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I have noticed Samsung came out with a camera phone in a more literal sense. But, I'm curious as to why the custom lenses are not a more popular item? Being able to change out the lens on my phone as I need to would add a huge level of customization and not too mention make the companies more money. Especially for well made premium lenses.
We've all seen the clips and attachments on Amazon or other websites. But, none of them are really thought out well. The clip moves around easily. The cases are ugly and useless for anyone who wants a protective case.
A lot of the lenses have defects even if they are small. Sure these items are cheap. But, that is my point. I spent some time looking and always got sent back to these ones. There's no higher end models nothing. I'd assume that would be because this idea is perceived as gimmicky. But, it's really not. Give me the ability to take a small plastic ring off my phone around the camera and attach my own custom lenses. You could charge oodles for higher tier lenses too.
Would reduce all the stuff I have to carry around with me everywhere for my camera.
Any thoughts as to why they don't support or carry their own custom lenses? The camera being an important feature for many of us on our phones. An improvement/addition like this I cannot see anything but perks of.
you should check sony qx10 and qx100
Either you have to carry your phone in a case with the lens attached, or take it out of your pocket and put on a lens each time you want to use it. Much easier to use a zoom-enabled digital camera, and the quality of photos is between better and much better. I always wondered why are they even produced. Yeah, I use my phone camera once in a while, but if I care enough to take a photo, I have a Canon rebel.
I'm wondering if my phone is defected or is HTC serious about this camera? This takes pictures like a phone from 2008 or prior. I'm talking blackberry pre 2010 era wtf!? Almost every picture snapped is blurry and not at all crisp. I have to switch it to manual and mess with a lot of settings to maybe get a decent shot (maybe). All m8 owners, how do you deal with this f'n thing? Everything else about the phone is near perfect then there is this deal breaker. What were they thinking?
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puma1 said:
I'm wondering if my phone is defected or is HTC serious about this camera? This takes pictures like a phone from 2008 or prior. I'm talking blackberry pre 2010 era wtf!? Almost every picture snapped is blurry and not at all crisp. I have to switch it to manual and mess with a lot of settings to maybe get a decent shot (maybe). All m8 owners, how do you deal with this f'n thing? Everything else about the phone is near perfect then there is this deal breaker. What were they thinking?
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Try downloading a 3rd party app and see if it's a physical or software issue you're having. It might help.
Tried with Google camera. Was worse. You own this phone? How are your pics?
I've very recently had a moto X and N5...and now the M8. I find the M8 blows those both away. For what I do with it anyway.
But I learnt the hard way, missing out on good pics and a video (all blurry in the dim light and all the dancing) at my daughters dance recital.... to bring my $99 Kodak and an inexpensive camcorder I recently got, anywhere I go where I fully know I want great pics and videos.
All phone cameras are pretty crap compared to cheap cameras and camcorders. That's life. ?
You'll always be disappointed at some point when you miss something important with your cheap phone camera.
KJ said:
I've very recently had a moto X and N5...and now the M8. I find the M8 blows those both away. For what I do with it anyway.
But I learnt the hard way, missing out on good pics and a video (all blurry in the dim light and all the dancing) at my daughters dance recital.... to bring my $99 Kodak and an inexpensive camcorder I recently got, anywhere I go where I fully know I want great pics and videos.
All phone cameras are pretty crap compared to cheap cameras and camcorders. That's life. ?
You'll always be disappointed at some point when you miss something important with your cheap phone camera.
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I agree. You meant the m8 blows away the moto x camera? I don't know about that but I know the nexus 5 camera was better than this by far. A little disappointed but everything else is great.
frogman22 said:
I agree. You meant the m8 blows away the moto x camera? I don't know about that but I know the nexus 5 camera was better than this by far. A little disappointed but everything else is great.
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Well, for me, I'm thoroughly impressed compared to all my past devices anyway.
But I still will never count on my phone to capture important moments. Never again.
My iPhone 5S takes much better pictures than my M8.
