WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT GOOD?
Phone cameras are insanely advanced today, and while the quality is outstanding it means nothing if you can’t fit it all into the frame! Top-of-the-line cameras are now starting to add wider lenses or even multiple lenses into their cameras, but if you’re like me and only upgrade every few years then you might be stuck with the problem of finding creative ways to fit your subject into the frame. Luckily I discovered the Xenvo lens a few years ago which takes care of that problem for phones that don’t have a built-in wide-angle lens.
More Options
Unless your taking portrait shots or shooting something really far away I can’t think of a time I wouldn’t want to have a wider angle of view, after all, you can always crop in if needed. This lens features a .45x view, which essentially gives you about twice as much coverage over your scene. Most cameras from the last 5 years have enough resolution to crop in and still have plenty of detail. I find that even if I don’t end up using it, having the option is better than not! It’s super small and easy to bring along. Since it works like a clamp it’s very easy to take off and put on your phone, then you just look through the lens to make sure it’s covering the phone’s lens. Since it’s clamp based I like to keep it clamped onto my pocket for easy access, though the clamp is pretty strong it is more prone to getting knocked to the ground. The other great part is that if you screw the top cap of you get a very nice 15x macro lens. You have to get very close to subjects but once you start playing around with macro it’s hard to stop, everything suddenly looks amazing!
Also Included
The lens actually comes with quite a few extras. The lens comes with a lanyard that can go around your neck and be quickly unclipped for even more options to access it. The lens comes with a cap to further keep it from getting scratched and a lens cloth to wipe dust and debris away. If that wasn’t enough it comes with a small but surprisingly bright chargeable LED light about an inch in diameter with included USB charging cable. All of that can be kept in the small but sturdy case it comes in to keep it in and from getting scratched or knocked around which also has a carabiner clip to attach it to clip to a bag, pocket, etc.
Final Verdict
The wide-angle and macro style may not be for everyone but I find the photos so much more interesting than the same focal length we’ve been seeing for the past 10+ years of smartphones. It’s also great that you get features of the high-end phones without paying the high-end price to get it! On top of that, it can be added to almost any phone you have! I was excited to see Apple and other brands start putting the wider lenses into their phones but I will wait for my next 3-4 year purchase point to get it, for now, it can be easily added for $45 with the Xenvo lens!
COMPATIBILITY?
Compatible with all single and dual-lens smartphones including All iPhone models, Samsung Galaxy and Note, Google Pixel, Huawei, and more.
If you have suggestions for similar products leave them in the comments!