Shop Mobile Camera Lens Buying Guide
Vlogging, street photography, or travel photography- whatever path you plan to pursue, your camera lens is what will define the quality of your content. Digital cameras are not something everyone is willing to invest in when excellent camera lenses are available with most smartphones these days. It is important to note that the number of lenses from which we can choose, and each lens serves its own purpose. Over 87% of all nonprofessional photographers tend to use their phone cameras to take day-to-day pictures. Many professional groups also use phone cameras from time to time for their professional projects.
Thus, if someone aims to express their creativity in photography or videography through their phone camera, then it is vital to know the options available and what purpose they are meant to serve.
Different Types of Camera Lenses For Smartphones
The Prime Lens
The prime lens is also known as the 'fixed lens' as it does not allow users to zoom in or out or shift swiftly from the subject or object. Basically, if you buy a 35 mm prime lens, then the focal length of the lens would not shift swiftly and in order to get closer or further from the object or subject one will have to move towards or away physically.
A prime lens can have a maximum aperture ranging from f 2.8 to 1.2, which is larger than most other types of lenses. The prime lens works best in all situations and is adequate for many purposes. Whether it is street photography, landscape photography, weddings, or portraits, prime lenses can deliver satisfactory results.
Normal Lens
The normal lens has a focal length which is very similar to the focal length of the human eye, which is typically 50 mm. Thus a normal lens will display results similar to what we see in our day to day life. Any lens with focal length between 40 mm to 58 mm can be considered as a normal lens. These lenses are very easy to use. Thus they are perfect for beginners or students of photography or for someone who is looking for a simple lens for their smartphone.
Zoom Lens
The zoom lens is the most versatile lens available in the market. When stagnant, it allows users to zoom to multiple focal lengths with an autofocus function. Popular zoom lenses range between 70 mm to 200 mm. This means that the lens can zoom a maximum of 200 mm and a minimum of 70 mm along with every focal length in between. An excellent feature the zoom lens provides is that it maintains the focus automatically while one attempts to shift the focal length.
Zoom lenses in mobile phones are usually high in price, but the cost also depends on the type of zoom lens you chose. Types of Zoom Lenses: 17-40 mm, 24-105 mm, and 70-200 mm.
The zoom lens supports either of the two apertures, the first where the aperture is variable depending on which focal length one is on and secondly the fixed or constant aperture. Here the maximum aperture stays the same even if the focal length changes.
Wide-angle Lens
The wide-angle lens as the name suggests allows users to get a more full frame and thus, fit in more of the surrounding within the frame. The wide-angle lens is limited when it comes to having multiple focal lengths. Wide-angle lenses are mostly used by landscape photographers. It is not suited for portrait photography as the pixels tend to get distorted, which later has to be fixed in the post-production process.
Types of Wide Angle Lens: 14 mm, 20 mm, 21 mm, 24 mm, 28 mm, 35 mm. Wide-angle lenses are usually lightweight and easy to carry while traveling, and the lens provides more depth of field.
Things To Consider While Looking For The Best Lens For Smartphone Camera
Purpose
What do you plan to use the lens for? This is a question you must ask yourself before diving into a large number of options and getting overwhelmed. There are a number of reasons why you would need a camera lens: it may be for wildlife photography or to take pictures for your social media profile or for personal use. There are no limits to the options when it comes to the reason behind your lens needs.
However, it is essential to know what exactly your goal is before you invest in a particular lens. You may buy a lens on the basis of its high rating, but it ultimately ends up not fulfilling your purpose when you put it to use. Make sure you find the lens which suits your needs and requirements in the best way possible to get the most out of your investment in a camera lens.
Budget
Not everyone would like to invest a large sum of money on a camera lens. Unless you need it for a professional purpose, it seems rather unnecessary to purchase a costly lens for private use.
There is a large variety of lenses that are available at different prices; it is not difficult to find the right lens, which seems to fall in your budget and suit your purpose. Similarly, do not shrink your budget if you are looking to buy a high-quality lens for work or for artistic purposes.
But the good news for buyers is today there are multiple mobile phone manufacturers that are gaining the market because of their affordability and good aesthetics. Some of these brands provide professional quality camera lenses for the price of a standard mobile form a well-established brand.
Smartphone Processor And Compatibility
When you purchase a smartphone for its camera lens and photography features, it is important to make sure that the smartphone has all the right tools to process the pictures and display them with all the right colors, temperatures, and resolution.
The camera lens and the smartphone processor should be in a quality-sync; otherwise, your lens may do its job, but the phone may not be able to display the result you expected. You may be required to always plug in your phone to your computer or send the images to another device with a higher capacity processor to see the results of your work. It is vital that you compare the capabilities of the lens and the device's processor to be sure that what the sensor captures is exactly what the widget displays.
Storage Capacity
A high-resolution image is bound to occupy more space in your device. If your device provides a relatively low memory, then it may be difficult for you to take pictures back to back with a high-end lens that captures pictures in high resolution. You will always have to transfer files from your device to make room for new photographs, and there is a risk of losing any data in the process. Thus it is important to ensure that the smartphone is capable of storing a significant amount of your pictures in its highest resolution.
Videography
Even though people use mobile cameras mainly to take pictures, recording videos is also an essential feature of camera lenses on mobile phones. There are many people who create vlogs, documentaries, and even short films with their phones. If you plan to shoot footage, then you must look for a lens and device which supports the various requirements of videography, such as depth of field, jerk stabilization, ISO, frames per second, and many other features that come about as per your purpose.
It is also worth mentioning that videography opens up the requirement for the audio features in a device which is highly essential because it goes hand in hand with the video. Your lens may have done an excellent job recording a video that is perfectly stabilized and has no grains, but the audio quality is either too poor in quality or inaudible. This brings down the impact that your video clip could have made with a visually stunning shot and a clear audio functioning hand in hand.
Water-resistant Nature
Nowadays it seems like all electronic devices are assumed to be water-resistant; however, that is not the case. Phone camera lenses are not always made to function underwater or while being wet. Make sure you look for a waterproof device with a waterproof lens which guarantees to function inside water if you are planning to get extra adventurous with your photographic creativity.
Take Away Message
In recent years we have seen that mobile phone companies now manufacture mobile phones with multiple camera lenses to allow users to get the most out of the camera features of their device. Phones now can support wide-angle lenses, normal lenses, and zoom lenses all together in one body. It is evident that the price of these phones is comparatively higher than the average smartphones but the features it supports justify the cost.
These camera phones are one of the most unique and latest innovations in the mobile camera industry. Taking pictures and videos have now become such an essential part of our life that not only is it now a means to socialize and build relations but even professional careers. It is essential that we chose the right kind of lens with our phones to allow us to have the best experience using it and save the highlights of our lives in the most genuine manner possible.
