Dual-lens zoom kit pushes iPhone 7 Plus camera further

By

Hey four eyes! The Kamerar ZOOM lens attachment expands the telephoto/zoom capabilities of the dual-lens iPhone 7 Plus.
Hey four eyes! The Kamerar ZOOM lens attachment expands the telephoto/zoom capabilities of the dual-lens iPhone 7 Plus.
Photo: Ztylus and Kamerar

The geeky excitement shared by mobile photographers over the dual-camera of the iPhone 7 Plus has not waned.

And as they’ve played with the small optical zoom and blurring backgrounds in portrait mode, two small accessories companies have been quietly but furiously developing a two-lens attachment dedicated to enhancing the reach of the 7 Plus camera.

Ztylus Innovation and mobile photography accessories company Kamerar have teamed up create a dual lens zoom kit, featuring a fisheye, telephoto and macro zoom system.

Apple debuted the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus in the fall with the Plus being the breakout star of this year’s new Apple products thanks to the two lenses, one a 28 mm wide angle and the second a 56 mm telephoto with an optical 2X zoom (a digital zoom will go up to 10X).

Photographers, both novice and professional, have mostly raved about the 7 Plus camera. But the camera’s capabilities are still not enough for serious photographers to permanently shelve the range of lenses in their DSLR kit.

7 Plus lens attachment
The Kamerar ZOOM Lens Kit comes with four optics, two for macro photography, a fisheye and telephoto that gives the iPhone 7 Plus a 4X optical zoom.
Photo: Ztylus and Kamerar

“Eventually, we believe phones with dual lenses will become mainstream in the market,” Ztylus COO Thomas Chen told Cult of Mac. “A few months before the iPhone 7 Plus was launched, we already started to brainstorm on this concept based on the rumors of the new dual-lens system.

“As soon as the phone was officially launched, we confirmed our concept design and completed the testing on our optics to make the optical characteristics worked perfectly with the lenses on the phone.”

Kamerar ZOOM Lens Kit, which comes with a case and two dual-lens attachments, will be available for sale soon on the Kamerar website. No price is listed however, a sign-up for email notices for availability is now posted here.

A video demonstration, which you can view below, seems to show excellent optical quality, especially when looking at the macro zoom as it focuses in on the tiniest details of a coin.

7 Plus lens attachment
Tiny letters and numbers on this quarter look sharp with the kit’s macro zoom.
Photo: Ztylus and Kamerar

The Kamerar telephoto gives the iPhone telephoto a 4x optical zoom (with up to a 20x digital reach).

What stands out about the design is that it doesn’t stand out. Most mobile phone lens attachment, like those of olloclip or Moment, are prominent extensions of the iPhone lens. Kamerar attachments are relatively flush with the case and slide into place thanks to a track that lines it up with the two lenses of the 7 Plus.

Chen said the lenses have been tested and proven to work with iPhone software, especially when zooming in with the two macro optics of the kit.

Ztylus, which designs a number of iPhone accessories including specialty cases and lenses, developed optics while Kamerar designed the case and mechanics for the lens system, Chen said.

There were many challenges to bring quality and portability to the kit, but trying to jump out front of other companies with a special 7 Plus lens accessory and get maximum traction, until the next thing comes along, is unique among what needs to be solved.

“Since every cell phone has such a short lifespan of about a year before the next new phone is released, we have limited time to develop the products and supply the market with quality products.”

A Kamerar customer support specialist said the ZOOM kit could be available next month and interested buyers who sign up for the email notice could get a discount.

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.