AUSTIN3:16 said:
My iPhone 5S takes much better pictures than my M8.
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What defines better? The M8 can take pictures in dim lighting perfect whereas they are not even viewable on other phones including the 5S.
I would rather be able to take pictures in ANY setting than print out a huge picture.
IMO, HTC is brilliant in making sure their phones are able to take a picture ANYWHERE. Other phones struggle badly in low light to point if being useless.
Also, this is the first phone I have ever had where people who take pictures for me actually comment on the quality. Don't fall for the MP gimmick/bandwagon, HTC knows what they are doing.
There is clearly something wrong with your camera if the pictures are blurry. Are you talking about flares or blur? If you removed the AR coating of the camera, then you're going to get horrible flares. HTC had the film to aid in reducing glare but people are removing it which is puzzling.
richii0207 said:
What defines better? The M8 can take pictures in dim lighting perfect whereas they are not even viewable on other phones including the 5S.
I would rather be able to take pictures in ANY setting than print out a huge picture.
IMO, HTC is brilliant in making sure their phones are able to take a picture ANYWHERE. Other phones struggle badly in low light to point if being useless.
Also, this is the first phone I have ever had where people who take pictures for me actually comment on the quality. Don't fall for the MP gimmick/bandwagon, HTC knows what they are doing.
There is clearly something wrong with your camera if the pictures are blurry. Are you talking about flares or blur? If you removed the AR coating of the camera, then you're going to get horrible flares. HTC had the film to aid in reducing glare but people are removing it which is puzzling.
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Anywhere? I am struggling to find one place or situation it does excel. All the pictures are really poor again reminds me of pics my old Bold Blackberry used to take. Low light, outside, indoors.. it's really bad. Iphone 5s and s5 are much better at taking pics anywhere, including low light compared to this phone. I been trying all night to take pics and find even a few that are more than decent. Was the HTC One like this or better?
I would suggest you remove the coating on your camera lenses and see if the pictures quality have improved.
I moved this thread to Q&A because it's really a question. Please keep the discussion focused on how to take better pictures or otherwise overcome the shortcomings of the camera. If this becomes a bash HTC or compare devices thread, I'll have to close it and I don't really like doing that.
Thanks,
coal686
scorror said:
I would suggest you remove the coating on your camera lenses and see if the pictures quality have improved.
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Do NOT do this. It removes the anti-reflective coating on it and will produce horrible glare. It seems HTC put it there to compensate for increased lighting from the UltraPixels. If its blurry, then it is certainly defective. Take a look at the camera thread in the general section to see how clear pictures are suppose to be.
i got all happy thinking there might have been a plastic peel off on it.. nope:/
puma1 said:
i got all happy thinking there might have been a plastic peel off on it.. nope:/
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Sucks that you have a defective unit. I would give HTC a call or chat via their website support.
richii0207 said:
Sucks that you have a defective unit. I would give HTC a call or chat via their website support.
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I don't think it is defective. I will keep trying a few things, I mean this is a 4 mega pixel camera, so the pictures are probably not meant to be zoomed in on or anything. I like this phone and prefer not to swap it out.
puma1 said:
I don't think it is defective. I will keep trying a few things, I mean this is a 4 mega pixel camera, so the pictures are probably not meant to be zoomed in on or anything. I like this phone and prefer not to swap it out.
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If its blurry, then it had to be defective. Pictures should be coming out like they are in the pictures thread.
richii0207 said:
Do NOT do this. It removes the anti-reflective coating on it and will produce horrible glare. It seems HTC put it there to compensate for increased lighting from the UltraPixels. If its blurry, then it is certainly defective. Take a look at the camera thread in the general section to see how clear pictures are suppose to be.
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Known and common issue, the coating starts to scratch very easily (sometimes within weeks), which horribly blurs the photos. Removing using a variety of methods (toothpaste is common) is recommended IMO. Some folks have gotten warranty repair, but others have not (think HTC cited physical wear and tear). And who is the say the new lens cover won't just do the same after a few weeks?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/general/how-to-fix-htc-one-m8-camera-issue-t2803825
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/help/how-to-fix-scratches-camera-lens-t2816807
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2715784
---------- Post added at 12:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:06 PM ----------
puma1 said:
How are your pics?
