As long as smartphone photography remains as robust as it is, developers will keep introducing new phone photography accessories. The new PhoneMicro kit 3-in-1 is one of their new arrivals, and they can be purchased individually.
(Although Apexel provided the review sample, this post has no affiliate links.)
The PhoneMicro 5 Contents
The PhoneMicro 3-in-1 Kit has three lens-light modules that can be swapped depending on the magnification needs. The box contains one phone mount, three lens-light modules, a charging cable, instructions, and a small carrying bag.
Here are the box and its contents very tightly and safely packed.
Click on the images to see them larger, uncropped, and read their titles.
The Apexel PhoneMicro Kit parts seem solid but lightweight. The lens-light modules mount on the phone clamp easily. But be careful as it may seem securely in place with one hook still not snapped. I was not careful the first time I swapped the lenses and later noticed that I did not push it hard enough to make both sides snap. Here are some pictures to explain the possible incomplete mount. At such close working distances, a tiny bit of tilt may affect the image quality quite a bit.
If you look at the second image, you will see the slight tilt of the lens module. As you can see in the following pictures, the phone clamp has holes in which the hooks on the lens modules snap. Ensure that both top and bottom hooks are snapped into their respective holes.
The Lights
The circular light around the lens is bright enough for that millimetric distance. It has three levels of illumination, natural and warm light options, and even directionality from the right or left if needed. I charged them all using the USB-C connection at their ends reasonably quickly. Before mounting the lens on the clamp, you should familiarize yourself with the light control buttons.
In Use
Once you familiarize yourself with the pieces, buttons, and their functions, carefully mount the clamp on your phone. At its leftmost position, the lens mount would not align with the lenses on my Samsung S22 without its case. The case helped by pushing the lens side of the mount out enough to align the lens hole with the phone lens. If you do not have a suitable case you may need to use padding inside the clamp. They provide several pieces of padding probably for this purpose.
A case on the camera may slightly increase the distance between the phone and the PhoneMicro kit lens. After you align the lens mount hole with the phone lens, tighten the metal screw at the top to prevent it from sliding.
I found removing the lens and aligning the hole in front of the phone lens easier. Once they were aligned, I snapped the lens module on it. It still needed a little up-and-down nudging while looking at the phone screen.
The lens modules must come close, 10 mm for the 100x, or touch the surface photographed for the other two modules. I started with the 150x module as I could rest it on the surface. The circular light around the lens is a requirement as no other light can creep in.
Ease Of Use
The kit uses the phone camera controls you are familiar with. Once the lens is in place, and the light is turned on, I found the easiest things to photograph were the surfaces where you can rest the lens with a slight support at the other end of the phone with your fingers. Depending on the camera controls you want to use, you can adjust the exposure, the focus point, framing, image format, etc. I used the PRO mode on my Samsung Galaxy S22 and captured both JPEG and RAW versions of each photo to try, it worked fine.
Pinch zooming in and out is available and it may be necessary to eliminate the corner vignetting possibly due to slight lens misalignment. The light never felt insufficient. I could not properly use the UV light option. You may be better versed in when to use UV light.
The Manual
Like most similar products, the printed user guide comes in multiple languages. But, the text size was too small for my eyes, so I scanned the English pages and created a PDF file. One advantage of using the digital manual is the side-by-side placement of the images and their titles on the other page.
In Use
Mounting the frame on the phone without the case and adjusting its vertical position is easier. However, the kit lens mount does not go far enough to align with the phone lens. Also, ease of vertical movement for adjustment can become a problem in use as it moves at the slightest touch. My quite thin phone case provided the right amount of padding to bring the lens opening in front of the phone lens. I began with the 150x lens module as I could lay it on the surface I wanted to photograph.
Finding subjects that may yield interesting photographs at this magnification is challenging because I have never seen the details this close and big. So, I hopped from one subject to another amazed at the patterns starting with the shirt I was wearing and moving outdoors to find good subjects. I will share some with you, mainly to show the potential of microscopic photography using your smartphone. Keep in mind: Flat surfaces are easier to photograph than three-dimensional subjects.
