Our smartphones are getting smarter day by day and so is (are) their cameras. From VGA camera to today's 108 megapixel smartphone cameras are shooting stunning photos. But what if you have years of old smartphones that has bygone days' one of the top camera? You can also take shots with older smartphone with the help of external lenses attaching on the top of your smartphone's camera.
If you have a DSLR, I do suggest don't read further.
But I have a DSLR, still I am using such mobile lens on my mobile. The main reason is I couldn't carry the camera always. Here the mobile and mobile lens work.
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| The basic travel lens, which I have, was fitted perfectly on the long Skyvik lens-clip |
Wide angle lens - Most wide angle/super wide angle lens are basically useless these days, as more and more smartphones having wide angle camera in-built. Also mobile's wide angle sensors are better performing than these add on lens - less distortion than add-on lens.
I was writing this post since 2021, and right now in 2023, do we really need a wide angle lens for our mobiles? Probably we don't need it anymore, as most smartphones are now coming with wide angle lens - for eg, Pixel 7 Pro has 12MP 126˚ ultrawide lens, Xioami 13 Pro has 50MP 115˚ wide angle lens, Pixel 7A has 12MP 120˚ultrawide lens.
Telephoto - Another lens I would suggest to avoid. I saw 26x telephoto lens is also there, but the catch is you can't zoom below 26x. Fixed zoom lens without features like noise cancellation and image stabilization on mobile is very troublesome, you always need the tripod. Only go for it, if you are a wildlife photographer and have no budget for DSLR + super zoom lens (>300 mm ) - that combination is almost impossible in the real world.
Updates from 2026:
Now some flagship smartphones come with photography kit like Xiaomi 15 Ultra, and extend this to Xiaomi 17 Ultra too. That kit includes camera-inspired battery grip.
Later Vivo did with their X-series photography centric smartphones (from X200 Ultra), but only the lens with 200mm telephoto capability. Amazon India lists it on https://www.amazon.in/vivo_X300-Telephoto-Extender_-Additional-Offers/dp/B0G39JYDRM but presently not available.
Due in May 2026 for India launch, vivo X300 Ultra includes an eye-popping 400mm telephoto lens attachment which can be bought separately. vivo x300 Ultra is launched with vivo ZEISS Telephoto Extender Gen 2 (200mm), vivo ZEISS Telephoto Extender Gen 2 Ultra (400mm) and vivo Imaging Grip Kit (equipped with built-in, non-detachable 2300mAh rechargeable battery).
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| Photo Credit: Internet |
X300 Ultra's camera specs are very impressive:
- Sony Lytia 901 200MP primary shooter featuring a 35mm f/1.85 aperture lens with big 1/1.12-inch sensor, and optical image stabilization. There is another
- Telephoto shooter 200MP telephoto camera using the periscope technology with a Samsung ISOCELL sensor, an 85mm f/2.67 aperture lens, and support for 3.7x optical zoom.
- 50MP ultrawide camera with a 14mm f/2.0 aperture lens and a Sony Lytia 818 image sensor.
Oppo plans to launch similar for their Find X9 Pro.
Nubia, another Chinese company also has their own photography kit for Z80.
And Realme Ultra - a concept phone was unveiled at MWC 2025 featuring a specialized camera module that supports interchangeable lenses.
Last but not the least, REEFLEX (https://reeflexstore.com) introduces hopping 300-600mm smartphone lens - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/reeflex/capture-the-unreachable-reeflex-telephoto-300600mm-lens/creator
Fisheye lens - If you are mobile photography enthusiastic, you may look into these. But there are several types of fisheye lens depending upon the coverage - 198°, 210°, 238° .
And never buy the fisheye lens that comes in a 3-in-1 or 10-in-1 mobile lens kit. These lens are awful.
Pix 1 - with fisheye lens of basic 3-in-1 lens kit
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| Black corners may give the photo a different view but this lens has some issues with focus and clarity gets a slam due to it. |
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| This Photo was taken with OnePlus 6 + Adcom Fish Eye Lens |
Note: Before taking such photos fixing the lens is very important, otherwise you would get a blurry/distorted photos.
Macro Lens for mobile
A detailed post is here: https://drrdb.blogspot.com/2020/10/macro-photography-with-smartphones.html
These lenses are really good, and even with your 12MP mobile shooter you can get extraordinary photos with very good clarity. And I feel that mobile's macro cameras are long way to go as they have been introduced very recently - most of them are 2 MP or 5 MP and do not serve the purpose. However Poco F2 Pro (not launched in India) is a special mention, thanks to its macro zoom lens.
I have used Mi 11x Pro (released May 2021) - and it has 5 MP macro lens, which is way better than competitors' 2MP macro lens. It has 3 lens in the back:
- 108 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.52", 0.7µm, PDAF
- 8 MP, f/2.2, 119˚ (ultrawide)
- 5 MP, f/2.4, 50mm (telephoto macro), 1/5.0", 1.12µm, AF
In general it shots at 12MP photos, and you can shot at 108MP photos on more section. The quality is not much affected, though size changes.
I am giving an idea how the size of a photo on different modes taken on 11x Pro varies. 108 MP - 11.09 MB, Normal - 4.32 MB, UW (ultrawide) - 2.96MB, and 5MP Macro at 2.34 MB.
Buying a macro lens to your smartphone does not make you a macrographer in a second, as macro photography needs lots of effort - a steady hand, sufficient lights and sheer luck. I push strong for the phrase, 'sheer luck' as you need to go very, very close to objects. To take photos of insects or moving tiny object you need to get close and it may be fly away. So being expect in macro photography takes time. The more you play with it, the more perfect your photos would be!
On the online shopping sites you will get many more options, but trust me the cheaper ones is to be avoided. There are few reputed brands selling very good quality Macro lens for the smartphones in India, like Skyvik, Apexel and Adcom. Remember to check your smartphone is compatible or not before buying.
Pix 1 with Skyvik 20x
Pix 2 with Apexel 12x Macro Lens
Pix 3 with Prosumer Extreme Macro Lens (bought from Apexel website, now it is not available to buy) - Black corners are seen with no zoom.
In an interesting note, as I have found this in May 2025:
Sony Cyber Shot DSC-QX10 Lens for Sony, 10x Optical Zoom - compatible with Android/iOS - https://www.amazon.in/Sony-Cyber-Shot-DSC-QX10-Lens/dp/B00EU89CMK (as of now it is all sold, in Feb 2025 it was selling at Rs 6,000 only)
Anamorphic Lens:
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| A photo edited by Gemini as if taken by Anamorphic lens |
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