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some truly beautiful pics by the M8 have been posted here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2694621
Pics with the M8 are pretty sharp under a variety of light conditions. Although its pretty subjective, many will say this phone is comparable to other current devices. If you have a fundamental issue of blurry photos, look at the camera lens and see if the coating is scratched, as I've mentioned. It should be pretty obvious to see, if this is the case.
puma1 said:
I'm wondering if my phone is defected or is HTC serious about this camera? This takes pictures like a phone from 2008 or prior. I'm talking blackberry pre 2010 era wtf!? Almost every picture snapped is blurry and not at all crisp. I have to switch it to manual and mess with a lot of settings to maybe get a decent shot (maybe). All m8 owners, how do you deal with this f'n thing? Everything else about the phone is near perfect then there is this deal breaker. What were they thinking?
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Can you post up some samples, then we can help you. There are many people who love bashing HTC because of what paid reviewers have written/said about the camera.. If you always use your camera in "idiot" mode or "Auto" mode as the manufacturers call it, then your pictures will always look rubbish.
have a go at using ISO, EV, Shutter Speed and WB, they are there for a reason..look up basic photography and learn to understand light and how they work.
To me, the M8 walks over the crappy S5 camera.. then goes back for a 2nd go..
redpoint73 said:
Known and common issue, the coating starts to scratch very easily (sometimes within weeks), which horribly blurs the photos. Removing using a variety of methods (toothpaste is common) is recommended IMO. Some folks have gotten warranty repair, but others have not (think HTC cited physical wear and tear). And who is the say the new lens cover won't just do the same after a few weeks?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/general/how-to-fix-htc-one-m8-camera-issue-t2803825
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/help/how-to-fix-scratches-camera-lens-t2816807
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2715784
---------- Post added at 12:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:06 PM ----------
some truly beautiful pics by the M8 have been posted here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2694621
If you have a fundamental issue of blurry photos, look at the camera lens and see if the coating is scratched, as I've mentioned. It should be pretty obvious to see, if this is the case.
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The coating scratches if you do not take care of it. It's as sensitive as the AR coating on glasses or camera lenses. If its scratched, then removing it is the only way. The best way to approach this is to take good care of the AR coating. Removing the coating will cause horrible flare/glare.
The AR coating is there for a reason. This is nothing new in lens manufacturing....DONT remove it.
richii0207 said:
Are you talking about flares or blur? If you removed the AR coating of the camera, then you're going to get horrible flares. HTC had the film to aid in reducing glare but people are removing it which is puzzling.
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Click to collapse
Because a few flares under easily avoidable conditions (don't take pics directly at a light source) is greatly preferable to every picture being horribly blurred.
I held out removing the coating as long as I could (about 3 months of ownership), since I didn't like the idea of intentionally removing it with an abrasive (even a mild one). But not what I have, the image quality is greatly improved, and glare/flares are not an issue.
How would you know if the coating makes such a difference if you've never removed yours? Coating like this don't make as much a difference as you seem to think. IMO, actually little or (more likely) no difference.
---------- Post added at 12:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:25 PM ----------
richii0207 said:
The coating scratches if you do not take care of it. It's as sensitive as the AR coating on glasses or camera lenses. If its scratched, then removing it is the only way. The best way to approach this is to take good care of the AR coating. Removing the coating will cause horrible flare/glare.
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No, it really won't.
I don't "baby" my phone. But I take pretty good care of it, and it was scratched enough to ruin picture after 3 months. I use a TPU case, that doesn't cover the camera, but the cutouts provide some protection. The phone is usually in my pocket (never anything else in that pocket) or sitting on my desk/counter.
Unless you are surgically careful with your phone, its going to happen to yours, too. Its just a matter of time.
