Lenses for smartphones

Lenses for smartphones

— additional external (removable) lenses for cameras installed in smartphones.

Among such accessories, two varieties can be distinguished — the lenses themselves and the filters. Lenses change the focal length of standard optics, allowing, for example, to turn an ordinary camera into a wide-angle one. Filters, in turn, provide various additional effects.

Lenses in the original meaning of the word, installed on smartphones, may have the following specialization:

— Fisheye. Models with very short focal lengths for a special kind of ultra-wide-angle shooting. The coverage angle of such optics can reach 180° or even more. A fisheye image, on the other hand, has characteristic distortions around the edges — but this point is usually seen as a feature, not a flaw, and is often used as an artistic device.

— Wide angle. Lenses that allow you to increase the coverage of the camera — that is, the size of the space that fits in the frame. They have longer focal lengths than fisheyes and smaller viewing angles, but they allow you to take pictures of a regular format, with little or no distortion. Wide angles are especially useful when you need to shoot a large scene from a short distance — for example, to take a group portrait in a cramped environment; they are also widely used for shooting landscapes, especially urban ones.

— Ultra wide angle. In fact — a kind of wide-angle described above with very large viewing angles; at the same time, such lenses do not belong to fisheye and give a reliable image, without geometric distortions. Such models are sometimes separated from "regular" wide-angle optics.

— Telephoto. Lenses with a large focal length, small viewing angles and, accordingly, a high degree of magnification. They are used to shoot distant objects, including small objects at distances much greater than the size of these objects.

— Macro. Lenses for macro shooting — shooting at ultra-small distances (a few millimetres). Such shooting turns the camera into a kind of microscope. It allows you to get large, detailed images of miniature objects — such as insects, flowers, leaves, small water droplets, etc.

In turn, the most popular types of filters are as follows:

— Polarized (CPL). Does not create noticeable effects, but improves the overall quality of images: eliminates glare from water and mirror surfaces, and promotes colour saturation.

— Kaleidoscope. Uses a set of special faceted lenses; refracting on the edges, individual sections of the image "multiply" in the frame, and the subject of filming is surrounded by its copies.

— Star filter. Creates the effect of beams radiating from light sources in the frame (such as lanterns).

— Radial filter. Creates a special artistic effect: a clear area in the centre of the picture and blurring of the surrounding background in the form of blurry rays directed from the centre to the edges. Thanks to this processing, a still image acquires dynamics, there is an impression of a rapid movement towards the object in the centre of the frame.

— Flow filter. Another filter adds dynamics to the picture: the background around the central area, which is clearly fixed, is blurred with a blurring effect in one specific direction (for example, obliquely on the frame).

In addition to the lenses themselves, the delivery package of such accessories may include various additional devices that make life easier for the photographer — for example, a compact desktop tripod, an external flash under the smartphone connector, microfibre for cleaning optics, etc.

Lenses are usually attached to the camera with a clip or other similar attachment. At the same time, many of these accessories are positioned as universal, the list of compatible gadgets for them is not directly stated. However, even in such cases, the ability to work with a particular device needs to be specified separately — especially when it comes to a low-cost or outdated smartphone.

Also, note that additional optics are usually intended for main cameras. However, there are also options for selfie cameras; in the latter case, special attention should be paid to compatibility.