The $15 iPhone 4 and 4s Macro Lens

When it comes time to take a picture of something small or you need to get really close to the object, you really need a Macro Lens. There are a variety of options on the market. Most look like little funnels that are held onto your iPhone 4 with a stick on metal ring and a magnet inside of the lens. I had an issue with three versions of these on the market where the ring blocked the iPhone’s flash. While I don’t use the flash much of ever for photography, I do use it as a flashlight every night for the last mile to the bedroom. Yea, it’s the little things in life.

While doing a project to make a small plastic object over on Shapeways, I happened upon this offering. It is the plastic bit that slides over the corner of your iPhone’s body. Very easy to go on/off and it fits in my pocket. The person who is offering this $11 lens holder points to Surplus Shed and the part number to buy the $4 lens. People are posting up other lenses that also fit in holder. Of course, the holder is precision built so it won’t work if you have a case on your iPhone.

 

From the developer:

“Print this model and then buy the glass lens for $4 from Surplus Shed (http://www.surplusshed.com/). The Surplus Shed part number is L4471. The lens fits in a recess in the model and is held in place with a few tiny drops of Superglue. If you get any glue on the lens it can cleaned off with nail polish remover or acetone. The lens is plano-convex (one side is flat). When inserted in the holder, the flat side of the lens faces the phone.”

Where they say ‘print’, they are talking about ordering the item to be 3D printed by Shapeways.