ExoLens by Zeiss
Life through (an expensive) lens
£200 FROM Zeiss Optics, eu.exolens.com FEAT URES 18mm focal length, lens hood, rubber grips for iPhone 6/6s
Zeiss is world reknowned for making amazing lenses for the high-end camera market, but the iPhone – really?
So far, lens-boosting accessories for the iPhone have been dominated by manufacturers that don't necessarily make SLR equivalents. So, when big manufacturers get in on the act, are they really worth the extra premium on price?
Here Zeiss has gone for a one-lens solution rather than a complete lens studio of the sort you can get for a similar price from the likes of Manfrotto and Olloclip. Note that ExoLens has a non-Zeiss lens kit for a similar price to Olloclip/Manfrotto multilens systems.
So, for just one lens – in this case a wide-angle one (equivalent to 18mm) – what do you get for the cash? Well, images are crisp, just wide enough to make landscape shots really pop, and though the case system looks odd, it excels with a tight rubber grip that can be slid off your iPhone in seconds.
We have found other wide-angle iPhone lenses tend to suffer from a degree of horizon curvature. The same artefact is found here, but it's less noticeable than on most lenses. This is a lovely add-on for an iPhone snapper, but a multilens system will suit most people better.