Didn't turn my phone into a Nikon but close enough for now.

THE QUESTION:

Will these smartphone lenses by Whyzyv provide the extra clarity, zoom and other photographic options mising since I ditched my Nikon camera in lieu of the portable convenience of my factory installed smartphone camera? We shall see… For now, these are my first impressions of the Whyzyv 3 in 1 Smartphone Camera Lens Kit.

PRESENTATION & PACKAGING:

Whyzyv gets an A+ in presentation and packaging. It's a simple, neat presentation of many items in a protective, black zippered case. Included in the box are the following items:

3 different styled lens: Wide, Macro and Fisheye;
Camera clip;
2 lens caps;
Neck lanyard;
Cleaning cloth;
Travel/storage case.

The optical glass lenses and lens clip are protected in raised foam compartments on one side of the case while the remainder of the accessories are secured in a netted compartment on the other. Weighing only 3.4 oz and measuring 3” x 4” x 2”, it very portable and could be thrown in a bag and taken anywhere. At the moment, I've been perfectly happy securing the macro lens to the lanyard, swinging it over my head and having it easily accessible on a long necklace when I’m in the photographic mood.

THE LENS CLIP:

The lenses attach to the camera via the included clip which just opens and clamps down securely on your phone much like a chip clip! You do have to take your phone case off for the lens clip to proper align and seal over your existing phone lens, but it's not that big of a deal.

Made of a hard plastic, it's not cheap or flimsy feeling. It opens and closes with ease, is not excessively tight but stays on once you line it up with your existing phone lens. Rubber padding on the interior assists to keep the lens in place and act as a protective barrier to prevent scratching your phone. All in all, it's a very easy, no hassle item to use. I had no trouble with lining up the lens or having it interfere with the photos. It didn't slip or seem like it would fall off. It's a good, sturdy design that works well with my phone and should work with just about any smartphone out there. I believe the iPhone 7 is an exception due to their double camera design.

THE LENSES:

0.63° 15x Macro:

This is my favorite lens to use and the reason why I wanted a lens kit in the first place. It takes a bit of practice to get the hang of it as do all the lenses but once you do know how to use it, you can get some pretty good results.

130° 0.67x Wide Angle:

Unless you are using the lens to photograph landscapes or a large gathering of people in landscape mode, you probably won’t notice much of a difference using this lens. In fact, that’s probably why some people think it does not work. It's just not as noticeable a difference as the other two lenses. I like it and look forward to using it this summer during our family vacations. Countless family photos are taken and usually someone on the end gets cut out. This lens may be the solution! I did notice a slight bit of fish eye distortion on some of the photos taken with this wide angle, but I like that effect (I also like and pay money for sunspots and film burn effects, but that’s me).

180° Fish Eye Lens:

Here is a lens that I thought I would never like but…. I’m taking a liking to it. I think it's because I’m actually creating the photo and it's not a cartoonish, photo app effect. Either way, you can create some interesting works of art (or something like that) with this Fish Eye Lens.

HINTS RE: USE OF THE LENS:

Each made of optical glass and aluminum alloy, the lenses are durable! I thought I broke one the other day when I dropped it on the concrete. But it survived with only a scratch on the outer aluminum rim. So, drop test: complete; score: A.

The lens were easy to take on and off for the most part. I had a little trouble trying to figure out how to use the macro and wide angle lens that come screwed together but finally got it. When you want to use the macro lens, you unscrew the wide lens and set it aside. Then you have the macro lens alone on the clip for use. When you want to use the wide angle lens, you attach it to the macro lens and then secure both, now together, back onto the clip. It is designed to be used in conjunction with that lens. I tried to screw the wide angle on the clip alone several times to no avail because it works only while attached to the macro lens securing it to the clip. That could have been more clear in the User Manual or on the product description, but where’s the fun in that? Another thing that I figured out is the dark circle that show up in some of the photo results when using the Fish Eye, in particular, is not due to a defect of the lens, it just happens with some phone models. It can easily be fixed by using the zoom feature in your phone settings or, if you’re like me, appreciate the vignette effect that it adds to the photo.

ODDS AND ENDS:

The Bluetooth Shutter Remote is a neat idea that I’m looking forward to using once I get a tripod or something similar.

The use of a camera app can add to your photo results. I read that these particular lenses are coordinated with the Camera 360° Google Play App so I tried the app and lenses together using the Super Camera setting in the app and it's pretty cool. Gives a nice soft effect to the photos. I plan to use it more to see what I can create.

OVERALL:

I'm glad that I finally purchased a camera lens set. The curiosity was killing me. I will definitely use the macro lens quite often and the other two less so, but I still like having them. The fact that the whole set is so convenient, portable and durable makes them easy to want to take along and use. If there was any hassle whatsoever, it wouldn’t be worth it. But it's pretty much effortless fun. Play with the lenses and get a feel for them at home before traveling or grabbing it out of the mailbox and using it for the first time in the noon blazing sun. Just a suggestion.

I am happy that I purchased from Whyzyv and will continue to do so in the future. They are so good with their products - offering just the right item seemingly when I actually need it (or want it in this case) the most. Their products are very relatable, always hassle free, portable and fun! As a buyer, I always feel like I'm getting more than I should from them or that I should have paid more for the item. It just has that quality and richness to it. Plus, their excellent customer service is still the same. They remember their customers and that’s a great feeling.

THE ANSWER:

Will these smartphone lenses by Whyzyv provide the extra clarity, zoom and other photographic options mising since I ditched my Nikon camera in lieu of the portable convenience of my factory installed smartphone camera?

No, the photo result would be better with a Nikon BUT….this has satisfied my craving for the time being… (6 mos approx.). In lieu of spending a lot of money and having a separate expensive camera to worry about, the Whyzyv Lens Kit contains enough interesting photo avenues to explore, research and figure out (i.e. 3 different lenses to play with,use of the bluetooth remote once I get my tripod, use of the Camera 360 app, hours of research stemming from the use of these lenses to include setting up home studio for macro photos, getting to know the various smartphone lenses, eventually getting another set for comparison sake, etc….) It's whet my appetite enough so that thoughts of buying a new camera have completely subsided and should remain so until December, I imagine. The whole family thanks you Whyzvy!