So I've read many mentioning that the ring on our lenses work with some fisheyes to hold the lens in place. Also, I've heard it messes with stabilization. Can someone point me in the right direction?
flexnix said:
So I've read many mentioning that the ring on our lenses work with some fisheyes to hold the lens in place. Also, I've heard it messes with stabilization. Can someone point me in the right direction?
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i bought one set of lenses (fish eye, macro and wide lens).
and yes theoretically, n5 camera supports these lenses as it has a magnet around the camera but i faced some problems (idk if it was a problem with the lens i bought or a design flaw of the phone)
The macro lens attached alright but the fish eye lens couldnt stay in place (as it is bigger and heavier). i corrected that issue by attaching a metal ring around n5 camera and hence the lens's magnet stick perfectly on that metal ring
and i didnt noticed much difference in stabilisation.
rollerdyke44 said:
i bought one set of lenses (fish eye, macro and wide lens).
and yes theoretically, n5 camera supports these lenses as it has a magnet around the camera but i faced some problems (idk if it was a problem with the lens i bought or a design flaw of the phone)
The macro lens attached alright but the fish eye lens couldnt stay in place (as it is bigger and heavier). i corrected that issue by attaching a metal ring around n5 camera and hence the lens's magnet stick perfectly on that metal ring
and i didnt noticed much difference in stabilisation.
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What lens kit did you get? I've been looking specifically for a macro lens for the N5 but I can't get a straight answer from anybody on polarity consistency. Here are the lenses I am looking at:
http://www.amazon.com/Leegoal-Detachable-iPhone-Camera-Smaller/dp/B005C3CSXC/
http://www.amazon.com/VicTsing®-Fish-Eye-Magnetic-Easy-Use-connected/dp/B00QIGOKRE/
http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/cell-phone-lenses/
The Photojojo lenses are the only ones I have been told have consistent magnet polarity, so they should always work on the N5, but they aren't higher quality than the Chinese knock-offs so their price isn't really justified.
Anyone have a good recommendation?
ggmask said:
What lens kit did you get? I've been looking specifically for a macro lens for the N5 but I can't get a straight answer from anybody on polarity consistency. Here are the lenses I am looking at:
http://www.amazon.com/Leegoal-Detachable-iPhone-Camera-Smaller/dp/B005C3CSXC/
http://www.amazon.com/VicTsing®-Fish-Eye-Magnetic-Easy-Use-connected/dp/B00QIGOKRE/
http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/cell-phone-lenses/
The Photojojo lenses are the only ones I have been told have consistent magnet polarity, so they should always work on the N5, but they aren't higher quality than the Chinese knock-offs so their price isn't really justified.
Anyone have a good recommendation?
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lol im sorry but i dont even understand the words you wrote haha
I just bought the cheap chinese versions for >$10 as i just wanted to give it a go, Im not a photography expert... sorry, cant help you anymore
Okay, so I know no one likes the look of themselves when they catch glimpse of their face in selfie mode when you first open an app like Snapchat or front-facing cam is already activated when you go to take a pic etc, but, wow, I feel like a monster when I see how I look using the Note 7.
Arm fully stretched out and the pics/video look great, but why is it so disgustingly distorted up close? My head looks so long and weird. I know front-facing cams have always had a little distortion, but I've never experienced it this bad before (coming from 9 years of iPhones and brief flings with a Galaxy Note 1 and a LG G3).
Can anyone explain why? Will any of us have an ounce of self-esteem left after a few weeks of use?! lol
Sorry to say but you might just be ugly.
If i recall correctly there's a "beauty" setting that change the way your face looks, maybe it's on and you just don't like how it changes it ?
cadcamaro said:
Sorry to say but you might just be ugly.
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You should be a comedian dude.
Shoubyy said:
If i recall correctly there's a "beauty" setting that change the way your face looks, maybe it's on and you just don't like how it changes it ?
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Don't get me wrong, holding the phone with arm fully extended to take a selfie produces great results (with or without settings changed). I'm talking about when it's close to the face. The lens makes things look really out of shape. Never seen anything like it on a phone before.
musicconnect said:
You should be a comedian dude.
