Bought a $20 phone lens kit on a whim and it's actually not terrible

Saw one of those clip-on macro and wide angle lens sets at a gas station in Flagstaff. Figured for twenty bucks, it was worth a laugh. Tried the macro lens on my phone to look at a circuit board, and the detail was shockingly clear. I still wouldn't use it for serious photos, but for quick, close-up looks at small parts, it's weirdly handy. Anyone else have a cheap gadget that surprised them?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricia_rodriguez2mo agoTop Commenter

Wait, are we calling a gas station lens kit "handy" now? That's a low bar.

kim.stella2mo ago

Remember that viral photo of the moon from last year? The guy used a $15 clip-on lens from a truck stop. Got 50k likes before anyone knew.

patricia_rodriguez1mo agoTop Commenter

The real story here isn't just about the cheap lens, it's about the timing. Everyone gets so caught up in the gear that they forget the moon was at perigee that night, the closest it gets to Earth all year. If that guy had pulled that same shot any other night it would've looked like a fuzzy lightbulb and nobody would have cared. People act like the lens turned him into Ansel Adams overnight but really he just got lucky with the astronomical conditions lining up. It's like catching a perfect wave on a $30 foam board and calling yourself a professional surfer. The lens did the bare minimum, the moon did the heavy lifting.