Capturing the Tiny Details with olloclip – iPhone Photography

I was recently introduced to the olloclip iPhone lens and had a chance to play around with it for the last few weeks.  I was completely shocked by the tiny details I was able to captured using only my smartphone.  The olloclip comes with a lens on the front and back with a combined total of three zoom options.  I only have used the lens on the outward facing camera.

My favorite objects to photograph with the macro lens are flowers.  Brightly colored flowers are beautiful to begin with but being able to capture the tiny details that normally do not show up in a photograph, especially on an iPhone, was mesmerizing.

Since the photos are being taken with a macro lens there was no need to attempt a selfie with the forward facing camera while the lens was attached.  If you tried to take a photo of an object that you were not close enough to, then it would not focus.  You have to get your camera extremely close to the subject you are photographing.

When I first put the lens on my iPhone I had to remove my case since it wouldn’t fit over it.  I started searching the house for tiny objects to zoom in on. Simply taking a photo with the lens of my kitchen counter showed more details in the countertop than I even knew existed.  It was pretty amazing.

While at the park we tried to captured a bee with the macro lens.  Unfortunately, the bee wouldn’t stay still long enough.  I’m sure we were scaring it away as we kept trying to get closer to focus.  The moth, on the other hand, didn’t move so we were able to get clear details of his wings.

The only issues I had when taking photos outside was the sun causing a reflection so I couldn’t see my screen very well.  It was hard to determine which part of the flower my camera was trying to focus on.  However, outdoor photos are so much better with the natural lighting.

While we were spending a family day at the Dallas Arboretum I took photos of these yellow flowers.  All the photos of flowers were taken with my iPhone.  The only two photos in this post that were taken with my husband’s Canon are the two that show how the olloclip lens looks on my iPhone 6.

The olloclip comes with two lens covers and two hoods.  I have not yet tested out the hoods, but I plan to soon.

Included Lenses:

• Macro 7x – Get detail oriented with increased magnification
• Macro 14x – See beyond the naked eye and photograph down to a thread on a shirt
• Macro 21x – Create the ultimate close up and achieve nearly 100x magnification when combined with iPhone’s digital zoom to focus on details and textures not easily seen with the naked eye

All of the photos shown in this post were taken with either the Macro 7x or the 14x.  Most of them with the 7x.  I have yet to find an object that I need the 21x macro lens for.  You have to get so close to the object you are photographing that you would really need to be steady, still and wanting to capture the tiniest of details.

While my daughter was having some of her senior photos taken I thought it would be fun to take a closeup of her class ring.  This gives you an example of how clear some details are and how much of the photo will be out of focus around the focal point.  Your point of focus is rather small, which is perfect for details but not ideal if you are trying to capture a larger object.

The olloclip comes with a small drawstring pouch to hold all of your items in.  I carry mine with me in my purse at all times.  It is quite fun to pull out and play around with photography.  You receive wearable pendants to keep the lens easily accessible on a keychain or attached to a backpack.

Full Disclosure: I received the olloclip iPhone lens complimentary to conduct this review. All opinions are 100% my own.

Do you use an attachable lens for your iPhone?