An Experiment in Focus Stacking
Many of the things I wanted to photograph had at least a little depth preventing me from getting a sharper whole. I thought I would experiment with focus stacking. I found a suitable support for the phone and positioned it on top of what I wanted to photograph. When the image appeared, I touched on different points to get them in sharper focus and captured several almost identical frames.
I brought them in Photoshop as layers, using the Edit menu, I auto-aligned the images and seamlessly blended them. The results had a little more depth. Here you can see black caraway, sumac, and maple seeds I picked up in the front yard. The first group will show the process. To get a better idea of scale look at the maple leaves photographed without the PhoneMicro attachment. They were about 3/4″ at most and probably 1/8″ at the thickest parts.
And, here are more samples.
The rest of the photographs are single frames of various subjects. You will notice that the flatter the subject, the sharper the picture. Small bumps. curves and wrinkles can get those areas a little out of focus. Here are the rest of the test photographs I took.
Conclusion
- The Apexel PhoneMicro 5 Kit can add plenty of potential to your photography
- It may be of interest to students studying science subjects in school
- Even everyday subjects may yield interesting photographs
- Nature may have great potential from fallen leaves to bird feathers
- Position the PhoneMicro lens in front of your phone’s standard camera lens and center it
- If you see dark corners, you need to zoom in on the phone screen which will increase the magnification and eliminate vignetting
- If you zoom in or out too much, your phone may shift to another lens and you will lose the image through the PhoneMicro 5 lens. If you want to try it on a different lens on your camera, reposition and start fresh
- Favor close-to-flat subjects if you want sharp photographs, although unsharp parts may add depth
- Let the Apexel lens touch or get close to the subject for optimum focus
- Every piece of dust on the subject may look gigantic, dust them off
- Try the phone clamp with and without the phone case to see which one gives you better focus and grip
Recommendations
- I wish the clamp were similar to another I reviewed with tripod screw holes and a more positive grip on bare phones, I could have mounted it on a tripod
- Phone surfaces are very slick, I wonder if there is a way to make the parts of the clamp that touch the phone more rubbery for a better grip
- A little more explanation of how and when to use the UV light will be welcome, I gather they can be useful for observing banknotes and fluorescent substances
- Consider offering PDF user guides in multiple languages, it is simple and easier to read
Haluk Atamal
Very interesting accessory and useful, too. Thanks for sharing this Cemal. One can discover a whole new universe at such magnifications without investing huge amounts for the existing SLR machines.
Your comment “Every piece of dust on the subject may look gigantic, dust them off” is easier read than done. 100% is almost impossible from my own macro experience.
I am looking forward to the date when it will be available also in Turkey.
Take care and best regards,
Haluk
A. Cemal Ekin
It is indeed a different experience, seeing things in such great detail. And, at such an affordable price. Curious minds will jump with joy!
Take care,
Cemal
janice Wee
Thank you Cemal Ekin for your objective review and suggestions, which are very helpful for Apexel to produce better and better products.
Regarding your first suggestion, in the early stage of product design, we considered continuing the clamp design of the 100mm set, but after many tests, we found that when the tripod is connected to this clamp, the gravity will be concentrated on the head of the mobile phone, which is uncomfortable to use and not ergonomic. Therefore, our solution to this problem is that we will provide an additional tripod connection option.
Second, Apexel will design a photography handle for our mobile phone lens and microscope series in the future to solve this problem.
Third, we will make relevant videos on our website later to help customers better understand how UV lamps work for us.
Fourth, we will add PDF manuals for our products on the Apexel official website later for online reading.
Apexel Marketing representative
A. Cemal Ekin
Janice, thank you for commenting and addressing the points I made. These reviews serve the users by contributing to product improvement.
Take care,
Cemal