Don't get me wrong, holding the phone with arm fully extended to take a selfie produces great results (with or without settings changed). I'm talking about when it's close to the face. The lens makes things look really out of shape. Never seen anything like it on a phone before.
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I think because it is a wide angle lens so the edges of the camera lens makes you look a little weird. That's less so the case with the portion of the image that's more centered. Is the entire image distorted or only the edge portion of it?
mines super wide to what im accustomed too. Looks silly
Try to put your face in the middle of the camera, not near the edges.... Everything near the edges will look a little distorted since the camera is spheric and the image is a square, so thats just a weird effect.
When you use other apps that take 4:3 pictures you won´t notice this distortion because you are not using the edges of the camera, it will only happen in 16:9 pictures.
Basically every phone nowadays. Every one wants a wider selfie camera but don't realize wide lenses have a big byproduct. DISTORTION.
EVERYONE WANTS A WIDE ANGEL CAMARA. NOT SURE YOU KNOW EVERYONE, but if that was true then every one is an dumb *as. Wide angel is for scenery to shoot landscape not to point at once face and look like a blower fish.
My phone is useless with this wide angel camera and the idiots at Google messed up since the camera app was supposed to correct the image but doesnt work. SO we should be asking for a recall and a refund, but we are so stupid that we just deal with it. THis is a defect people. I have go pro with wide angel camera and my face doesnt look like long or fat head. COMPLAIN PEOPLE AND GET A REPLACEMENT OR A YOUR MONEY BACK> I"m a professional photographer, so I'm telling you. You all got scammed
***WARNING*** EXTREMELY LONG REVIEW ***WARNING***
TLDR:
If you’re serious about your photos, but don’t want to buy a dedicated camera, the lenses from Sirui offer so much versatility and creativity to the Pixel 3 - a phone that is already one of the best point and shoots in the world. After spending a week taking photos with them on vacation, I believe they are absolutely worth every penny!
Introduction:
I love photography - full stop. But I can’t stand the thought of spending $2,000 on a dedicated camera and another $2,000 on lenses and accessories. Plus, carrying all of that around doesn’t sound fun either. This is why I started using my phone’s camera as my primary shooter. The results of smartphone cameras have improved dramatically in the past 2-3 years to the point where I am proud to share my photos online with regularity. Granted, there is still only so much a fixed focal length lens on a smartphone can ever do – even if that smartphone is a Pixel. Enter, the moment lenses… (but wait, I thought this review was about Sirui lenses?!) Hang on. Sometimes we have to go back before we can go forward; we’ll get there…
Background:
Ever since the original Google Pixel was released, the camera was praised and lauded as the premier smartphone camera in the industry. At the time, I was not in the market for a new phone, but my mom was, so I suggested the Pixel to her. She loved it for more than just the camera, but every photo she sent to me just blew me away. It felt unfair that her phone took so much better pictures than mine. So, I decided to do what many of us tech enthusiasts do, and went online looking for deals on the Google Pixel. In case you don’t remember, the original Pixel did NOT have many (if any) promotions during its first 6 months on the market, making it very difficult for me to pull the trigger on a purchase – especially since I’m not a Verizon customer, nor will I ever be (that’s a topic for another review). Because of this struggle to find a deal, enough time passed to where I started hearing rumors about the Pixel 2. It was time to be patient and play the waiting game.
Months later, the Pixel 2 was announced and Google shocked the world with the highest DXO Mark score of any phone EVER – 98! (Yes, I know DXO scores are not the only way to judge camera performance, but this improvement was notable at the time). This score was up from the 89 that the original Pixel scored and knowing how impressed I was with the original, I immediately clicked ADD TO CART. The photos I was able to produce with the Pixel 2 were nothing less than INCREDIBLE. At family gatherings, family members would throw their iPhones aside and beg me to take pictures for them because my phone took such great photos. I was more and more impressed with each shot that I took with this phone. I would even try to take photos of increasingly challenging scenes just to see how far I could push the camera; intentionally breaking the rules of photography by shooting into direct sunlight, or seeking out areas of poor lighting, only to be in awe of the results every time. But these high flying feelings didn’t last forever.
