Are Moment lenses worth it? An honest opinion

Although smartphone camera lenses get better with every new release, you can still take even more inspiring shots with add-on lenses from Moment. But are they still worth buying? 

Moment lenses are worth buying for photographers that want to improve the capability of their mobile camera. The cutting-edge design, clearly sharper images, and no noticeable distortion and blurry vignettes impress many smartphone photographers. 

The Moment Anamorphic lens was even rated number #1 in the ‘Best Mobile Lenses’ category five years straight by The Wirecutter. “This 1.33x Anamorphic Lens can give your smartphone photos a cinematic look with distinguished horizontal flares, something that even the latest triple setup iPhone cameras can’t do yet.”

At first, I thought, what is the point of using an add-on lens to your smartphone? The quality of the camera, its sensor, and megapixels won’t change by using a lens. But after using multiple lenses, I can say it is an improvement. 

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Let’s see what else Moment has to offer and why their lenses can positively impact your photographs. You can buy your own Moment lenses on Amazon or in the Moment Shop.

Why are Moment lenses better than other add-ons?

The Moment lenses are made of high-quality glass, materials, and construction. They are solidly built, which reflects the results. You won’t be bothered by distortion and vignettes other cheaper lenses tend to have. Photos I took with Moment lenses demonstrate superb sharpness and clarity.

The Moment lenses will remain firmly attached to your phone because of the additional photo case that needs to be purchased. You can easily twist the lens in the same way you would with a DSLR camera lens. The Moment lenses won’t be able to move around like clip-on lenses tend to do. Therefore, you won’t have to worry about placing them correctly to avoid vignettes, lens flare, and distortion. 

Last but not least, you will get a lifetime warranty on manufacturing defects. It goes without saying that you have to use the lens properly, and the warranty does not cover misuse and adjustments.

Built-in ultra-wide-angle lens vs. Moment wide lens

As we stated in the introduction of this blog, many mid-range and high-end phones have improved and added built-in wide-angle, telephoto, and ultra-wide-angle lenses. So is a Moment lens still an improvement? 

Yes, it can be an improvement. Using the Moment’s 18 mm wide lens, for example, allows you to shoot in low-light situations much better with a similar focal length as an iPhone 11 Pro built-in ultra-wide-angle lens. You can even use the Moment lens with night mode, which is impossible with the built-in ultra-wide-angle lens. 

It all depends on the make and model of your phone. 

Are there downsides to Moment smartphone lenses?

Depending on your photography budget, using Moment lenses come with three possible downsides. 

• They are much more expensive than other kits on the market. 
• You will need a Moment case to attach the lens to your smartphone camera. 
• They are not compatible with all mobile phones BUT, 
• Luckily Moment has designed a lens mount for all other smartphones so that every photographer can use the Moment lenses!

Which smartphones are compatible with moment lenses?

Although many midrange and high-end iPhones, Google, and Samsung phones are compatible with Moment Cases (and therefore lenses). If you want to use a moment lens with, let’s say, Huawei, Motorola, and Xiaomi smartphones, you can use an M-Series Lens Mount.

The M-Series Moment Lenses are compatible with and available for these smartphones:

iPhones:
iPhone 6/6s (sold out), 6/6s Plus, 7/8/SE2, 7/8 Plus, X, XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, 13 Mini, Pro, Pro Max

Pixel:
Pixel, XL, 2, 2 XL, 3, 3 XL, 3a, 3a XL, 4, 4a, 4 XL, 5, 6, 6 Pro

Samsung Galaxy:
Note 8, Note 9, Note 10, Note 10+, S8 / S8+, S9 / S9+, S10 / S10+, S10e, S20, S20+, S20 Ultra, S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

OnePlus:
OnePlus 6, 6T, 7 Pro

The O-Series Moment Lenses are compatible with:
iPhones: iPhone 4/4s, 5/5s/se, 6/6s, 6/6s Plus

The O stands for original lenses made in 2014.

If the Moment cases are not available for your smartphone, you can fill out this survey to request to produce it shortly. That’s no guarantee, however, that they will create a case compatible with your phone. But it does not hurt to try. 

Where are the Moment lenses made of?

When I opened the Moment lens kit for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised by its feel. It’s quite heavy for an add-on lens. You can feel the quality of the lens by its sturdiness. It made me wonder what kind of materials they use to create these lenses; it turned out to be pretty awesome!  

The Moment lenses are made of aerospace-grade metal and hand-polished glass used for high-end 4K lenses. Moment has created an aspheric lens that delivers an edge-to-edge image quality with built-in distortion correction and true 18 mm focal length. 

You can mount to the Moment phone case with a twist and lock system. If you change your phone, you will have to change the case as well. 

All lenses come with a small pouch and front cap cover to protect them from dust and dirt. Remember to put the lens in the bag after use because it is quite challenging to clean its back. 

➽ More on Moment lenses and cases in this blog post. Are they waterproof?

What kind of lenses does Moment produce?

Moment has five different smartphone lenses on the market at the Moment:

1. Wide-angle 18mm lens
2. Tele 58 mm lens 
3. Fisheye 14 mm lens
4. Macro lens
5. Anamorphic lens

Moment wide-angle lens

• weight: 76.2 grams
• height: 28.7 mm
• diameter: 39.5 mm
• 18 mm lens (focal length)
• 7.25″ (19.05mm) minimum focal distance
• <0.5% distortion
• < 1px chromatic aberation at edge
• .63X magnification ratio
• multi-layer, low flare broadband anti-reflection lens coating
• lifetime warranty
• compatible with M-series cases
• check current price

Budget tip: Moment offers ‘open box’ products for a lower price, you can find them here.

