Smartphone cameras get better every year – but if you're serious about taking awesome pictures, you'll need to accessorise! From tripods and clip-on lenses to the notorious selfie stick, there are all kinds of options available – here's our pick of the very best.
Whether you're jetting off on holiday, taking striking pics of the natural world or just want to snap the very best photos of your family for Facebook, this pick of superb mobile camera accessories will help you get professional-style results. Check them out for yourself – and let us know your own suggestions in the comments!
Olloclip 4-in-1 Lens
For iPhone 5 and later, iPad and Samsung Galaxy
£59.99 – £69.99
Olloclip offer a wide range of clip-on lenses for both iPhone and Samsung Galaxy devices – but for my money, this four-in-one offering represents the very best value.
The lense simply clips on to the corner of your phone with no adhesives or other accessories required – and then, you've got four professional-style lenses that dramatically increase your camera's versatility.
The 'fisheye' lens creates a wide, somewhat distorted and very distinctive image with an almost spherical appearance. This is particularly useful for capturing a wide area, and can also help you fit a massive group of friends or family in one shot! The striking appearance lends itself well to creative photography, and it's an effect you just can't achieve any other way.
There's also a wide-angle lens, which offers a compromise between a wide field of view and an accurate, non-distorted image. You'll find this particularly useful for capturing landscapes and panoramas.
Unscrew these from the main device, and you'll find two different 'macro' – that is, close-up – lenses, one offering a 10x magnification and the other 15x.
If you've ever tried to take a close-up photo of something extremely small with your smartphone camera, you'll know that the stock lenses really aren't designed for that kind of work, and will struggle to focus. Some camera apps offer a 'macro mode' – but there's really no subtitute for a proper macro lens.
What makes these lenses particularly useful is that all four are integrated into a one-piece accessory – so you can just pop the Olloclip in your bag and know that you’ve got all four lenses with you. It’s a very neat, compact package, so won’t add bulk to your bag – and at under seventy quid for three lenses, it's well worth a look to take your pictures up a level!
Photojojo Lens Series
For iPhone, Android and "any device with a lens on it" – allegedly!
Lenses from $20, five lenses and carrying pouch $99
Sticking with lenses, these offerings from Photojojo offer a little more versatility – and are also compatible with a wider range of handets.
Rather than clipping on to the corner of your phone, these lenses come with a removable adhesive metal ring, which – so the manufacturer claims – can fit around any lens. The various additional lenses then attach using powerful magnets, making it easy to snap them on and off and change your lens in an instant. However, the magnetic field is not that strong – so be careful moving the phone once it’s on, as too quick or harsh a movement could send the lens flying!
There are five different lenses on offer, which can be bought individually or as a set. A combined wide-angle/macro lens behaves as you'd expect, and alongside a conventional fisheye lens there's also a 'super fisheye' for even more dramatic effects.
In addition, there's a telephoto lense, allowing for zoomed-in shots of objects and people in the distance, and something quite unusual: a 'polariser' lens. A polarising filter darkens skies, reduces reflections and glare, and can improve the appearance of vegetation and certain other subjects. The mechanics behind this are a little complicated – although Wikipedia can fill you in if you're curious– but it's certainly worth experimenting with.
It's good to see a company trying to achieve a cross-platform solution with their lenses, and the quality of the optics is also pretty high. They might not have the convenience of the Olloclip lenses, but being able to purchase the ones you want individually is a big advantage for those who might not need a full set.
GorillaPod Stand
For any phone up to 99mm in width
$29.95
Moving on from lenses, from time to time you'll need a bit of extra stability to get that perfect shot – and, just like with a traditional camera, a simple tripod is the solution.
This offering from Joby, the GorillaPod, is my best pick from the different options available. The three legs are actually flexible – and this highly intuitive and clever design means that it can be wrapped or stuck on to a huge range of surfaces. You're not limited to standing the tripod on a flat surface: you can also wrap it around a table edge, bike handlebars or just about anything else!
The legs have rubber tips to keep the stand stable on any surface, and the mount of the standard version is capable of gripping any phone with a width of up to 72mm. This should cover most smartphones – but if you've got an ultra-wide phablet like the iPhone 6S Plus or a Galaxy Note device, there's also an 'XL' version for devices up to 99mm in width. Finally, it also comes in three different colours – so if you absolutely, positively have to have a fuchsia or sky-blue tripod, you've found it!
Anker Selfie Stick
For iPhone and Android
£10
The selfie stick is undoubtedly one of the most controversial technologies of recent years, having been banned from a number of popular tourist attractions worldwide and receiving widespread ridicule in the press as a sign of our vain, self-obsessed times.
But that's nonsense! The self-portrait is as old as art itself, and Wikipedia suggests that the first photo taken using a long pole dates back to 1925. For that reason, you should feel no shame about picking one up for yourself – and Anker's option provides some great features at a very reasonable price.
The stick itself extends to a whopping 32 inches, and the phone attachement adjusts 270 degrees to let you find the perfect angle. It'll fit phones from 2.2 to 3.3 inches wide, meaning everything from a diminutive iPhone 4 to a hefty Galaxy Note will fit, and it pairs seamlessly with your device via Bluetooth for effortless snaps at the touch of a button. It's powered by an internal rechargable battery, and you can expect 20 hours of life between charges – or about 3,000 selfies!
All of this puts it lightyears beyond cheaper, flimiser options – and at just a tenner, it's still remarkably affordable, and comes with an 18-month warranty. Okay, so it might get you some condescending looks from the snobs – but who cares when you're taking such brilliant selfies?
Phot-R Wireless Remote Camera Shutter
For iPhone and Android
£1.99
Finally, this cheap and cheerful little gadget is a must-have if you're keen to take a selfie without relying on the front-facing camera – and is also incredibly useful when paired with a tripod for super-stable shots.
For less than the price of a fancy coffee, this small dongle will pair with your phone via Bluetooth and simply let you fire the camera shutter remotely, from up to ten metres away. This means you're free to get into the shot yourself – and because it lets you take a picture without touching your phone, you won't have to disturb your painstakingly composed tripod setup.
There's really not much more to say about this one. For the price, it's a positive bargain, and an essential part of any smartphone photography toolkit.
That completes our round-up of the most essential smartphone camera accessories – but if there's anything else that you couldn't live without, let our readers know about it in the comments below!