You glance at a stain on the sidewalk and it stares back at you, beckoning for its own moment to shine as something more than the sum total of whatever discarded mess composed it before the rain washed it, or countless stomping feet swept it away, to form the subtle charm of shape or contrast that attracted your quirky eye to it in the first place; whatever you choose to snap, lo-fi photography isn’t the camera you have on you, but the camera with which you choose to capture these moments, from the mundane to the exceptional. What makes the iPhone such a unique, lo-fi photography platform is its presence at every step of the process, from shoot to develop; convenience is simply a pleasant side-effect and, if you don’t mind sacrificing just a little of that convenience, the Magnetic / Detachable Wide Angle + Macro lens from USBfever is a clever accessory.

Above: 2 shots with and without wide-angle lensExpectation wasn’t high in the form of a sixteen US dollar and ninety-nine cent construct of magnetized metal and glass; it came posted from Hong Kong in a brown envelope, contained within: a plastic blister-package. The lens itself looks remarkably well assembled, carefully machine cut aluminum and, to my eye, flawless glass; advertised and printed on the side of the lens is 0.67x Wide, underneath that, Macro, in red print (more on that later). A small lanyard loop comes off a magnetic back which attaches easily and securely for storing the lens onto a keychain when you’re not using it, and a plastic lens cap protects the glass from scratches. My first reservation was confirmed at that moment, however, as the included, self-adhesive iron-ring did not sit flush against the tapered edge of the iPhone 3GS, but skewed the detachable lens so that the corner appeared a blurry shadow in the iPhone’s field of view. A small scrap of double-sided foam-tape was enough to prop up the ring to alleviate the condition, but my quest still continues for a more aesthetic approach.

Above: photos take with the wide-angle lensWith the lens now flatly against and over the small camera opening of the iPhone’s PVC backing, and my preliminary tests endearing, it was time to take it out for a field test. Downtown Ventura, California, an old-town feel with modern streets and shops, restaurants on every corner, and plenty of mock-missionary architecture, the latter of which borders on cliché around here, so you’ll have to excuse my shortage of related photography. I’m anxious; on my feet and glancing to and fro whilst trundling forward, phone and lens comfortably resting in my pocket, so delay no more, I retrieve the instrument for my outing and briefly fumble to uncap the lens, remove the magnetic lanyard, and clap the lens to the iPhone. It’s not as quick a process as simply snapping a photo and moving on, the lens cap is snug which, if you don’t make your preparations in the right order, might find you juggling a number of tiny objects mid-stride. This is obviously more an encumbrance while you’re out and about; a table makes the task trivial, but the primary usage for iPhoneography, I feel, is on the go. It’s not something you’re going to want to take out for every shot. I left it on after a few snapshots with the comfort of knowing that it wasn’t going to fall off by gravity alone (it really is a strong magnet; unless you strike it or brush against something, it doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere) and continued on with the phone in hand.

I had some concerns that the effect of the lens would be subtle to all but the most discerning eye. A pleasant surprise, the field of vision opened up considerably, an impressive feat for such a small cut of glass. The website’s advertised 40% increase in field of view seems a reasonable measurement. Colors appeared vibrantly, focus perhaps a little soft, but otherwise as sharp as the autofocus is usually capable of, and images showed with great clarity. Some minor fisheyeing occurred primarily around the edges in most of my photographs which, from a lo-fi photography perspective, might even be desirable. Most distressingly was the obvious blur in the corners, probably created from the iPhone’s inability to adapt its autofocus to the optical addition. I feel it’s a minor gripe that can be accepted as image character or cropped away without sacrificing too much of the lens’ advantage, could even be masked by a vignetting effect. There occurred a noticeable shift of lighting, which may or may not be a bad thing, but many of my examples were left with a slightly warmer hue beneath the bright sun than without the lens attached. This might have been due to a bleeding of light through the crevice between lens and iPhone because of my earlier experiment in straightening the lens with foam tape (there are some gaps where light could potentially seep through). I won’t know for sure until I devise a way to secure the lens flush to the camera, but it’s not a show-stopper.

Above: photos taken with the macro lensAll images taken with the wide angle lens and provided here have been unmodified; much of my own work goes through a rigorous regiment of color adjustments and filters, but, after much internal debate, I decided to provide the original images so as not to effect your judgment by my own artistic preferences.

Above: photos taken with the wide-angle lensAn added bonus, unscrewing the lens at the center reveals a useable macro lens. The iPhone 3GS provides a macro focus which is capable of taking some pretty nice pictures from a few inches away, but if you want to get any closer than that your image blurs. The included macro lens to this dynamic duo can get as close as 1.6 cm. Be aware that it’s either sweet spot or nothing; where you can normally select where in the photo you want the 3GS to autofocus on, this function does little while using the macro lens. Simply put, if you’re not the exact distance needed for focus to your subject, it’s not in focus. While it allows you to get closer than I’ve ever seen before from a cameraphone, you’re limiting factor becomes a very static focal point. I was still quite impressed with the up-close detail and professional looking results from something seeming more like a side effect of the wide angle lens’ construction; the macro lens is a remarkable tool on its own, opening up an entirely new spectrum to iPhoneography.

Above: photos taken with and without the macro lensFor all my preconceived notions, most of the experience was a welcome joy. I was happy with my results, the lens is small enough to not be a burden to carry, and I’m left with encouragement to its continued usage. I feel it’s something that will remain stowed away in my pocket wherever I go and used for those every once in a while moments when I need a larger field of view or want to do something different. There’s no doubt it takes some determination to get from purchase to snapping photos, and it’s not always the easiest thing to prepare while on the go, but the Magnetic / Detachable Wide Angle + Macro lens from USBfever is far from a cheap novelty. If you’re looking for a way to expand your iPhoneography horizons or just want to increase your optical options and don’t mind some of the subtle but present shortcomings, this product offers you fun, new, and unique iPhone-based photo opportunities. If an iPhone-centric adapter was provided or even sold separately, I would offer you my whole-hearted recommendation. I don’t expect everyone to bother with the DIY approach and would have rather avoided it myself. Barring that, there are certainly worse ways to spend $20.

Product website and order page: usbfever.com

If you would like to see more of Scott's photos, then check out his Flickr page.