It’s summer. You want to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine, but if you want to look something up on your phone, send a text, or read a book, it’s pretty difficult to see the display when the sun is shining. Even with the phone’s display setting at the max brightness level, the glare from the sun will make the phone’s screen appear to be almost black. Is there a solution other than going back indoors? myCharge thinks their myFlipShade will do the trick.
myFlipShade is a shade for iPhone 6 and newer iPhones including the iPhone X. It attaches to the back of the phone with sticky tape and folds flat when it’s not needed and opens up into a sun shade when you do. The plastic shade helps improve the visibility of your iPhone screen outdoors and provides a measure of privacy for people who like to look over your shoulder.
It’s priced at $9.99 and you can find it on Amazon.
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A modular photography system for iPhone focused on premium lenses and a CPL filter. Bitplay’s lenses are compatible with their iPhone cases (available for each model) as well as their Clip product if you want an alternative to cases or to use a lens on the front camera while using the SNAP! X case.
Hardware specs
Premium HD wide angle lens
Magnification: 0.604x
Minimum focus distance: 15 mm
Angle of view – Horizontal: 89.7º
Angle of view – Vertical: 102.9º
Lens construction: 6 elements in 6 groups
Dimensions: 44 (Ø) X 25.7 mm (H)
Weight: 36g
Premium HD telephoto lens Magnification: 2x
Minimum focus distance: 240 mm
Angle of view – Horizontal: 32.3º
Angle of view – Vertical: 39.8º
Lens construction: 5 elements in 4 groups
Dimensions: 44 (Ø) X 31.1 mm (H)
Weight: 53g
M52 CPL w/ adapter
Threads: M52 mm
Dimensions: 55 X 11.5 mm (CHECK DIMENSIONS)
Weight: 15.8g (lens only) (CHECK WEIGHT)
SNAP! X Dimensions: 14.4 x 7.4 x 1.65 mm
Weight: 53g
CLIP Dimensions: 35 x 37 x 18 mm
Weight: 10g
What’s in the boxes?
Premium HD Lens Series – Premium HD wide angle lens
– Premium HD telephoto lens
– M52 CPL filter, adapter and gasket
– User manuals
– Lens caps and storage bag included with each HD lens, zip storage case comes with the CPL filter
CLIP – Lens clip for iPhone, user manual
SNAP! X – Snap! camera case for iPhone X, wrist strap, extra adhesive handle, user manual
^ CLIP ^ ^ Premium HD Lens Series ^ SNAP! X camera case
CPL zip case ^ Phone leash ^ HD storage bag and lens caps
Design and features
Bitplay has approached their system from a photographer’s point of view and the result is a product that functionally and visually leans towards a point and shoot camera. For this review of their premium HD lens series, they provided the SNAP! X case as well as their clip, both of which provide the interface to your iPhone. Let’s look at the design of each of these components.
SNAP! X – The most visual aspects of the design is the retro “camera” look of the case, specifically the handle and the trigger button, both of which provide some balance to the camera mount area and lenses when attached.
The trigger button sits more proudly when the phone is installed
So how’d they get a new physical button to work where there’s no button on the iPhone? If you have an iPhone, you likely know that you can take a photo by pressing either volume button when in the camera app. Bitplay created a long lever arm that ties the new trigger button to one that presses the volume (-) button. Looking at the inside of the case you can see a small gap around the perimeter. This plate provides some internal clearance for that lever arm to freely pivot when the case is on a phone.
Most of the case is made up of PC and ABS for durability. The front edge of the case is TPU allowing for flexibility and a non-slip surface. The power and volume + buttons are part of that same injection process, and both have a good tactile response to presses. The handle is also TPU and provides a grippy surface for you to hold the whole setup with a single hand, much like a point and shoot camera.
Unique to the iPhone X model, the lens mount area has two mounting positions; one for each lens. You will only need the lower position if you’re shooting with portrait mode. The mount area is an aluminum insert which creates a butter smooth rotation for screwing in the lenses.
The lenses – The bell shape of the lenses is balanced by the curved glass lenses and it’s instantly apparent that these are not inexpensive lenses. The aluminum bodies have a silky black finish with the lens name for each cleanly printed on the side in white. That print and the telephoto being longer are the only visible differences between the two.