What kind of photography asks for the use of a wide-angle lens? 

A wide-angle lens is a lens with a wide-angle view, which allows you to capture more in one scene. I use it for vast landscapes, city photography, and architecture. You can get incredibly close to the subject and still get everything in the frame. It is excellent for exaggerating the vastness of things or the use of negative space. Try it on portraits with a busy background (like a market or street) as well; it will blow your mind. 

Moment telephoto lens

• weight: 73,1 grams
• height: 27.58 mm
• diameter: 39.5 mm
• 58 mm lens (focal length)
• 7.25″ (19.05mm) minimum focal distance
• <0.75% distortion
• < 1px chromatic aberration at edge
• multi-layer, low flare broadband anti-reflection lens coating
• lifetime warranty
• compatible with M-series cases
• check current price

Budget tip: Moment offers ‘open box’ products for a lower price, you can find them here.

When should I use a Telephoto lens?

If you want to take images of further away subjects, you want to use a telelens with optical zoom. Preferably zoom with your feet, but use a telelens when that’s impossible. The lens will get you as close to a distant subject as possible. 

Moment fisheye lens

• weight: 73,1 grams
• height: 27.58 mm
• diameter: 35.5 mm
• 14 mm equivalent with 170 degrees (diagonal) FOV over 6 mm image (focal length)
• 0.63″ (15.88 mm) minimum focal length
• f/1.7 aperture
• 0.517x focal Magnification (2x optical zoom on the single-lens camera and up to 4x optical zoom on a telephoto lens)
• < 1.5pm lateral chromatic aberration at edge
• multi-layer, low flare broadband anti-reflection lens coating
• lifetime warranty
• compatible with M-series cases
• check current price

Budget tip: Moment offers ‘open box’ products for a lower price, you can find them here.

What would you use a Fisheye lens for?

Fisheye lenses are great for super creative photographers. At first, you might not know what to do with it, but it quickly becomes one of your favorite lenses. You can use it while pointing up and shooting interesting shots from tall buildings and trees. Or you can create stunning behind the scene shots and funky portraits.

A fisheye typically curves straight lines. So if you photograph round subjects like tubes, stairways, intersections, and chapel sealings the curving gets less noticeable. Beware of distortion around the edges of the images, it is especially present when you get closer to the subject.

To make the horizon appear to be straight, place it near the center of the frame. It will appear to be concave while tilting the lens upwards, and convex with the lens downwards. Practice really does make perfect! Here are some great examples of fisheye lens images:

Moment macro lens

• weight: 34.7 g (39.7 g with diffuser)
• height: 15.3 mm (33.7 with diffuser)
• diameter: 34.5 mm (44.4 with diffuser)
• 25 mm focal length
• 0.69″ (17.46 mm) minimum focal distance
• 18.5 mm flange working distance 
• < 1px chromatic aberration at edge
• multi-layer, low flare broadband anti-reflection lens coating
• lifetime warranty
• compatible with M-series cases
• check current price

Budget tip: Moment offers ‘open box’ products for a lower price, you can find them here.

What can you use a smartphone Macro lens for?

With a macro lens, you can create tag sharp, detailed, close-up images of all kinds of subjects like flower petals, plant leaves, insects, fruit, human eyes, or water droplets. A macro lens is designed for smartphone photographers who want to take images of very small objects at close range.

You will need a tripod and remote shutter to get sharp results. You can find my favorite tripod and wireless remote on the recommended gear page of this website.

Here are a few examples of macro shots taken with a macro lens:

Moment anamorphic lens

• weight: 37.6 grams
• height: 21.85 mm
• length: 33.25 mm
• width: 30.25 mm
• 58 mm lens (focal length)
• vintage anamorphic barrel-type distortion
• 2.40:1 cinemascope (after de-squeeze)
• 1.33x horizontal squeeze magnification ratio
• multi-layer, low flare broadband anti-reflection lens coating
• lifetime warranty
• compatible with M-series cases, the mount can rotate 90 degrees
• check current price for Anamorphic Blue lens
• check current price for Anamorphic Gold lens

Budget tip: Moment offers ‘open box’ products for a lower price, you can find them here.

What are anamorphic lenses and what is their purpose?

An anamorphic lens creates a cinematic look to your photographs. This lens has an ultra-wide rectangular aspect ratio with long horizontal flares. Using an anamorphic lens means choosing a wide aspect ratio, incredible depth of field, and a distinct, oval-shaped bokeh. The lens will change the dimensions of an image on one axis. It means you’re taking a wider field of view and squeezing that same image onto a narrower sensor.

The Moment Anamorphic lens with blue flare brings you back to the early 1960’s cinematic look. You can create a brighter, sci-fi-looking flare while shooting into headlights, street lights, or directional lights.

Here is an example of a smartphone image taken with the Anamorphic Moment Lens:

➽ More on Moment lenses and cases in this blog post. Are they waterproof?

Fun fact about Moment lenses

Did you know that the Moment production began with a Kickstarter adventure back in 2013? It all started with wide-angle and telephoto lenses for smartphones. Since then, they have come a long way with more smartphones, DSLR lenses, filters, gear bags, organizers, storage, lessons, and even photography trips. There is something for every photographer in their online store.