Eventually, I started to get a little bored; bored by how easy it was to take a great photo, bored by how little editing was required to make each photo share-worthy, and simply bored by taking the same types of photos, just in different locations - portrait, landscape, flower, food, repeat. After a year of the greatest smartphone camera experience ever, I became eager to upgrade to the Pixel 3 to recapture that initial magic which my Pixel 2 seemed to have lost. But I was instantly disappointed; not by the Pixel 3’s camera performance, because it’s still class leading, but disappointed by the lack of “wow” factor that I felt with the Pixel 2. It didn’t have the same obvious improvement in photo quality thaw we saw from the original Pixel to the Pixel 2. I was temporarily wowed by the new Night Sight feature - which is pure magic if you ask me, but its use cases are limited and the older Pixels have that feature too. I finally turned to the internet to look for inspiration and found increasingly frequent articles and videos touting the advantages of Moment lenses.
These Moment lens advertisements *ahem* articles and video reviews showed me a new world of photographic possibilities that I simply could not replicate with with my Pixel 2 or 3 alone. They could take portrait photos with natural bokeh without any edge detection failures, and they could take breathtaking wide angle shots to give the scene more drama than the standard focal length lens. And finally, they had a macro lens which I thought would be a game changer. You can always zoom in/out with your feet, but the details that can be seen with a macro lens cannot be imitated. I had to have them! After browsing the Moment website for a moment (no pun intended), I was quickly turned off by the astronomical pricing for these lenses. I simply could not justify paying $100 per lens, plus another $30 for the case required to attach the lenses. After tax, it would have easily surpassed $350 for the set. The dream was dead.
Fast forward a couple months and I stumbled upon an article comparing the Moment lenses with a new lens kit from Rhinosheild. (Seriously - Rhinosheild?! Hurry up and get to the Sirui lenses already) Hang on, almost there... I was excited because these new lenses appeared to be much cheaper than Moment’s, but my excitement was quickly tempered by the side-by-side photo comparisons. IN the review, the Rhinosheild photos looked down right terrible. Somehow, their lenses made the camera’s photos look worse. I kept searching for alternatives and finally stumbled upon Sirui lenses. At the time, there were a handful of decent reviews for them and they were only a fraction of the cost of the Moment lenses. And to top it all off, they fit perfectly onto Moment brand cases. You know the drill by now… ADD TO CART!
The Review:
It took a while, but we’re finally at the review you were looking for. I purchased the Sirui 3-lens kit from Amazon for the grand total of $160 (before taxes) and I purchased the Moment case (wood grain model) for $30. Just in case you skipped the background, let me reiterate that the equivalent set from Moment (without a carrying case) would cost me over $330! The Sirui lens kit comes with 3 lenses (wide angle, portrait & macro), a hard shell carrying case, and a universal lens clip for those who don’t have a compatible phone case. Now of course, I braced myself for these lenses to be of marginal quality to help save on price. I held my breath as I opened the package and inspected the contents.
Build Quality - 5/5 Stars
To my pleasant surprise, they looked and felt very nice. The weight of the lenses was more substantial than I expected, and reassured me they were truly made of metal and glass. Although I’m not much of a fan of the bright red and blue colors for the macro and portrait lenses respectively, so far, neither appears as though the color would fade or chip easily. Scratches however are a real concern so I do not dare set these lenses down on any surface which is harder than a microfiber cloth. Speaking of which, the package includes a small microfiber cloth for cleaning the lenses as needed. It tucks away nicely into the sturdy and fairly rugged case which holds all 3 lenses. The case even has a metal clip/hook that can be secured to just about anything when traveling.
Wide Angle Lens - 4/5 Stars
The wide angle lens has a focal length of 18mm and doesn’t have that unnatural fisheye look of the original V-series LG phones. I’ve found it great to use for the following 3 scenarios:
When taking a picture of a landscape (obviously) or anything that’s too big or tall to fit within the view of the standard focal length. Turn the camera vertically to capture tall buildings or statues.