The flare of the bell shape extends past the peak of the glass lens allowing them to safely rest on a table if placed lens down. The mounting side has a small lens nested into the center of shallow threads for connecting to the case or CLIP with slightly more than a single 360º rotation.
Both lenses ship with front and back lens caps. The large front caps are soft, flexible and easy to use. The rear caps are stiffer, small and easy to lose.
M52 CPL Filter – The filter is designed specifically for use with these two premium HD lenses. Comes with the filter, an adapter and a TPU gasket
CLIP – The clip is designed to work on all iPhone models without a case, as well as on their SNAP series cases for the front camera.
Setup
I primarily used the SNAP! X case for this review, so let’s look at that setup first…
To put the case on, lead with the left side of the phone and start to push until both the top and bottom corners are in place, then push the right side of the phone down and into place. This is a pretty straightforward step, but I did have one install where the trigger button was fully depressed before install and the top edge of the volume (-) button got stuck between the case and the phone resulting in a couple hundred photos being taken in burst mode.
To install a lens, remove the back lens cap and screw the lens clockwise into place on the case.
To install the filter, unscrew the filter from the adapter and remove the TPU gasket. Sandwich the lens you want to use between the adapter and the gasket, then mount the lens to the case or clip. When you’re ready to use the filter, just screw it on to the front of the lens. Note that the lens cap does not fit with the filter in place. Bitplay does appear to sell that cap separately however.
To use the CLIP, unlock the clasp, slide the two faces apart and place onto your phone. Align the crosshairs for the center of your phone’s lens, squeeze the faces together and then re-lock the clasp. Now screw in the lens of your choice and you’re good to go.
Performance
The lenses are easier to use when running the case on your phone. I’ve had this case on my phone the majority of the last 4 weeks. I want to call out that fact because I usually switch cases every couple days rotating between a few favorites. I get annoyed with cases quickly and while there are a few things I’d change, the functionality is so good for what it does, that it has stayed on my phone consistently.
Using the system in the real-world brings out a couple of facts quickly. First is that this is a photography setup. The intent is for calculated shots that you’re taking the time to get right, or at least have put a lens on and you’re in ready-to-shoot mode. If something unexpected is happening, you’re unlikely to get your phone out and install a lens quickly. I’d file that under knowing what you’re getting into and not a deal breaker by any means. Second is adapting to a multiple lens scenario. We’ve gotten used to having a phone (camera) at our disposal that fits in your pocket. You can still pocket your phone with one lens, but adding a second lens and a filter and lens caps and it starts feeling pretty fidgety. Switching between lenses feels more than twice as difficult as I definitely did not want to drop a lens. If you’re transitioning from using a multiple lens camera, you’ve got a very different reference point and may not mind at all.
Let’s move past all that stuff though, because once a lens is in place on your phone (case or clip), you immediately forgot how it got there and start seeing what it can do to your photography.
Here’s comparison photos to look at. All should be clickable to zoom into the details.
Stock iPhone cameraHD Wide Angle LensStock iPhone cameraHD Wide Angle LensHD Telephoto LensStock iPhone camera HD Wide Angle Lens HD Wide Angle Lens w/ CPL Filter HD Telephoto Lens HD Telephoto Lens w/ CPKL FilterStock iPhone camera HD Wide Angle Lens HD Telephoto Lens
The lenses work pretty well for video as well. Here’s Muse playing “Uprising” at Bottlerock. This was shot with the HD Telephoto lens and otherwise would have been a lot further away.
Okay. So what’s it all mean? I was really happy with the quality of the images and the options provided by a telephoto and wide angle lens. As you can see above, the wide angle lens really opens up the field both horizontally and vertically providing an image much closer to what you actually see. The telephoto helps to solve that feeling of “I thought I was closer than that” and results in a great focused composition. Both lenses are really well made with a quality heft. They’re also easy to install and remove from the case and I guess that’s why I kept feeling a little anxious about the storage options as I’m not sure I want to find out how they’d fair if I dropped one. They’re heavy enough that I can imagine the bell of the body denting or worse… the glass lens shattering. Bitplay does offer a zipper storage case for both a single and a pair of HD lenses and I’d recommend picking up one of those if you don’t have a camera bag that would work for lenses of this size.
