Review on Kenko Multi Coated Mobile Devices KRP 04SW by Jerry Frey

I first tried one of these add-on lenses for my phone a few years ago and the results were so bad I vowed never to use them again. This earlier model used an adapter that attached to the phone and then various small lenses were screwed onto it. Yes, as a professional photographer, I place higher demands on any photographic device. But when I use my iPhone to take quick family or vacation photos, I'm not a photo snob. I'm surprised and pleased with the quality of photos my phone is capable of taking and the reality is that most of the photos I take with it are absolutely fine for social media, texting and email. Some of them are even good enough for widescreen zoom. When I take pictures with my cell phone, what I miss the most in comparison to a "real” camera is the wide-angle function rather than the telephoto function. I can almost always compromise with the fact that I can't get close to an object in order to zoom in on a distant object. But if the perspective I'm trying to photograph is too wide for my phone's lens, there's not much I can do about it. That was until I tried this extra wide Kenko adapter. I like its design. It's all metal, there are no bulky adapters, just a clip that allows you to attach the adapter to the phone's lens. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW1. You really can't just strap that thing on and shoot. It's quite sensitive when centered squarely on your phone's lens, so you'll have to take the time to look at your phone's screen to get the picture right. For some, this awkwardness may be the deciding factor.2. The adapter must touch the phone's body and the lens must be the correct distance from the phone's lens. This precludes using the adapter with most phone cases unless you wish to remove the case from your phone before taking the picture.3. Nearly 100% of the benefits of using your cell phone for snapshots is that it's always with you and ready to shoot in seconds. The need to remember to take the clip off an accessory, no matter how small, negates the convenience of using a cell phone camera.4. Because the adapter is wide-angle, it has a short focus range, which means dust on the adapter's lens can cause huge black spots to appear on images. The adapter must be kept clean, which means that you carry not only the adapter but also the pouch that comes with it. You can't just toss the adapter in your pocket and expect it won't get scratched or dusty. It will.5. The wide-angle adapter has slight vignetting and barrel distortion. Best when not used to photograph things with sharp horizontal or vertical lines or edge detail.6. It's actually TWO lenses in one set... a wide-angle adapter and a macro lens for macro photography. USEFUL TIPS1. The design requires that the macro lens be mounted FIRST before the wide angle lens is attached to it. You can't use the wide-angle lens alone, you need to install the macro lens first.2. Based on what I just said, unless you think you'll be doing a lot of macro photography, it's best to carry and protect lenses when you attach both of them3. The seller emphasizes more, so to speak, that it is a wide-angle lens. I found it easier to cheat to get more of the scene in a photo than to focus on something very close up. My phone only focuses on something about 20 inches away. With a macro lens like the one I show in my example, you can focus directly on the surface of a tiny object. Keep in mind that the focus range is extremely small when shooting from such close range and you need a steady hand to get a sharp image. While carrying a separate lens accessory can be seen as a downside, the seller has thoughtfully included a metal carabiner so you can attach this lens accessory to anything. One last note: there is no rule that says you can't use this wide angle adapter. on your front selfie lens and it works really well for taking selfies of a small group of friends. One nice thing about using it on your front lens is that your phone case isn't likely to get in the way of the adapter snapping into place, and since almost all phones have smooth, flat fronts it can actually be easier to move the adapter around until it installs becomes. properly centered over the lens. I love this adaptor. It's not perfect because it can't be used on most phones when they're in a case and using it isn't as easy as "cut and peel". But these are not serious shortcomings if you know about them beforehand.