Olloclip vs. Moment vs. Sandmarc vs. ShiftCam: iPhone Telephoto Shootout

The iPhone X, XS and XS Max all have second lenses that let you get twice as close to the action, but what if you want to get even closer? Four companies — Moment, Sandmarc, ShiftCam and Olloclip — offer premium telephoto lenses for the iPhone, but each costs at least $80. Before dropping a lot of cash on a new lens, though, it's good to know not only which one takes the best pictures, but also which is the easiest to use.

We tested all four lenses to crown a winner, and our top pick is the ShiftCam 2.0. Here's why.

iPhone Telephoto Lens Specs

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Row 0 - Cell 0 Moment Tele 58mm LensOlloclip Telephoto Pro LensSandmarc Telephoto Lens EditionShiftCam 2.0 Telephoto ProLens
Price$99 (lens), $23.99 (case)$99 (lens), $29 (clip)$99 (lens and case)$79 (lens), $24.99 (case)
Zoom Factor2X2X2X2X
Mount StyleBayonetClip onScrewScrew/slide
Works withiPhone 6 and up, OnePlus 6/6T, Google Pixel and up, Galaxy Note 8, S8+ and upiPhone SE, iPhone 7 and up, universal clipiPhone 7 and up, universal clipiPhone 7 and up
Size (inches)1.5 (diameter) x 1.11.7 (diameter) x 1.21.6 (diameter) x 1.11.8 (diameter) x 1.1
Weight (ounces)2.62.42.22.6

Price and What's Included

Olloclip's Telephoto Pro lens is $99. The lens is sold on its own, so you'll have to purchase an iPhone-specific clip (starting at $19, but $29 for iPhone X models). However, with the clip, you can use the lens not only with both rear iPhone cameras, but also with the front camera. The company also makes a universal clip that will work with Android phones.

Moment's lens is $99, but you also have to purchase a case, which starts at $23.99. The company sells cases for the iPhone 7 and later (an iPhone XS case is $29); Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and S8 and later; and Pixel phones. The company does not have a universal clip.

Sandmarc's telephoto lens is $99 but also comes with a case specific to your iPhone model (iPhone 7 and later). In addition, it has a universal clip-on mount, which you can turn to if you don't want to use this lens with the case. The clip also lets you use the lens with other phones.

ShiftCam’s 2.0 Telephoto ProLens is $79, but you'll need to purchase a case separately for $24.99. The company makes cases only for iPhones (iPhone 7 and later).

Winner: Sandmarc. It's the only company that includes a case with its lens, and it comes with a universal clip that works with other smartphones.

Design

Olloclip's lens uses the company's unique Connect X system — a spring-loaded clip that makes it easy to switch between the iPhone's cameras, including the front camera. However, this lens is the bulkiest of the group. Also, it can wobble a little inside the mount; we were concerned enough with the movement that we requested a second clip from Olloclip, but we found that the wobble didn't affect the performance.

Olloclip

Olloclip

Moment's lens has a bayonet-style attachment, which made it easy to switch between the iPhone's cameras. While small, which made me concerned that it could snap off the case more easily than the other lenses, it felt very secure.

Moment

Moment

Sandmarc's lens has a nice, wide opening and can also be used with either of the iPhone's rear cameras. Unlike with the other lenses, you can screw on filters to the front of the lens. However, it has a screw mount, so it took longer to switch than the others, and it was more finicky.

Sandmarc

Sandmarc

ShiftCam's lenses also have screw mounts, but the lenses screw into a plastic tab that can easily be slid in and out of the iPhone case. The plastic tab feels a little flimsy, though.

Shiftcam

Shiftcam

Winner: Moment. This is a tough call. Moment wins this round, though, as its bayonet-style mount was easy and fast to use. Olloclip and ShiftCam's mounts were also easy to use, but they are bulkier.

MORE: Best iPhone Camera Lenses - Wide Angle, Macro & Zoom Kits 

Performance

To test the iPhone telephoto lenses, I took images inside the main hall of Grand Central Terminal, as well as of the clock and facade outside the station.

Inside Grand Central Terminal

Shooting inside the somewhat dark terminal produced images that were quite grainy across the board. Still, there were clear winners.

iPhone sample photo without telephoto lens (control image). Click to expand.

iPhone sample photo without telephoto lens (control image). Click to expand.

The Sandmarc, Moment and ShiftCam lenses all produced good images, but ShiftCam's lens showed the least amount of chromatic aberration around the glowing Apple logos. (This effect appeared as purpleish fringing, most noticeably around the edges of objects.)

Sandmarc (click to expand)

Sandmarc (click to expand)

Moment (click to expand)

Moment (click to expand)

Shiftcam (click to expand)

Shiftcam (click to expand)

Olloclip (click to expand)

Olloclip (click to expand)

Olloclip's lens performed the worst of the bunch, as the outer edges of its photo were more noticeably distorted and blurry than the other lenses' pictures. A company representative said that the issue could be the result of the phone moving as we took the photo, but we used the Olloclip under the same conditions as the other lenses.

Winner: ShiftCam

Outside Grand Central

Olloclip's lens displayed the same distortion in all but the middle of the frame.

iPhone sample photo without telephoto lens (control image). Click to expand.

iPhone sample photo without telephoto lens (control image). Click to expand.

As with the indoor shot, all three lenses were quite close in their output. Looking toward the lower right, where the building meets the sky, Moment's lens had more purple fringing than ShfitCam's and Sandmarc's lenses. ShiftCam's image was just a hair bit sharper than Sandmarc's.

Sandmarc (click to expand)

Sandmarc (click to expand)

Moment (click to expand)

Moment (click to expand)

Shiftcam (click to expand)

Shiftcam (click to expand)

Olloclip (click to expand)

Olloclip (click to expand)

Winner: ShiftCam

Overall Winner: ShiftCam 2.0

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Row 0 - Cell 0 MomentOlloclipSandmarcShiftCam
Price/Value (30)20223026
Design (20)20181218
Performance (50)44304850
Total Score (out of 100)84709094

 
1st Place: ShiftCam 2.0 Telephoto ProLens

After we assigned points for each round, Shiftcam 2.0 came out the winner. While it's not the lowest-priced kit (you'll spend a little over $100 on the lens and the case), we liked the ease with which we could swap out the lenses, and the quality was top-notch on the photos taken using this lens.

2nd Place: Sandmarc Telephoto Lens Edition

In second place was Sandmarc. The quality of the photos we took using its lenses was on a par with that of ShiftCam's, and it had the best price among the competition — $100 gets you not only the lens, but also a case and a universal clip. However, we weren't fans of the screw mount, as it took much longer to take the lens on and off the case than with the other lenses.

3rd Place: Moment Tele 58mm Lens

Coming in third was Moment. The photos it captured were nearly as good as ShiftCam's — you have to look close to spot the differences — and its bayonet-style mount was among the easiest to use for attaching the lens to the camera. However, the cost of the lens and the case ties Olloclip for the most expensive, but unlike with Olloclip, you can't use the lens with the front camera.

4th Place: Olloclip Telephoto Pro Lens

Olloclip came in last. One of the company's enduring legacies is its inventive clip system, which not only makes it a cinch to attach lenses to your iPhone, but also lets you use the lenses with the iPhone's front camera. Unfortunately, the quality of the photos was below that of the competition, which is ultimately the reason for getting a premium lens.

Credit: Tom's Guide

Mike Prospero
U.S. Editor-in-Chief, Tom's Guide

Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.