The CPL filter I have less to comment on. I can see some temperature differences in the images above, but I’m not sure it’s something I’d use. There is obviously a demand for filters in the traditional camera market, and similarly in the app world. Again, if you’re coming from a dedicated camera scenario then you’re likely to know if this is something you want.
I’m a huge fan of the case after using it for this review. It offers great protection to the entire phone including the front glass as the TPU edges sit proud of the screen. After using the trigger to take photos, I don’t want to go back to using the screen. It’s really easy to press without jostling the phone. The trigger does extend past the case a good bit and you will get some random photos as a result, or decreasing volume if it gets hit when you aren’t expecting it. The TPU handle is also pretty tall which works great as a handle and less great when you want your phone to lay flat on a table, or charging pad. It did not affect wireless charging, however.
What I like
The trigger button
The fit and durability of the case
Quality of the lenses and security of the mount
The TPU handle
What needs to be improved
Lens cap fidget factor when switching lenses – maybe add tethers?
Case does not lay flat when on a table (tilts phone away from you)
Volume button is really hard to get to
Lens/filter storage
Final thoughts
Bitplay has created a compelling photography system here. All the components are extremely well made, look and feel valuable. And they should, because at ~ $250 it’s a chunk of change to lay down, but the results are hard to argue with. You’ll want to be prepared to answer some questions as it’s hard not to notice either the lens or the case when you’re taking photos in public.
Prices: Multiple
$202.49 – Premium HD Lens Series (Wide Angle, Telephoto, CPL Filter)
$43.99 – SNAP! X camera case
$9.99 – CLIP Where to buy: Bitplay and Amazon Source: The sample for this review was provided by Bitplay.
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The iPhone X, the iPhone 8, and older iPhone models are the perfect gift giving category to consider this holiday season for friends and family who might have one of these popular smartphones. We’ve arranged our gift guide into sections and price for your shopping convenience. Click through to see our iPhone cases and accessories gift guide.
iPhone cases
Price range $100+
Sena Isa Crossbody Leather Hand Bag
The Universal Isa Crossbody Leather Hand Bag lists several iPhone versions that it works with, but it is a universal case that works with most phones with screens up to 5.5″. The Sena bag is made of quilted leather and has gold-finished hardware. There’s a dedicated pocket for the phone, plus other pockets for keys, cards, wallets, and the rest of your kit. It’s available in black or red for $129.95 from Sena.
We’ve been writing about and reviewing Vaja cases for over 17 years. My very first (I think) Vaja case review was for the Palm V. If a company has been around for 17 years, you can assume that they know what they are doing and Vaja definitely does. They make high-quality luxury leather cases and offer the customer a myriad of customization options from color selection to leather type.
If you want to fully protect your new iPhone X, consider the sharp looking iPhone X Leather Folio which wraps the iPhone on all sides and also provides a cover to protect the display. The cover can even wake and sleep the phone when you open and close it.
Totallee cases (and I use the word case lightly) are the thinnest phone cases I’ve ever seen and used. They add just the right amount of grip to your iPhone to help you avoid dropping it. These cases won’t help soften impact if you do happen to drop your phone, but for everyday wear and tear avoidance, they have your iPhone covered.
Platinum Genuine American Leather Folio Case for iPhone X
The Platinum Genuine American Leather Folio Case protects your iPhone X, front and back. The phone is held in a hard PC shell for extra protection. The interior is lined with microfiber, and the front flap has three card slots and a money pocket, so you can keep all your essentials with your iPhone X. It’s slim and compact, for easy carrying.
I think of Mujjo cases as a Vaja (see above) alternative for people on a budget. They don’t offer a lot of color selections, but their cases are made very well, look great, and provide good protection for drops and everyday abuse.
Wireless charging for iPhones has been a long time coming, but now that it’s finally here, you need a wireless charger like this one from Belkin. Once you have experienced wireless charging, you’ll wonder how you lived without it all these years.
