One of the things I loved most about my old Samsung Galaxy S7 was its camera, especially when I equipped it with a case that supported external lenses.
In fact, when I went on vacation to Oregon and California in 2017 I left my Nikon D5100 DSLR at home because I knew that phone took such great photos, especially equipped with a wide angle lens.
Now I have the iPhone XR and I’m missing the camera on the Galaxy. Yes, the camera is very good on the XR but I don’t think it’s as good as the S7 abut I’m picky about photos.
So I tried out the Momax X-Lens cover for the XR. (Available on Amazon) It’s not of the quality, or the price, that I paid for the external lenses for my Galaxy but I gave it a try anyway.
The case provides a very handy way of quickly changing to different lenses without having to screw and unscrew different types.
The three lenses are wide angle, macro and fish eye. I didn’t find much use for the fish eye but if I were to be creative it might make some interesting photos.
The case doesn’t add much bulk to the phone which is important. There’s actually two parts to the case. There’s an inner rubber cover that easily slides over the phone and then the plastic cover that slides over that.
It does come with a rectangle plastic lens cover that covers all three lenses but it popped off very easily and added a lot of bulk so I just went without it.
The cover itself adds fairly decent protection for the phone. I found the grip to be good.
Well, we’ll just get right to the test photos themselves so you can judge for yourself.
Macro shots with the Momax X-Lens
Landscape Views with Wide Angle
Fisheye Lens
Conclusion
Overall, the Momax X-Lens features a good idea for a practical phone cover featuring different lenses that can be easily changed. It’s much easier than fumbling around with lenses that have to be attached and easily lost or broken.
I was most impressed with the macro shots but the wide angle left much to be desired due to blurred top left corner that consistently appeared. Others have had better results though so I’m hoping my results with the wide angle lens was just a fluke.
I tried cleaning the lens but it didn’t make any difference.
You can read through more reviews and see more photos taken with the X-Lens on Amazon.
For me, I’m still on a mission to find high quality lenses to go with my iPhone XR. The best reviews I’ve come across so far is from Moment (also on Amazon) which produces high quality lenses for the iPhone and other smartphones.
They’re certainly more expensive but if you’re wanting to replace a DSLR on a vacation they’re probably a very good option and I’ll be reviewing them as well. I’m most interested in the wide angle lens from Moment but macro is also available.
I’ll still be reviewing more affordable options and hopefully I’ll find something that will satisfy my picky taste when it comes to photography and share the results with you.
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