Photojojo's Telephoto Lens for iPhone 5 and Joby GripTight GorillaPod: Review and giveaway
Our buddies at Photojojo love to send us new accessories for iOS devices, and we just love to report about these sometimes wacky and usually useful products as they come through. Today's entry is something that looks a bit absurd, but could be really useful if you choose to make your iPhone 5 your only camera. The Mobile Telephoto Lens for iPhone 5 (US$35) is just what you need to spy on your neighbors take close-up photos of that bird of prey on the fence 200 feet from you. Let's take a quick look at this latest photographic tool, and then you can enter to win this lens and a Joby GripTight GorillaPod Stand ($30) courtesy of Photojojo and TUAW.
Mobile Telephoto Lens for iPhone 5
This rather generic lens set actually comes as a kit. You get the telephoto lens, a cleaning cloth, a universal holder (for mounting the case/lens to a tripod), a mini tripod, an iPhone 5 case, and a carrying bag for the lens. As Photojojo likes to point out, this lens -- which produces a magnification of 12X -- is "like a Sigma 500mm lens for your DSLR."
To be completely honest, the lens looks a bit goofy on the included iPhone case. It's made out of shiny plastic and has a rubber grip that's used to focus the lens from close range (3 meters) to infinity. The lens screws into a plastic mount on the included case. That case? Well, it's not exactly the coolest iPhone 5 case I've ever seen, and it offers no protection for the bottom or top of the phone, but it's really designed for the sole purpose of mounting that humongous lens onto your iPhone.
Now I have to admit that I didn't get to test the lens, as my iPhone 5 isn't supposed to arrive for at least ten more days. The images you see here are from the Photojojo site, and are indicative of the magnification that you can expect. They don't show it in these photos, but Photojojo does note that you'll get a bit of vignetting around the edges of your image. Buyer beware!
The universal holder and mini tripod are a nice touch -- they'll be useful for holding future iPhone products steady even if the company changes the size and shape of the phone.
What's more useful than just a little tripod? How about a Joby GripTight GorillaPod Stand?
Joby GripTight GorillaPod Stand
Joby is a design house that has been around for about six years, with the GorillaPod flexible tripod being an instant success with the photography crowd. The flexibility of the GorillaPod design makes it possible to wrap the "legs" around tree branches, chair arms, or anything else that happens to be handy. Now the company has come out with the GripTight GorillaPod Stand ($29.95) to hold your iPhone -- or practically any other smartphone -- in place for steady shooting.
The GripTight part of this stand is a spring-loaded adapter that holds smartphones ranging in width from 2.1" (54 mm) to 2.8" (72 mm). Just for reference, the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 are all 2.31" (58.6 mm) in width, while the Samsung Galaxy S III is a whopping 2.78" (70.6 mm) wide. The GripTight holds 'em all, and folds flat for easy carrying. I suppose one could mount the GorillaPod on a shoulder like a pirate's parrot for hands-free carrying...
Anyway, the GripTight and the GorillaPod are perfect for any iPhone or iPod touch in just about any case, so you don't have to worry about shedding your protection just to put your device onto a tripod.
Giveaway
It's not that long until the holidays, so we're getting into the giving mood here at TUAW. Some lucky reader is going to win the Photojojo Mobile Telephoto Lens for iPhone 5 and the Joby GripTight GorillaPod stand. Here are the rules for the giveaway:
Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button.
The entry must be made before November 16, 2012 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time.
You may enter only once.
One winner will be selected and will receive both a Photojojo Mobile Telephoto Lens for iPhone 5 and a Joby GripTight GorillaPod stand, valued at a total of US$65.