When taking pictures in a cramped space - real estate agents would love this to make any room look larger and more spacious; especially when you can’t step back any further for a better perspective.
When using the Pixel’s portrait mode - it allows for background blur without cropping in as far. This one isn’t my original idea. I found it on one of the reviews I read.
This lens has proven to be quite versatile; more so than I expected when I purchased it. The lens doesn’t overly distort the scene and the image looks clear and detailed almost all the way to the corners. I only gave it 4 stars though because I wish the focal length was just a hair wider. It may be personal preference, but maybe 16mm would be ideal for my use cases. I found that I could easily replicate the wide angle viewpoint in a few cases by taking just a few steps backward, making the lens less useful in those scenarios.
Portrait Lens - 5/5 Stars
I did not expect to be as impressed with this lens as I was. I was already using my Pixel 3 in portrait mode for background blur to great success, so having a dedicated portrait lens felt redundant. I was WRONG! The portrait lens creates such a smooth and natural background blur that is every bit as satisfying as a dedicated camera. The artificial bokeh (or fokeh) that smartphones are using just doesn’t compare. This lens is the largest and heaviest of the three, so it takes a bit more effort to balance the phone when taking photos. The 60mm focal length does place you much closer to your subject so taking a few steps back is often required, causing your amateur subject to wonder if you’re doing something wrong. I originally planned to give this lens only 4 stars because it does have one small “flaw” that I can find: it’s not exactly razor sharp, or at least, not as sharp as I expected it to be. Granted, it’s sharp enough, and probably just as sharp as the Pixel 3’s lens. But for no reason at all, I just expected the results to be sharper. The reason why I kept the 5 star rating, however, is because of the added benefit of the 60mm focal length. It offers a true optical zoom to the Pixel 3, which already has a fairly impressive digital zoom, and the combination of both offers significant reach that neither could provide alone. I’ve found that I can zoom in up to 8x without critical loss of detail. It’s a very capable lens. I can remove it for normal/wide angle shots, and put it back on for portrait or telephoto shots. If I could only carry one single lens, this would be the one.
Macro Lens - 4/5 Stars
Macro photography is an area where smartphones generally struggle. Software simply cannot overcome the minimum focus distance of the hardware, resulting in blurry photos when positioned too close to the subject. Some of the most dramatic photos can be achieved through macro photography, and this lens is the tool I needed to complete my smartphone photography journey. The Macro lens offers a 10x magnification (not zoom) of the subject so you can see every detail in a flower petal, drop of water, or grain of sand. It highlights details that are barely visible to my naked eye and really brings everyday objects to life. The lens even comes with a light diffusing, removable hood to prevent harsh shadows as you hold the phone so closely to your subject. Be careful though, as you have to hold the lense within 1-2 cm of the subject and risk scratching the lens by contact. I prefer to use the lens hood to help protect the lens. The moment I feel the hood touch my subject, I know not to get any closer. My only complaint is the SUPER shallow depth of field doesn’t allow me to take full advantage of the sensor area. I’m sure it is a standard characteristic of macro lenses, but I find that only the very center of my photo is in focus while the rest of the frame is quite blurry. This forces me to crop out half of my photo before sharing so that only the in-focus area is presented. With phone sensors being so small, cropping really sacrifices the final resolution of the photo.
Conclusion:
I took the Sirui Lens kit with me on a trip to Cancun recently and was able to get some fantastic shots that I absolutely would have not been able to achieve with the Pixel 3 alone. Even though my wife is pregnant, she was a willing model for me on our vacation. And if you know anything about most women, they can be very critical of how they look in photos. She came away from the experience quite impressed with the results and has even given me permission to share them with complete strangers on the internet. There is a link to an album of sample images at the end of this review.