We haven’t had the opportunity to review this charger from TYLT, but we’ve reviewed some of their other wireless chargers in the past and I don’t have any problems recommending them for their design and functionality. This one is compatible with the new iPhone X and iPhone 8 devices and can fast charger newer Samsung Galaxy phones too.
iOttie Easy One Touch Wireless Qi Charging Station for the car
The iOttie Wireless Qi Charging Station for the car works with the new iPhone X, iPhone 8/8 Plus, and any other Qi-wireless enabled device between 2.3″-3.3″. The One Touch lock-and-release mounting system lets you mount your device with a one-finger push. It comes with a USB cable to provide power to the charger, plus a dashboard pad for mounting to most dashboards (probably not leather nor vinyl, though). The telescopic arm allows you to adjust the angle to best see your screen.
Belkin InvisiGlass Ultra Screen Protection for iPhone X
Belkin InvisiGlass Ultra, made with Accessory Glass 2 by Corning, increases the scratch-resistance up to 3-5 times to protect your very expensive iPhone X. A chemical Ion-Exchange process strengthens the ultra-thin (0.21mm) Aluminosilicate glass, so you’ll experience up to 25% increase in drop performance to prevent screen cracking or breakage. And by the way, the Aluminosilicate glass is the same glass used in the windows of the space shuttles.
Another option to protect your iPhone’s display is the popular tempered glass protector from ZAGG which has IonMatrix technology for impact-resistant shatter protection.
Earlier this year, Julie announced WaterField’s new iPhone Camera bag. This compact little pouch has room for an iPhone X, iPhone 8/8 Plus, and many other similarly-sized phones. There’s also room for some add-on lenses, cables, and even straps on the bottom to hold a small tripod or monopod. Check out Julie’s post or the WaterField site for more info and photos.
Vloggers who use their iPhone as their primary camera will flip over this combination selfie stick/gimbal that provides buttons on the handle that let you easily control cinematic video capture smoothly and effortlessly.
Price: $299.95 Where you can buy one: Amazon and Apple
Price range $50 – $100
Mujjo Leather Touchscreen Gloves
When the weather turns cold and you start wearing gloves, you need a pair of special touchscreen compatible gloves if you want to be able to interact with your phone while wearing them. Mujjo offers a variety of touchscreen gloves including these leather gloves shown above which keep your hands warm and also allow you to use your phone.
The Kenu Stance is a small folding tripod you can carry on your keychain when it’s no being used and when needed, it attaches to the Lightning connector on your iPhone to provide a stable stand for posed selfies and video. It even has a built-in bottle opener.
Loopy cases guarantee that you’ll never drop your phone again because they provide a handy loop for your finger. Just slide over your finger and you’ll have a secure grip on your phone no matter what you’re doing.
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The NoMatterWhat Fusion Lens is a lightweight battery-free attachment for an iPhone that allows the phone’s front and rear cameras to capture seamless 360-degree content. The companion app combines and processes the images from both cameras into a 6K resolution composite image. The composite image is available as 360 view or tiny planet mode. Currently, the app is limited to 360 images but in the future, the app will be able to take 4K video. The app includes native social sharing on Facebook and Instagram. The Fusion Lens will be available on Indigogo in the near future. In the meantime, you can register your email on the NoMatterWh.at site to be notified of news regarding the lens system.
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iPhones and iPads consume content like a hungry teenager and that means it might not take long for your device’s storage to become full. And on the opposite side, how do you get content INTO your iOS device without using iTunes (I’d rather stick a fork in my eye)? Naztech has a gadget for that and it’s the Xtra Drive Mini.
The Naztech Xtra Drive Mini is a small microSD card reader that adds up to 256GB to your iOS device. The adapter comes with a 16GB microSD card and once you insert it into the Xtra Drive Mini, it becomes a “hard drive” that you can use to store and transfer files to and from your iPhone and iPad.
You can also stream media directly from the microSD card to the iOS device without transferring it into the device’s memory.
One side of the Xtra Drive Mini has a Lightning connector and the other side has a USB 2.0 connector that you can use to plug it into your Mac or PC.
You can read more about the Naztech Xtra Drive Mini at naztech.com and buy one for $49.99 from Amazon.
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SNAP! X camera case
CPL zip case ^ Phone leash ^ HD storage bag and lens caps
The trigger button sits more proudly when the phone is installed
