Cheapo camera phone zoom lens

[Grant Lamontagne]

A few days ago I brought you the Teeny Sling Bag of POWER and now the second item from that order has arrived- a cheapo clip on zoom lens for your camera phone.  It's not to be confused with the zoom lens setup that I ordered for my nephews.  Those ones look somewhat better than this one, or at least I'm hoping.



It's slightly wider than a pack of Life Savers and about the same length.  It comes with two end caps and a clip that the monocular screws into that holds it to your phone.



It says it is an 8x unit and I believe it.  Using it just as a moncular it is actually surprisingly sharp for something so cheap.  At one point glassmaking and optics were considered so high tech that the Italian Government rounded up all the glassmakers and put them on a heavily guarded island so no one else would be able to figure out how it was done.  And now, we are getting good quality optics for less than a dollar.   

So how well does it work?  Pretty darned good actually.  The following photos are taken without and then with the zoom.





Sure you lose a bit around the edges, but I was surprised at just how well it really works.  There is even a little focus ring so you can help the autofocus on your camera home in on the details, or for focusing when you are using it as a monocular.

I wouldn't suggest that you spend any money on one of these, but if one just happens to find it's way into your cart when you are buying something else, then it probably wouldn't be the worst thing that would happen to you.

Def

[captain spaulding]

Thanks for the review boss. Been seeing these around for pretty cheap and was thinking about picking one up just for fun.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Don't spend any significant money on it, but for a buck or two it's kind of neat.

Def

[Wspeed]

That's a great looking lens for the money
I saw it advertised on this forum and had a look at it 
So it's nice to see your review on the lens thanks 

[jcs0001]

That little lens is very impressive particularly considering the cost.  Thanks for checking it out.

John.

[Grant Lamontagne]

No problem.  TBH, I was actually avoiding it at first.  I don't (didn't anyway) have much faith in these based on some ultra cheapo optics I have encountered for years, but I needed to pick five or six items "free" from the store to get the deal.  In the end I think it was down to one of these or a leather wristband with an anchor on it, a coffee cup shaped like a camera lens or some other, equally useless things.  I think I picked this one as it appeared to be the least useless of all the other options.

But don't ask me what the other items were, as I really have no recollection of what else I may have ordered.  There's the Teeny Sling Bag of POWER and I think a dry bag coming, but the rest of the items are a mystery.  I could probably search through my emails to find the receipt and see, but that takes effort and honestly, I am enjoying the surprises in my mailbox. 

Def