Olloclip Lens Systems – An Overview

We are delighted to publish this fabulous introductory article to the Olloclip Lens System by David Hayes. This is the first of a series of articles that David will be writing, he’ll be delving in deeper in the future. It’s great to see David back here and raring to go – you’ll going to love this, over to you David (foreword by Joanne Carter).

Let’s just say that I’m a gadget freak…and that I like camera lenses. A look into my equipment cupboard would show you the various camera bodies that I have…and twice as many lenses. And when it comes to my iPhone…well, I’m no different. If a new lens system comes out, I will want to try it. All of which is a long way of saying, I’ve tried them all and when it comes to quality and ease-of-use, the Olloclip Lens Systems ranks as my first choice.

I will be writing a series of articles for The App Whisperer where I’ll take a look at each of their systems starting with this overview where you’ll get a quick taste of each system.

Let’s first talk about quality and ease of use.

The quality of all of Olloclip’s systems is top-notch. The lenses uses precision ground glass multi-element optics and image quality matches any of the comparable systems out there. The lens barrels are made from aircraft grade aluminum barrels and are quite durable while the attachment piece is designed to both protect your iPhone surface and give a tight fit.

Yes, you do have to remove any protective case you might be using and that does present somewhat of a hassle. (Olloclip does have a great little replacement case that does give some protection and I’ll discuss their case at the end of this article. ) With any case removed, it’s a simple matter of sliding a Olloclip Lens combo over the iPhone main camera lens and you’re ready to shot using any of your camera apps. This quick connect feature is great for shooting on the go or using different lenses on the same scene.  (I’m pretty quick swapping lenses on my Nikon DSLR, but not as fast as I can swap out Olloclip lenses!).

Over the years, Olloclip has come out with four different lines of systems…let’s take a quick look at each of them.

The Classic 3-in-1 system gives you a macro lens, a fisheye lens, and a wide-angle lens. The macro lens (10x) is concealed within the wide-angle lens that you have to screw off to access it.  This system currently retails at $49.99 and there is a iPhone 5c version for $59.99.

The newest version of the Classic is their 4-in-1 system that gives a fisheye lens, and wide-angle lens as well as a macro 15x lens and a macro 10x lens. This system retails for $69.99.

If all you’re after are macro lenses, then their 3-in-1 macro lens system is for you. It gives you a 7x macro, a 14x macro, and a 21x macro. There is also a lens adapter included that serves as a focusing tool and light diffuser. This system retails at $69.99.

Another specialty system is the telephoto lens & polarizing filter set. The telephoto lens gives you 2x magnification and the polarizing filter not only works independently to give you polarizing effects, it can also be slipped on any of their other lenses. A lens adapter is included as well. This set comes in at $99.99.

All of the systems also come with carrying bags that also serve as lens cleaners.

Finally, the Quick-Flip case is an ingeniously designed snap on case that does give minimal protection to your iPhone while allowing easy access for the lens systems. It comes with a “Pro-Photo Adapter” (A) that slids on the bottom of the case and gives you a tripod mount as well as a cold-shoe attachment point for lighting systems, etc. The case itself has a swivel down cover (B) that swivels over to one side not only allowing access to the iPhone’s camera lens but also can serve as a volume button shutter trigger.  The Quick-Flip case systems retails at $39.99.

Olloclip also offers a series of bundled packages that give you a lens system and the Quick-Flip case. You can save a little money by going this route if you’re new to their products. Check their on-line store for the details.

So there you have it…a quick overview of each of their iPhone product offerings. In future articles, I’ll take a closer look at each system.