iLoungeiLounge
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn RSS
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Use
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn RSS
    iLoungeiLounge
    • News
      • Apple
        • AirPlay
        • iCloud
        • iTunes
        • HealthKit
        • HomeKit
        • HomePod
        • iOS 13
        • Apple Pay
        • Apple TV
        • Siri
      • AirPods Pro
      • Apps
        • Apple Music
      • Rumors
      • Humor
      • Technology
        • CES
      • Articles
      • Web Stories
    • iPhone
      • iPhone Accessories
    • iPad
    • iPod
      • iPod Accessories
    • Apple Watch
      • Apple Watch Accessories
    • Mac
      • MacBook Air
      • MacBook Pro
    • Reviews
      • App Reviews
    • How-to
      • Ask iLounge
    • Daily Deals
    iLoungeiLounge

    Review: Olloclip Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5

    By Jeremy HorwitzMay 14, 2021 4:59 pm UTC

    Olloclip has made some of the most noteworthy iPhone lens attachments released over the last few years, but several issues have prevented its accessories from being universally appealing: iffy optical quality, fairly high prices, and an attachment system that’s incompatible with almost every iPhone case on the market. Yet the company’s basic concept — offering a set of simple but different lenses in one compact package — is surely a winner, and some photo-loving iPhone owners who don’t use cases have embraced its solutions. This month’s release of the new Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5 ($100) is a milestone, as Olloclip has substantially addressed one of its prior issues, and is on the way to remedying another.

    Review: Olloclip Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5

    As compared with Olloclip’s original accessory, the 3-in-1 Photo Lens, the Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens focuses on lens quality rather than quantity. Substantial in the hand and made from a slate iPhone 5-matching anodized aluminum with a central plastic mount, the Lens looks handsome and professional—both tangible steps upward in size and class.

     

    Review: Olloclip Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5

    A larger body enables the Lens to hold four glass elements, all used in the 2X (two times magnification) telephoto adapter, which like all lenses benefits from the additional light-gathering capabilities of larger glass pieces. Yet the Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens combination remains as pocketable as before, fitting neatly inside a very slightly larger gray drawstring bag with a much smaller second gray bag provided to hold detachable components. A clear plastic lens cap is included for the Telephoto Lens, which looks nice and works well to protect the glass when it’s not in use.

     

    Review: Olloclip Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5

    Relative to what the iPhone 5 can do on its own, the optical improvements achieved by the Telephoto Lens are non-trivial. Images viewed at 100% or greater magnification reveal dramatically higher levels of detail in Olloclip-assisted images—obvious blinds in the windows of a home snapped from across the street that otherwise looked like a flat gray sheet, hinges on the windows, and similarly finer gradations in leaves, branches, and other distant objects.

     

    Review: Olloclip Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5

    Review: Olloclip Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5

    Chromatic aberration and modest blurring at the edges of the frame were noticeable but not terrible, a major improvement over the optically iffy results we saw from the prior 3-in-1 Photo Lens. It should go without saying that the Telephoto Lens delivers markedly better image quality than the iPhone 5’s faux digital zoom feature, but we’ll say it anyway: they’re not even close. Is this enhanced, magnified optical quality worth $100? That’s a question you’ll have to answer for yourself.

     

    Review: Olloclip Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5

    Thankfully, there’s more than just the 2X lens to justify this package’s asking price. You also get a fully detachable reflection- and glare-reducing circular polarizing filter, plus a black plastic adapter. Without the adapter, the polarizing filter can attach to the Telephoto Lens or the Lens housing’s otherwise empty rear side, which is effectively just a pass-through for the iPhone 5’s own optical hardware. Flipping the housing around therefore lets you swap between optical 2X zoom and regular 1X mode at will, with or without the polarizer on.

