A new Kickstarter project for a pair of portable camera phone lenses is making quite a splash with backers. Described as the world's best lenses for your phone, Moment has created two different lenses that promise to take your smartphone photography to the next level.
Smartphone camera technology still has a long way to go before it can rival high-end shooters or even mid-range point-and shoot cameras. But the world has slowly come to the realization that the best camera is the one that's with you and for most of us, that's now a smartphone.
But smartphones lack something that bigger cameras have enjoyed for years - the ability to use different lenses to help expand creativity. After trying all of the commercially available lens adapters and being frustrated with their image quality and clunky designs, Marc Barros (formerly of Contour) created Moment.
They're currently pitching two lenses, Moment Wide which offers an 18mm field of view and Moment Tele at 58mm to 62mm depending on what phone you have it attached to. For reference, most smartphones capture at around 29mm. The lenses mount onto virtually any smartphone (or tablet) using an adhesive and are constructed of machined metal barrel and glass for a premium feel.
Early backer pricing starts at $49 for your choice between the Wide or Tele lens or $99 for both. Units are expected to be delivered by June 2014 at which time the price will shoot up to $99 per lens. Barring any disasters, these should certainly see production as the company has already raised $90,000+ which is well past their $50,000 funding goal with 28 days to go in the campaign.
While the lenses may be nice, it's worth pointing out that it's only half of the equation. If the camera on your smartphone sucks today, it will still produce poor quality images with a nice lens. Don't expect miracles here, folks.