Phones come with pretty incredible camera systems these days, but there's always a compromise somewhere. Some phones have great primary cameras, but no ultra-wide or telephoto lenses to fall back on. In other cases, those secondary lenses are present but take far lower quality photos compared to the main camera. The Moment Photo Case and other attachable photography accessories give you the best of both worlds, letting you use your phone's primary sensor with the versatility of different perspectives and focal lengths.
Best Overall: Moment Photo Case
If you're someone who likes to take a lot of photos (or videos) on your phone, you've probably either picked up a phone with multiple cameras or considered buying one in the future. Those secondary (and often times, tertiary) cameras are great for added versatility, but they never quite match the quality of your primary sensor.
Even the best single lens can't beat a collection of dedicated lenses for any situation.
The Moment Photo Case allows you to use your phone more like a pocketable DSLR, with interchangeable lenses that make use of your phone's best camera, and optional accessories like wrist straps, neck straps, and pouches. The case itself comes in canvas and wood options, and the camera cutouts are shaped to accept Moment's various lens options.
You can choose from an 18mm wide-angle lens, a 58mm telephoto, a 14mm super fisheye, a 25mm macro, or even an anamorphic lens aimed at videographers looking to get that cinematic effect. Each lens is compatible with every phone Moment makes a case for, which includes recent flagships from brands like Samsung, Google, and OnePlus.
The downside? These lenses are expensive, ranging anywhere from double to even quadruple the price of the case itself. That's still relatively affordable compared to similar lenses meant for DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, but it still totals out to a significant portion of your phone's total cost. These lenses allow your phone to take entirely new kinds of photos, but it's up to you and how often you take pictures to determine whether that's worth the expense.
Best Value: RhinoShield SolidSuit
RhinoShield's lenses are dramatically cheaper than Moment's, and the SolidSuit line of cases is far more customizable — you can change everything from the print on the back to the color of the buttons. You have fewer lenses to choose from compared to Moment, however, and RhinoShield doesn't support most modern flagships (with the exception of the Galaxy S10 series). Still, if you have an older device, this could be the right option for you.
Best Universal Option: Olloclip Essential Lenses
Olloclip offers a variety of single- and multi-lens attachments that fit onto almost phone, with options for telephoto, wide-angle, macro, and more. The clip obstructs part of your phone's display, but it doesn't affect touch operation and can be a great options for phones unsupported by Moment and RhinoShield.
Bottom line
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There are a lot of photo cases around, but these three are the only ones we'd recommend. They hit a few different audiences and while you might not be able to use all of them, depending on your phone, there should be something for everyone. Just make sure you check to make sure your phone is supported before making a purchase, especially since a lot of these are expensive.
However, out of all the options here we recommend the Moment Photo Case. Its lenses are expensive, but the image quality is well worth it if your phone is your primary camera — and let's be honest, phone cameras are more than good enough these days for most people. If you're on a budget, though, or your phone is unsupported by Moment, there are a few great alternatives.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Hayato Huseman is a recovering trade show addict and video editor for Android Central based out of Indianapolis. He can mostly be found complaining about the cold and enthusing about prog metal on Twitter at @hayatohuseman.