     

    Review: Olloclip Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5

    If you’ve never used a circular polarizer before, you’ll find this tool to be a particularly magical addition to your photographic arsenal—at least under certain circumstances. The metal housing has a sheet of black glass inside, and is called a “circular” polarizer because you turn it like a dial to adjust the angles at which light will be allowed to pass through the glass into the camera’s sensor. Depending on the angle you choose, you can remove reflections and glare from glossy objects as shown in these photos.

     

    Review: Olloclip Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5

    Review: Olloclip Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5

    Outdoors, if you shoot photos of bodies of water, you’ll see fish that were obscured by white reflections, and notice richer, bluer blues from the sky. Olloclip’s filter has a smooth, appropriately taut rotating mechanism that allows you to have relatively precise control over the polarizing angle, as well as maintaining the angle you’ve selected once it’s finished. By phone camera standards, it’s a genuinely nice filter.

     

    Review: Olloclip Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5

    Review: Olloclip Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5

    Review: Olloclip Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5

    Additionally, Olloclip’s black plastic adapter can easily go inside the polarizer, enabling it to connect to the previously-released 3-in-1 Photo Lens for fisheye shots. The images here show how it works to reduce reflections when turned on the correct angle. If you don’t have the prior lens, or don’t plan to use it with the polarizer, you can leave the adapter at home with the small second detachable bag. The company also will include an iPod touch 5G resizer for the lens system, but it wasn’t included with our review unit.

     

    Review: Olloclip Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens for iPhone 5

    In our previous Olloclip reviews, we’ve been somewhat hard-pressed to see the 3-in-1 Photo Lenses—or their rivals from other companies—as truly great photo tools, given their combination of pricing, somewhat inconvenient attachment, and so-so image quality. They’re nice toys, but not tools serious photographers would generally rely upon. The Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens is a somewhat different story. It’s not cheap, and it’s no easier to attach than its predecessor, yet the Telephoto’s good optics and legitimately useful Circular Polarizer enable it to really improve the quality of iPhone photography. They’re both good enough that they will independently incentivize some people to consider Olloclip’s Quick-Flip Case as an option. Ideally, the prices for the lenses and case would be a bit lower, and non-Olloclip case compatibility would be an option, but with each good new lens it releases, Olloclip will come closer to justifying the total value of its system. For now, the Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens is a genuinely good package, and worthy of our general recommendation.

    Our Rating

    B
    Recommended

    Company and Price

    Company: Olloclip

    Website: Olloclip

    Model: Telephoto + Circular Polarizing Lens

    Price: $100

    Compatible: iPhone 5

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Jeremy Horwitz
    Jeremy Horwitz
    • Twitter

    Jeremy Horwitz was the Editor-in-Chief at iLounge. He has written over 5,000 articles and reviews for the website and is one of the most respected members of the Apple media. Horwitz has been following Apple since the release of the original iPod in 2001. He was one of the first reviewers to receive a pre-release unit of the device, and his review helped put iLounge on the map as a go-to source for Apple news.

    Latest News
    A Cool and Futuristic Bluetooth Speaker Can Be Yours at 20% Off
    VPNs arriving on tvOS 17
    Apple AirTag instrumental in Turkey relief donation scam
    TipKit framework offers quality of life features on iOS 17
    Enjoy $80 Off on the Latest 10.2-inch iPad
    iOS 17 will introduce Friends and Family iCloud Keychain Password sharing
    iOS 17 will show warning for unsolicited nude photos
    Apple Pay Father’s Day promo goes live
    Table of Contents
    • Our Rating
    • Company and Price

    iLounge logo

    iLounge is an independent resource for all things iPod, iPhone, iPad, and beyond. iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, Apple TV, and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc.

    Contact Us: [email protected]

    Tel: +1302-208-9669

    iLounge, 2810 North Church Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 19802, United States.

    • Contact Us
    • Submit News
    • About Us
    • Forums
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Use
    This website is not affiliated with Apple Inc.
    iLounge © 2001 - 2023. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.