Introduction
The Olloclip Filmer’s Kit is designed to enhance the filmmaking capabilities of your iPhone, providing a suite of specialist lenses that transform your phone’s camera into a versatile tool for video creation.
The kit includes a clip system that securely attaches to your iPhone, aligning with its lens to offer new perspectives. With this setup, you gain access to four distinct field-of-view options, ranging from fish-eye to telephoto, significantly expanding your iPhone’s video potential.
For those dedicated to iPhone videography, the Olloclip Filmer’s Kit emerges as a valuable addition, enabling greater creative flexibility and improved image quality.
Pros of Olloclip Filmer’s Kit
- Significantly expands iPhone video capabilities
- Simple and quick attachment process
- Diverse selection of lenses for various filming needs
Cons of Olloclip Filmer’s Kit
- Handling the clip and lens interchange can be cumbersome
- High cost
Smartphones, particularly iPhones, have become prevalent tools for capturing images and videos. With advancements in technology, the quality of iPhone footage now often meets professional standards. However, the iPhone’s small, fixed-focal-length lens limits its versatility, making digital zoom the only option, which compromises image quality.
The Olloclip Filmer’s Kit addresses this limitation by providing a clip-on lens system that enhances your iPhone’s video capabilities without sacrificing quality. Beyond focal length concerns, filming with a bare iPhone can be ergonomically challenging. The Olloclip Kit not only improves optical flexibility but also enhances handling, making it easier to shoot stable and varied footage.
Features
Packaged in a semi-hard case crafted by renowned case manufacturer incase, the Olloclip Filmer’s Kit exudes premium quality from the first glance. Inside, the case neatly organizes each component, from the four lenses to the grip and clips, with additional accessories like an extra clip and instructions tucked into a mesh pocket. The kit accommodates different iPhone models, including the iPhone 7/8 and iPhone 7/8 Plus, with specific clips for each.
The focal point of the kit is its lenses: Telephoto, Ultra-Wide, Super-Wide, and Fish-Eye/Macro 15x. Each lens, complete with caps, integrates into the Olloclip System via a spring-loaded clip for quick swapping.
The Clip itself is ingeniously designed, sitting over the iPhone lens and doubling as a versatile mount that can flip to alternate between lenses like Telephoto and Super-Wide.
Included in the kit is a well-crafted grip with an adjustable pivot for angling the phone, secured by a spring-loaded, rubberized clamp. An additional feature is the GoPro adapter, allowing the grip to support an action camera, although it does not extend the use of Olloclip lenses to these cameras.
Build quality and handling
The Olloclip Filmer’s Kit immediately impresses with its quality, evident from the case that houses it. The embossed logos of Olloclip and incase, combined with a striking red zip against the black case, create an aesthetic that’s modern rather than reminiscent of the 80s. Upon opening, the kit presents itself with a coherent layout, accented with red details on the grip, enhancing its visual appeal.
Each component of the kit, secured in place by foam inserts, can be easily accessed with a bit of maneuvering. The lenses exhibit excellent build quality; their caps fit snugly, requiring a firm pull to detach, indicating secure protection. The lens glass, clear and precisely mounted onto the clip, signifies no need for frequent removal, except perhaps for cleaning or replacement.
The lens mount system is designed with a spring mechanism that provides sufficient resistance, ensuring the lenses stay firmly attached to the Clip once mounted. The Clip itself consists of two parts: the keyring section and the clip section. The black plastic clip detaches from the clear keyring part with a satisfying click and attaches to the iPhone with a softer click. Olloclip includes two clips in the kit, catering to different iPhone models (7/8 and Plus).
Switching between lenses is somewhat fiddly due to the need to release and then attach the new module. While this quick-release mechanism is designed for efficiency, and swapping lenses is straightforward when sitting at a table, it becomes more cumbersome in the field. However, this does not make the process difficult, just slightly tricky.
In practical use, the lenses are straightforward to operate. Once a video mode is selected in the camera app, the difference in field-of-view is immediately noticeable, showcasing the lenses’ potential. The inclusion of a grip, with its rubberized clamp, secures the phone well and provides much greater handling freedom compared to using the phone without any accessories. This grip enhances the overall usability of the Filmer’s Kit, making it a robust tool for iPhone videography.
Performance
Olloclip has consistently delivered high-quality lenses for iPhones and other smartphones, and this tradition continues with the Filmer’s Kit. Each lens in the kit enhances the iPhone’s video capabilities, providing various perspectives and focal lengths that significantly improve upon the phone’s native camera.
Telephoto: The telephoto lens offers a notable increase in focal length, yielding clear and detailed imagery in the center of the frame. However, some softening and purple chromatic aberration can be observed towards the edges, but these do not detract significantly from the overall high quality of the lens.
Superwide: This lens, while providing the narrowest field of view among the wide-angle options, maintains good sharpness at the center. Some softening and slight contrast loss are evident at the periphery, but these issues are minor and do not overly impact the visual quality.
Ultra-wide: Standing out as the best lens in the set, the ultra-wide lens delivers excellent sharpness throughout the frame, with only a minimal drop at the edges. It effectively manages distortion and chromatic aberration, making it a versatile choice for various shooting scenarios.
Fish-Eye / Macro: The fish-eye lens offers a distinctive, stylistic effect. Proper alignment on the camera is crucial to avoid unintended shifts that could affect the video outcome. The lens provides good central sharpness, though, as expected with fish-eye lenses, sharpness decreases towards the edges. This lens allows for creative shots and close-up macro capabilities, adding versatility to the Filmer’s Kit.
Overall, the Olloclip Filmer’s Kit proves to be a high-performing accessory for iPhone videography, enhancing the phone’s native capabilities with its range of lenses. While there are minor drawbacks, such as edge softening and some chromatic aberration, the benefits and expanded creative potential these lenses offer make them a valuable addition for iPhone filmmakers.
Verdict
The Olloclip Filmer’s Kit is a significant creative asset for iPhone users, greatly enhancing the device’s videography capabilities. The kit’s thoughtful design, which includes four versatile lenses and a sturdy mobile grip, exudes a premium quality that users will appreciate.
The ease of attaching the clip and its reliable stability, except for the extra caution required with the fish-eye lens, makes it user-friendly. Although swapping lenses can be somewhat tricky, users often find themselves gravitating towards specific lenses that best suit their needs; in many cases, the Ultra-wide and Telephoto lenses are favorites due to their versatility and image quality.
The lens performance is commendable, with the central sharpness being a highlight. The softening at the frame’s edges and minor chromatic aberration are present but do not significantly detract from the overall image quality.
Overall, the Olloclip Filmer’s Kit is a fantastic tool for those looking to expand their video production capabilities with an iPhone. It suits a variety of users, from those aiming to create short films and vlogs to others involved in video projects, offering a cost-effective alternative to more expensive video equipment. This kit is not only about enhancing video quality but also about unlocking creative potential and making videography more accessible and enjoyable.