken With the ExoLens wide angle lens
ExoLens Review: Hands-On With Professional

*Taken With the ExoLens telephoto lens (the circle on the right is a drop of moisture, **t a flaw in the lens)
The wide angle lens greatly increases the field of view but objects outside of the center of the field of view are **ticeably out of focus. Tapping to focus on these objects in the Camera app does **thing to adjust this.

The telephoto lens provides an impressive zoom level but there's significant*distortion. In an FAQ, ExoLens states, "All wide-angle and telephoto lenses are going to cause some bending or distorting of the natural world. The more powerful the lens the more the image will distort. ExoLens has one of the most powerful telephoto lenses on the market. To minimize this effect make sure to center the subject in the frame or you can shoot in 'square mode'."

Below are pictures captured With an iPhone 6 With ** lens attached (top) and the 3x telephoto lens attached (bottom) on a subject indoors. With a single subject at a shorter distance, the distortion is less **ticeable.

[IMG]http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2015/02/iphone-6-indoor-**-lens-copy-2.jpg[/IMG]

ExoLens Review: Hands-On With Professional

The lenses do greatly enhance the iPhone's capabilities but the distortion With the telephoto lens and out-of-focus edges With the wide angle lens, even though expected and **rmal, can be distracting. However, it's possible to work around this by considering your subject, the distance to it, and adjusting accordingly.

Who Is It For?

With its built-in tripod mount, the ExoLens System is ideal for those who don't have or don't want to use a DSLR but do want the ability to mount an iPhone on a tripod to capture better portraits or images of scenery. As a point-and-shoot solution for spontaneous image capture, the ExoLens is less ideal With the time it takes to slide the bracket on and attach a lens, particularly if you have a case to remove from the iPhone first.

At $129.95, the ExoLens System is **t cheap though it does beat buying a DSLR camera, which would cost at least a few hundred dollars. If you already have a tripod or selfie stick/mo**pod and want to take staged pictures at family events or on vacation and can adjust to accommodate or avoid the distortion and focus issues, the ExoLens System could be a great portable solution to augment your iPhone's photographic capabilities.

Pros