In the ever-evolving world of photography, there have always been two distinguishable sides: the DSLR and the smartphone. There has never really been anything in between that bridges the portability of the camera and professional, industry-style interchange lenses. If you fancy a dabble within this middle ground, then ShiftCam’s Ultra lenses are for you.
We put the lenses to the test to see if it lives up to the hype. Spoiler: They are some of the best well-made lenses in the smartphone accessory market we have ever seen.
What’s in the Box…or Case?
ShiftCam offers a multitude of ways to grab these lenses. You can either buy them individually or in a bundle. We managed to get ourselves what they call the ‘Full Kit,’ a small suitcase. In this case you’ll find:
- Seven lenses
- 16mm Wide Angle
- 200° Fisheye
- 1.33x Anamorphic
- 1.55x Anamorphic
- 75mm Long Range Macro
- 10x Traditional Macro
- 60mm Telephoto
- Three Filters
- CPL Filter
- VND Filter (2-5 Stop)
- CPL Filter
- Universal Lens Cleaning Kit
- Universal Mount
The case presentation is brilliant, light, and designed to be portable. It’s clear that ShiftCam wants this case to travel with you.
Design and Build
Opening the box reveals incredibly well-packaged and protected lenses. The foam surround fills the case and offers each lens perfect protection. Each lens and accessory has its place, making the case feel more like something out of James Bond than in my non-secret agent flat.
Each lens feels weighty and exactly as you’d expect a premium lens to feel. There’s no plastic in sight, just well-brushed metal materials. Each lens has a printed name by the side of its foam inset, meaning it has a place, and you know what goes where.
Lens Attachment
ShiftCam provides several ways to attach the lenses, either through a specially built phone or the supplied Universal Mount.
The best method is to purchase a purpose-built case that enables the threads of each lens to connect easily and in the perfect location every time.
For our experience, we opted for their included Universal Mount. This clamp navigates most phone cases and clamps itself between the back and screen via an adjustable arm. I would say this was my biggest gripe about using the lenses.
It felt very tiresome and precarious as the weight of the lens on the phone carrying it around was off-balanced, meaning any knock or drop, and I think we’d have a problem. Luckily, with my vice-like claws firmly gripping my phone, this did not happen.
Instead, the lenses thread onto the universal mount, which now sits aligned with your phone’s main camera.
Portability
The case is brilliantly made and offers sublime protection. When all the lenses are nestled into their foam homes, the case feels light and incredibly sturdy. In our unit, we were supplied a number of individual carry cases for each lens that I took with me on my outings. The lenses fit perfectly, and each comes with a clip so you can attach them to your bag. It’s very easy on-the-go stuff.
Lens breakdown
Of all the lenses in the Full Kit, the ones we tended to use the most were the 16mm Wide Angle and the 60mm Telephoto. The others felt very situational and, in most cases, only used for artistic flair. The Fish Eye was a cool one to introduce.
The Wide Angle expands your field of view, letting you capture more in a single shot—ideal for landscapes or large groups.
Using it on the city streets, I saw distortion-free images. You’ll notice an improvement in how much of the scene you can fit into the frame compared to your phone’s native camera. Attaching one of the filters reduces the glad and light bursts often seen in traditional native camera lenses.
The telephoto lens is perfect for zooming in on distant subjects without losing detail; it is your go-to.
It offered impressive zoom capabilities, maintaining image clarity even at a distance. There’s a slight color fringing in high-contrast situations, but it’s hardly noticeable in everyday shots.
Image Quality
Overall, we saw a significant improvement in photo quality using the ShiftCam lenses. The wide-angle lens broadens your perspective, the telephoto zooms effectively, the macro captures minute details beautifully, and the fisheye adds a creative twist.
Using the phone case would provide better results than the Universal Mount; there were often cases when out-and-about use would misalign the lens. You can tighten the grip on the screen and back, but I didn’t want to push it too far.
Conclusion
The physical feel and production are stunning, something you’d expect to see from Apple. The lenses feel weighty, sturdy, and heavily protected within their case. The full set is a little overkill for the average person looking to boost their day-to-day snapping. ShiftCam offers the ability to purchase individual lenses, so I would recommend that before jumping right in, as the Full Set is a bit of an investment.
“They are some of the best well-made lenses in the smartphone accessory market we have ever seen.”
When it comes to usability, I would definitely recommend including the phone case with your order. It makes attaching and swapping out the lenses much, much more manageable. Using the mount felt cumbersome and rather precarious.
Bundles start at $207, but depending on your requirements, you can buy a case and a lens for less directly from ShiftCam’s online store below.
