The brilliant invention that allows you to use interchangeable lenses with any mobile phone

Photography has been with us for over 100 years. In that time we have seen the way of taking photos changeslowly at first and then rapidly in recent decades. Although there are still photographers who want to continue using chemical components, the digital industry has taken over and in most countries, such as Spain, users use digital devices, mainly smartphones, to take photos.

One of the reasons is their lower cost since they do not have to be developed or albums purchased to store them. Almost everyone already uses some type of image storage system, like Google Photos or Amazon Photos. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a market for those looking for a more advanced experience.

For them, obviously, there are the professional cameras from brands such as Nikon, Sony or Canon, among others. Yes indeed, These are very expensive devices, and increasingly, that make many hobbyists think carefully before entering into a hobby that is going to take away a lot of financial resources. In between professional and amateur photography with smartphones there are different proposals, such as SwitchLens.

A professional camera

The idea behind this hardware project is simple. It is about provide the necessary physical parts to a mobile phone to obtain images similar to those that can be taken with an advanced camera. Smartphones increasingly have better sensors and better software, but the limitation of the physical space of their cameras, for example, is a problem when it comes to obtaining certain shots.

SwitchLens is an accessory that closely resembles a professional camera, including the interchangeable lens system with 4:3 architecture. The 20.75 Mpx CMOS sensor included in the system allows you to take sharper and higher quality photos than those obtained with mobile phone sensors. In addition, when purchasing the device it is possible to pay for a slightly better sensor, an M43 CMOS, although this means an extra cost of 99 dollars, just over 90 euros.

But the key part is that this device It has interchangeable lenses, up to sevenwhich allow images to be transformed according to what is needed. You can choose a wide angle, an optical zoom, a special lens for portraits…

SwitchLens has no screen, and to avoid mounting this element it is connected to the smartphone using a system of magnets, like a phone grip. Through a WiFi connection it is possible to see how the photo will look on the mobile screen, in addition to being able to configure professional capture sections.

The integrated 14,500 mAh battery allows you to not always have to be physically connected to the mobileso we can put it anywhere and use the smartphone as a remote shutter, to take photos of much higher quality than if we used the front camera of the device. The autonomy, according to its designers, is one hour of recording if you choose 4K video at 30 fps. Because yes, in addition to taking photos we can record high quality video, up to 4K60.

In addition to lacking a screen, SwitchLens lacks internal memory, which controls the price. This is resolved by a microSD card slot up to 1.5 TBalthough it is always possible to use the internal memory of the phone even if we do not have a microSD. Or the other way around, you can use the SwitchLens card to empty the phone’s memory if it is filling up.

One of the advantages of this accessory is the focusing system, which ensures that detail is not compromised by poor framing or incorrect distance measurement. The area of ​​the image that is in focus will appear shaded in bright colours on the mobile screen, so as not to make the mistake of not focusing on the desired area or not doing it well.

SwitchLens is designed to works with the two main mobile operating systems, iOS and Android. In the case of the iPhone, it is compatible with MagSafe, so it can be attached using images on the back of the device. For Android phones, there will be compatible cases that integrate magnets, although they have not specified what type of smartphones will have them. The application is also available for both systems, as could not be otherwise.

Prices and packages

SwitchLens has been in development for more than a year and has recently landed on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform. The product, according to its roadmap, should reach buyers before the end of the year. As usually happens in this type of proposal, there are several purchase options. The simplest includes only the handle, allowing you to purchase one of the lenses separately, which cost between 39 and 139 dollars (between 35 and 130 euros), depending on the model. The body itself has a price of 199 dollars (185 euros). The only thing it includes besides the body itself is a USB-C cable and a case to carry it.

The second pack is made up of the body and three different lenses, 25, 35 and 50 mm. The price is $346 (about 325 euros) and is the most successful on Kickstarter. In addition, in this case the product comes in a well-designed case that allows you to keep all the elements stored and safe for travel. The third pack costs $649 (just over 600 euros) and includes almost all products. In addition to the body, there are six of the seven lenses available, the three from the previous pack and the fisheye, wide angle and night vision.

The project has suffered slight delays in terms of the publication of the first analyses, but It has been a complete successThe initial goal of its creators, $10,000, has been far exceeded, currently exceeding $220,000.