The Aukey Optic Pro is a wide-angle lens attachment that works with the iPhone. Thanks to its clip that can accommodate a wide variety of devices, it also works with many other tablet or phone form factors.
The main benefit to using an attachment like the Optic Pro is that you can gain a wider field of view while shooting photos or videos. This means that you don’t have to move further away from your subject to capture more scenery in frame.
If you’re an avid iPhone photographer, you can immediately see the benefits that a device like this can bring to the table. Not only does it quickly lend a wider field of view, but it’s portable, and can be added and removed in mere seconds.
But the Aukey Optic Pro isn’t without its shortcomings. Is the $44.99 device worth it? Check out our full video walkthrough for the answer.
The actual name of the device is the Aukey Professional HD Wide-Angle iPhone Camera Lens. That’s a mouthful of a name, so we’ll just stick with Optic Pro, since that’s what Aukey refers to it as on Amazon.
Inside the package, you’ll find the Optic Pro, a clip, a lens cap, carrying case, and a microfiber cleaning cloth. The first thing I noticed about the Optic Pro is that the housing for the glass is made of aluminum, not plastic. That’s a nice touch that’ll increase the longterm durability of the device.
Once you connect the clip to the Optic Pro, it’s just a matter of aligning the hole up with the iPhone’s camera lens, while letting the soft nub from the clip rest against the opposite side of the iPhone. The loop from the clip ensures that there will almost always be enough clearance for the device to work with a wide variety form factors. Yes, it worked with my iPad Pro, and it even worked with my MacBook to give the FaceTime camera a much wider viewing angle.
While I certainly appreciate the fact that I can instantly garner a wider field of view on a variety of my devices in a matter of seconds, there are some considerations that you’ll need to make before using the Optic Pro.
First and foremost, I wouldn’t use this attachment for mission critical projects. More and more people are replacing traditional cameras for smartphones, but the Optic Pro introduces some issues that you’ll definitely need to consider before implementing it into your workflow.
The biggest issue I had with the Optic Pro was its tendency to deliver soft focus. During my tests, I always used tap-to-focus after adding or removing the Optic Pro.
Compared to the naked iPhone 6s camera, I noticed a softer look when using the lens attachment, especially around the edges of a photo or video while shooting bright scenes. You could probably finesse the tap-to-focus, and physically move the iPhone to gain greater clarity, but you’re simply not going to be able to capture the same sharpness that you can by using the camera sans attachment.
Without the Optic Pro
With the Optic Pro
Without the Optic Pro
With the Optic Pro
I also noticed a slight color tinge, again, most noticeable in bright shots. That’s not a huge deal, as you can always correct color in post if your turnaround time allows for it.
The Aukey Optic Pro is far from perfect, but its near instant connectivity and ability to work with a variety of devices makes it worth considering. If you’re looking to gain quick access to a wide angle view on multiple devices, then perhaps you should give the Aukey Optic Pro a shot. You can purchase it for $44.99 on Amazon.