As reported on Wired.
- BY ROBERTO BALDWIN
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Who needs a fancy DSLR when you have your trusty smartphone with you at all times? It fits in your pocketand it can immediately distribute all the pictures you take across all your social networks. Everyone’s got a friend or family member that’s been pushing the camera-phone envelope — shooting at odd angles, messing with photo apps, and trying to create the perfect light painting. Here are the photo accessories for that budding shutterbug that’ll make their selfies, food photographs, and time-lapse captures really pop.
HiLO lens
When taking photos of children and animals, it’s recommended that the photographer get down to the same level as the subject. In some cases, that means a photographer ends up lying on the ground to get the perfect pic. The $70 HiLO is a lens that turns your iPhone’s lens 90 degrees. With the companion app, taking a cute photo of the newest family member can now be done without crouching down on a carpet riddled with crushed Cheerios. It also makes a great gift for street photographers — turn it sideways and you can easily sneak pics of the interesting characters on the bus or on the city streets without drawing too much attention.
Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
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Olloclip
The Olloclip lets you explore additional lens options for your phone without the hassle of using a special case. The $70 clip slides on to the top-left corner of the iPhone and expands its image capturing possibilities. The four-in-one lens features a fish-eye, a wide-angle, and two macros: 10x and 15x. It’s a great gift for the person who keeps trying to use a magnifying glass to take close-up photos of flowers and insects.
Photo: Josh Valcarcel/WIRED
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Jelly Camera Phone Filters
For the person who wants filters but hates cases, Photojojo has Jelly Phone Filters that stick to your phone only when you need them. The kaleidoscopes, wide angles, and starburst filters have a reusable gummy adhesive that sticks to the phone without being permanently attached. When you’re done tweaking the look of the world, close the filters up and put them in your pocket. $8 for a three-lens kit.
Image: Photojojo
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ShutterBall
The self-portrait has been a part of photography since the dawn of the medium. And it’s not just selfies that are popular now, but also group shots taken when you’re with a few friends. Shutter timers have found their way into apps, but there’s still that “Did it take the photo? I think it took the photo” moment. Instead of making your photographer play the guessing game, the Shutterball controls the shutter of the companion photo app. Press the button and take it takes a photo. The $25 Bluetooth controller works reliably up to 60 feet away.
Image: Audiovox Electronics Corp.
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GripTight GorillaPod Stand
The main cause of blurry shots is that the human body makes for a pretty shoddy tri-pod. The Joby GripTight GorillaPod Stand keeps a phone steady, and it has the ability to attach to almost anything. The adjustable legs on the tiny $30 tripod can wrap around poles, tree limbs, and fences, and they offer flexibility in how a shot is composed that most smartphone tripods just can’t match.
Image: DayMen US, Inc.
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Pocket Spotlight
A smartphone’s onboard flash can only do so much. The Pocket Spotlight from Photojojo illuminates your photo subject with an array of LEDs. Instead of a single harsh flash, the $20 device introduces an even light that can be turned on before the shutter button is pushed. Helpful for focusing on subjects in dark environments.
Image: Photojojo
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Glif Stand
The Glif is an easy-to-store, low-footprint stand that can be used to attach a smartphone to a tripod. It also can be used to prop up a smartphone for viewing movies, reading, or just scrolling through Facebook updates. The $30 stand is adjustable and works with smartphones between 58.4 and 86.4mm wide.
Image: Studio Neat
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Minoura VC 100 – Bike Mount
If your smartphone photographer already has a case with a threaded tripod-mounting hole and they love biking, this mount is a must. The Minoura VC 100 mount ($25) shuns the ugly world of black plastic with metal — it’s more durable, and it’ll match their handlebars. The mount can be used to shoot video and photos. Or the mount can be used to follow turn-by-turn directions being offered up by the smartphone. Plus, because it uses the standard tripod mounting system, standard cameras can also be used with the mount.
Image: MINOURA Co.,Ltd.
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Holga Case Lens
Digital filters are boring. The Holga Case Lens ($24) has nine filters on a spinning ring for old-school photo manipulation. Turn the filter wheel to the desired look and shoot your photo. For maximum photo insanity, use the digital filters in Instagram and other apps to create an image that looks nothing like the original subject.
Image: HolgaDirect
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iRig Mic Cast
Sound is just as important as picture when shooting video. What’s the point of having someone talk on video if you can’t hear them? The $40 iRig Mic Cast adds an external mic to an iOS or Android phone that dwarfs the audio pickup of the internal mics on those phones. The external mic includes a headphone port to monitor the audio being recorded and dual gain settings to adjust the sensitivity of the mic.
Image: IK Multimedia
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Hitcase Pro
The Hitcase Pro is a snap-on case that turns your smartphone into an action camera. Front and center is a wide-angle lens to capture more of what’s around you. The $130 case is waterproof to 33 feet, shockproof, and works with three mounting systems available from Hitcase. The perfect companion for those skydiving gift certificates.
Image: Hitcase
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Motrr Galileo
If someone on your list loves panoramas, the motorized $150 Motrr Galileo iPhone dock will give them the perfect spin action they crave. The dock can be controlled remotely by another iOS device and with the help of third-party apps. It can also be used to create those awesome time-lapse shots your budding photographer has been trying to create for months.
Image: Motrr, LLC.
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Tiffen Steadicam Smoothee
Try as you might to stay steady, shoot a video with a lot of camera motion and the result always looks like you’ve downed a Red Bull and closed your eyes. It’s a shaky affair. For smooth tracking shot video, you need a tiny Steadicam. The Tiffen Steadicam Smoothee ($170) will help produce those professional looking (and smooth) shots from an iPhone.