Q. Why spend $800 on a dedicated macro lens for your DSLR when you can pick up a $12 macro attachment for your smartphone?
A. because a dedicated DSLR lens takes a way better photo than your camera phone every will!
Macro attachment - Crop of tiny a jumping garden spider.
However, for twelve bucks (I'm talking AUD, so about $1.80 US) you can take some fun & interesting shots with a tiny clip on lens for your phones camera. Of course, these wouldn't work with the newly announced iPhone 7 plus, with it's duel lens system, but really, is anyone going to buy one of those anyway?!
This all started when my twelve year old received what I assumed was a novelty phone attachment for her birthday recently, I had no expectation the toy would actually produce a semi decent photo. Marketed to kids in a stationery/hipster/knickknack store, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I even went back for the fisheye, and bought her the spy lens she wanted, that in the wrong hands could be a bit creepy, as when attached it takes a picture next to rather than in front of the phone, like a periscope. And for $12 I'm tempted to go back for the kaleidoscope & telephoto.
Here's what they look like:
Fisheye attachment - you can see the clip that hooks it onto your phone.
In the box you get the lens, the clip, and a single lens cap. Unfortunately they didn't come with a cap for the back, so one side's left exposed when in your pocket or wherever you're carrying/storing it. On the plus side, they're so small you wont even know you're carrying them, but for $12 I don't suppose I should complain about that.
Combo Macro & wide angle in the background, Fisheye in the foreground.
The wide-angle becomes a macro simply by unscrewing the top lens off.
Here are some test shots.
All shots taken with an iPhone 5SE, and one or the other clip on lens. The only post production on these photos was the "magic wand" auto enhance that the phone's default photo/camera app has (and they were re-sized too, before uploading to steemimg).
Macro attachment - tiny jumping garden spider.
Fisheye attachment - feet lawn fence & flowers.
Macro attachment - Dandelion.
Fisheye attachment - Clivia hybrid.
Macro attachment - Clivia hybrid stamen.
All in all, a small price to pay for a bit of fun and some different perspectives from your phones camera.
The main gripe I have with these little dynamos is that the clip isn't very secure. It's really easy to knock them off-centre. The only other issue I have is that they don't come with a lens cap for both ends, only for one for the external side.