Smartphone photography is only getting better and better each year with recent smartphone leaders such as the iPhone 4S and its improved 8MP back facing camera, it's no wonder why camera accessories for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are starting to gain speed. Demand is high for external iPhone lenses that can greatly help improve your smartphone photography. The olloclip was created with the tremendous help of Kickstarter funding, and now it's a reality bringing a unique high quality 3-in-1 lens attachment with a clever design. The olloclip has just about all you'll ever need to get some incredibly awesome shots using your iPhone with the ability to shot in wide angle, macro and fisheye.

This might just be the accessory that will make you think twice about carrying a DSLR with you. More after the break!

There's a very good reason why the olloclip will set you back $70, it's not your typical cheap made in China/eBay crap gadget. A whole lot off effort and thinking went into this. That's why the olloclip is made out of precision ground quality glass with multi-element optics for the lenses that are housed inside CNC machined, anodized aluminum barrels. Granted not the entire build quality of the olloclip is made out of aluminum as the attachment part itself is made out of soft plastic that hasn't yet scratched my iPhone 4S after numerous uses. 

Did I mention that the olloclip comes with its very own lens caps? Oh yes. Now things got more Sirious. I managed not to lose a single lens cap to my surprise. And of course a storage pouch also comes along for the ride to keep your olloclip from dust when you're not using it. Because as much as you'd like to keep the olloclip attached to your iPhone, you'll eventually have to remove it when not planning to take any photos and videos. 

Installation? What installation? It doesn't get any easier than sliding it onto the corner of your iPhone where the back facing camera is located. Boom, headshot you're done. It's quick and as easy as licking a lollipop. This is where we run into some compatibility issues as the olloclip isn't compatible with any cases and will most likely lift up any skins you might have on. That holds true if you have screen protectors on both side of your iPhone's glass. Getting the olloclip on your iPhone is the easy part, but some protective cases are a pain to remove.

The olloclip lens attachments is comprised out of 3 lenses. The first lens is the Wide Angle lens you see here. Beautiful. 

The second lens found on the olloclip is the Macro lens. Hidden right beneath the Wide Angle lens, unscrewing it will reveal the Macro Lens we see here. Not so beautiful but boy is it one impressive little glass of a lens.

Last but certainly not least is the mac daddy of it all, the Fisheye lens. The biggest piece of glass found on the olloclip and rightfully so. All Fisheye lenses are equally as gorgeous and well, look like a fish's eye. This is what will most likely attract you the most to the olloclip, and we aren't going to judge. It's big.

Switching between lenses is quick and easy as well by flipping around sides to which ever lens you'll be wanting to use. Your Fisheye and Wide Angle lenses will always be there to capture the moment. It helps to keep either lens protected with its cap not to smudge the glass. What's so special about the olloclip is that while it manages to house 3 separate lenses, the entire package isn't bulky at all and really isn't a hassle to carry around with you right besides your iPhone. If you can carry around your wallet, keys and a pack of mint gum, you can't also find room for the olloclip. 

Let's begin with testing out the quality of each lens found on the olloclip. Note that an iPhone 4S was used with the help of a tripod and a Glif tripod adapter for stationary and controlled test shooting. None of the test photos were retouched. 

I can literally sit all day finding things to take macro shots of. The possibilities are endless with the olloclip. I found the Macro lens to work flawlessly with tack sharp results as close as 12mm to a subject. You can pick up the anodized grain of the MacBook Pro's aluminum as well as the plastic Apple logo in these images. I can't say that I've seen better results. Need a microscope? Use your iPhone.

Above is an image that was shot without using the olloclip on the iPhone 4S.

And this is what we get after sliding on the olloclip using the Wide Angle lens. Notice how much more you can see in the shot without sacrificing too much sharpness. Granted there is a bit of vignetting of the lens. That's acceptable for such lens types however. The main focus point area was the center of the picture. You'll notice that distortion happens closer to the end of the image. Still, I'm very happy with the results.

The Fisheye lens, like all fisheye lenses will focus more on the center brining everyone's attention to the main attraction. You'll need to be creative using the Fisheye lens if you want to get great results. There is a considerable amount of barrel distortion here of course. Cropping that out is also an option. What I noticed while using the Fisheye lens for shooting video with the iPhone was that the barrel distortion got removed because of the close focal point of the video function which results in a super wide angle video. It's a really useful lens to have, especially if you want to shoot a creative wide angle HD video. 

It's safe to say that these results speak for themselves. The olloclip is your best bet to expand your iPhone shooting skills to the impressive. If you're serious about photography, having the olloclip with you is a mobile joy ride that will bring all sorts of creative aspects to your photography. We're going to give it a one thumb up instead of two just because we can't use it with protective cases. 

You can get yours at Bitemyapple.co