As a freelance photographer I am always on the lookout for interesting, related pieces of kit that would prove useful on my travels. Although aware of this sector and the rise in popularity of this type of product with the continued boom in mobile phone photography, it is a product that I have shied away from as I was more than happy with the Nokia Lumia 1020 with it's 42mp camera that I tend to keep in my camera bag as a mobile shooter. Upon arrival I was struck by how minimalist yet very appropriate the packaging was, the sturdy well designed box has a lift off lid that houses the lens, attachment bracket and soft carry bag in a strong foam inner that held the contents in place well. As I started to unpack the all of the component parts I was pleased by the overall build quality of all of the contained elements. The most important part of the set-up is obviously the lens, and I am pleased to say that it does not disappoint! It has a very real proportional weight to it with a wonderful build quality and I particularly liked how it is styled in the same way as a proper Digital SLR lens, so does not look out of place as part of a camera kit, furthermore, little touches like the included lens cap that sits perfectly over the wonderful glass lens. All in all the whole package highlights that the manufacturer has really thought about the market they are selling it to, and the standards that are expected from purchasers of this type of kit. Much as I was impressed with the package so far, as ever the proof is in the pudding, and it is here I have a very slight niggle that may not be entirely appropriate to all users of this item. I would have liked the clip that the lens screws into to have been a little longer in arm length to allow a bit more flexibility between phone models, as it appears to have been designed more with iPhone in mind, or certainly phones that have the camera quite close to the edge of the case, a shame as they had obviously made efforts to have a large aperture to accommodate fluctuations in lens size of different models of phone. I personally tested this on three different phones, a Nokia Lumia 930, Nokia Lumia 1020 and a Motorola Razor...and it fitted none of these perfectly which was a real shame! in fact it would not fit the Lumia 1020 at all because it has a slight bulge where the 42mp shooter is housed, which is a real shame as this is my go to mobile for photography purposes. The other two phones where only slightly out, but cast a dark area to the right hand edge of taken images.
Although hindered by the limitations of 'not quite fitting' from above, I was still able to take enough test photo's to glean enough of an opinion as to the quality of this lens. Once again I was very impressed at what the manufacturer has managed to achieve, providing a wonderful clarity to images and extending the range limitations of a phone camera. Just as with a real camera lens this item will not improve the image quality of your phone camera, but offers a wider flexibility to your mobile photography. To sum up, this is a wonderful, well packaged and produced product, that is a perfect companion to increase the options you have with your mobile photography endeavors. The niggles I had with the product were in no way a reflection on the quality of the product, but more as a cautionary note as to the compatibly with all mobile phones....overall as a product, highly recommended.