Tech Tools Review: Olloclip Macro Pro Lens

Smartphone cameras have been improved significantly over the past few years, to the point where it's rare to see people with compact cameras at family occasions any more. People simply whip out their phones, snap away and upload the images to Facebook before you can draw breath. And the resulting photographs are usually of decent quality, provided you aren't asking too much of the device – extremely bad light or subjects that are moving so fast that only a DSLR could keep up with it spring to mind.

The iPhone is no exception. Apple has improved its camera quality considerably over the years. But some things are still a little difficult to tackle. Extreme close-ups are one such situation.

The Olloclip Macro Pro Phone Lens has it covered though. Currently available for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the lens offers magnification at 7x, 14x and 21x. Those figures may not seem like much written down, but they make the difference between seeing fabric and being able to view the individual threads that make it up; between a generic view of some jewellery and being able to pick out individual stones in the tiniest of settings; between a photograph of a flower and one that details the tiny insects that lurk in the blooms.

In short, the lense is really good.

Those three options are available from a single Olloclip, which has two lenses, one on each end. The 14x macro lens twists off to transform into the 7x option. The same lens will do both the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus (and its newbie S variants that went on sale in recent weeks) once you change out a small plastic insert. You’ll inevitably lose the one you aren’t using once you take it out of the packaging, only to stand on it in bare feet three weeks later.

Olloclip has also included what it calls Instafocus hoods for the lenses, which help diffuse light and aid focusing.

The first thing I try it out on is my watch strap, which shows up varying levels of leather grain, depending on the strength of the magnification. It then gets used on everything from newspaper to jewellery, just to see the effect it has and the photographs it can produce. It’s fascinating to see the different levels of magnification and how they work, even more so when you realise that it’s your smartphone camera with a little bit of help.

That stunning image quality is mainly due to the six element optics used in the Olloclip. It may not mean much on paper, but in image terms the Macro Pro lens produces something really great.

If you’re sensitive though, don’t use it to take close-ups of your own skin. It will shatter your illusions of the condition of your skin and how adequate your current skincare regime is, for both male and female guinea pigs. For the record, I did not take my own advice, and the result was horrifying.

The Olloclip is light and portable, so you can throw it into your bag, keep it in your pocket or hang it around your neck with the included holder and lanyard. Really, there’s no excuse not to have this on you at all times. Okay, it’s unlikely you’ll have a macro lens related emergency, but it will open up your phone to a whole new world of macro photography.

The good

The Macro Pro Lens is durable and easy to use, once you get that plastic insert swapped over if you’re using the iPhone 6 Plus. You can also use the lens on the front facing camera, so all you are limited by is your photographic eye.

The not so good

If you have a case on your phone, you’ll need to remove it to attach the Olloclip. Also, it doesn’t play nicely with some screen protectors, depending on how thick they are. But Olloclip does its own phone case designed to facilitate the attachment of the lenses, which is an option for those who think they may use them more regularly. Everyone else will have to pop their phone out of the case whenever they want to use the Olloclip lens.

The rest

The Olloclip lenses come with microfibre carrying cases that not only keep dust out of the lenses but can also be used to clean out the lens when you ignore the sensible advice to use them. I speak from experience here.

The verdict

The Olloclip Macro Pro Lens adds a new dimension to your smartphone photography.