Bottom line - if you are looking to take your smartphone photography to the next level, and aren’t willing to shell out the cash for a Moment lens system, give the Sirui lenses a shot (does that count as a pun?). As long as you don’t expect these lenses to turn your phone into a DSLR, then I doubt you’ll be disappointed. And as you can probably tell by my willingness to write this lengthy review, I certainly am not.
Bonus:
Moment Photo Case - 4/5 Stars
I am fairly impressed with the Moment Photo Case. It is offered for the Pixel 3 in three colors and I chose the black with wood grain backplate. It looked the classiest of the three to me and it certainly feels premium in the hand. It’s bulkier than the ultra thin X-level cases I typically use on my phone, but nowhere near as thick as an Otterbox Commuter or anything like that. The threaded connection for the lenses is super easy to use, requiring only a quarter turn to secure and release the lens. The lenses are also clearly marked in a way that helps you quickly align the threads. I docked it’s rating just a little for the price. In a world of $10 cases, $30 seems a bit steep, but is ultimately required to complete the experience. I also wish Moment made a battery case for the Pixel 3, as this would turn the phone and Sirui lens kit into the ultimate photography tool. Anyone who takes a bunch of photos knows the toll it takes on the battery. And due to the somewhat cumbersome nature of swapping lenses, you typically only carry them with you when you plan to take a lot of pictures. Hopefully, a Moment battery case will be developed some day. Do you think they’ll ever read this review?
Link to Sample Photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/HakfHBeif8FekCPv7
Hey, i'm interested in these lenses but i can't seem to find them online (also i can't find the case you're talking about) could you dm me a link?
Thanks for your review. I have the portrait and have a problem, the pictures look bland and not sharp. I had that lens with my old Pixel 2 and it worked fine.
I just got 2 lenses. One from Apexel with 120 degrees capture but there is some distortion and problems with focus on the corners.
Just got the 18mm Sirui and this is a whole other lens. Sharp images with huge quality compare with the Apexel. Though it is only 95 degrees. But no distortion or problems with sharpness.
I am loving it. I know Sirui now on Aliexpress has a new version which from reviews they are saying are even better than Moment now. I just didn't want to wait 2 to 4 weeks so I bought the only one I found here in Brazil available.
---------- Post added at 11:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:37 AM ----------
Since I had the same doubts I will attach one example for each lenses.
You can look the difference.
For the Sirui will see a clean and good image.
For Apexel, check the right and left side of the picture. Center is clear and sharp but corners are bad.
YorbenB said:
Hey, i'm interested in these lenses but i can't seem to find them online (also i can't find the case you're talking about) could you dm me a link?
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From what I understand, this lens kit is not sold in all regions across the world. I am specifically talking about one of the many kits available on the US Amazon website.
Is this one done with portrait lens: https://photos.app.goo.gl/9xcJ7TdFfdVMDfL7A and the other without just with the Pixel's default focal length?
The Pixel is doing quite well in wide angle but I'm looking for a descent lens towards zoom (or maybe portrait).
TGHH said:
Is this one done with portrait lens: https://photos.app.goo.gl/9xcJ7TdFfdVMDfL7A and the other without just with the Pixel's default focal length?
The Pixel is doing quite well in wide angle but I'm looking for a descent lens towards zoom (or maybe portrait).
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None of the linked photos where taken with the Pixel lens alone. All included the Sirui lens attachments. The wider shot was taken with the wide angle lens.
Thank you for the review. I miss my ultra wide lens from my LG. And miss from the pixel 4. I hesitate between stay with my pixel 3 and go to the Moment Case and sirui lens oder buying a f*cking iPhone 11 Pro...
I ask myself if the system really practicable is. The shot the moment fast.
cle_m_ent said:
Thank you for the review. I miss my ultra wide lens from my LG. And miss from the pixel 4. I hesitate between stay with my pixel 3 and go to the Moment Case and sirui lens oder buying a f*cking iPhone 11 Pro...
I ask myself if the system really practicable is. The shot the moment fast.
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It's a fair question to ask. For casual snap shots, the separate lenses make no sense.