Good add-on lenses for better iPhone photos
i've been actively selling for about 3 years (been a member since 2004) and am getting frustrated at the quality of my photos. I've looked on Amazon for add-on lenses but just get confused as to which would be best for increasing the quality. Suggestions and/or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
22 comments
jewelbiz
·1 year ago’m kinda serious about my photography and bought myself a very good brand new expensive Nikon camera after researching the product to the maximum purchased it with all bells and whistles!
And you know what?
I virtually only use my iPhone 13 for 100% of my eBay sales.
Its easy Peasy…and I’m satisfied with my pix, close up jewelry items, my specialty.
I even entered a photography contest that goes live tomorrow as my picture was accepted for competition in Best Picture in this Country October 2025. (Link below I think)
AmericasFavoritePhotos.com/v/qsp7mf
gurlcat
·1 year agoThat is a really cool photo! But I'm a bit confused -why does the caption says there are twin beams of light when there's only one beam?
jewelbiz
·1 year agoI imagine taken from a different vantage point the 2 beams would both show up…
Same thing happened this pix in 2016 September 11, from same window yearly blue light into sky…
penguins_dont_fly
·1 year agoSince you seem to sell smaller items, you might want to look at a light box.
I found a good used one many years ago, right here on eBay.
Some things that I have found that work for me:
Bring the camera to the item, not the item to the camera
Use indirect lighting and/or filtered light.
Crop the picture so that the item takes up 85-95% of the picture.
Here is my setup, the small side lights came with the box. I have added the 2 top lights and the shrouded thing at the bottom is a ring light. The fabric on the lights is to diffuse the light, so as not to get glare and the angle does the same thing. All of the lights are LED "daylight" bulbs.
I have a whole different bunch of "props" that I use, depending on the item. But 95% of my items are china/crystal, so I use clear acrylic shelves and plate holders to minimize any distraction from the item and the pattern. This also means that I can add a small light underneath the item to underlight it, if necessary.
I am using my Samsung S22.
The first pic is the setup, the second pic is the photo that I took of the cup and the third is what the end result is. These were taken quickly, so there is some light hazing and slight glare.
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@penguins_dont_fly
Thanks for taking the time to share your setup.
I really need to up my photo game and will try some of these ideas.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoClose-up crop is really fuzzy - it's the same problem I have.
@gramsy10 Your photos are fine - it's just the cropping that needs work. Too many items are cut off in the gallery photo - try to make your photos square - 4 x 4 - that takes care of a lot of those problems.
penguins_dont_fly
·1 year agoThe other thing that helps crop is to up the pixels in the camera settings. My phone (S22) has 2 options, 12M and 50M. I don't know if iPhones have the same settings. My phone also has a "pro" mode where I can tweak the exposure, the white balance, etc. I will use pro mode on things that are very detailed (or if the item is just being camera shy LOL)
eBay's max pic file size is 12M and 9000x9000px, so making pictures into smaller sizes isn't really a thing anymore (unless you are trying to upload some professional advertising monster sized photos). So upping the pixel count makes for better crops and better zoom capability on the listing itself.
kabilab
·1 year agoGramsy, I began shopping at pawn shops in 1958 and I am visiting 6 today. One, in particular, has an entire display case of both film and digital cameras. The Kodak DX6440 I currently use was $20. I do not take pics with my phone, neither do I talk on my camera.
annadryl
·1 year agoThe add-on lenses I've seen looked cheap and gimmicky. There might be better ones but they'd be much more expensive than the stuff on Amaz etc. I would think an iphone 15 would probably already have a more than adequate camera for ebay stuff.
My low-budget phone's cam is too good for ebay! Lowest settings, everything turned off all day...
participatrophy
·1 year agoClean the lens before you start taking pictures. With all the constant handling that phones receive it's more likely than not the lens will have at least one fingerprint smudged across it at any given time. Clean lens, clean photos.
lawnmowerpartsstore2
·1 year agoI guess my question is why do you buy on Amazon but sell on Ebay ?
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@lawnmowerpartsstore2
You browse Amazon for information, specs, reviews on the product.
Once you decide what you want, you check eBay pricing and hopefully find a deal here.
I use Amazon all the time at my local hardware store to read up on products before I buy from that local store. It's a great resource.
tools*
·1 year agoYou search Amazon and find a product for $50. You check eBay, and the same product is $75. Where do you buy?
gramsy10
OP1 year agoWell duh (forehead smack). I don’t know why I didn’t think of that! Thanks for the nudge.
gurlcat
·1 year agoThat is literally how I researched and purchased the lens I bought for my iphone. Got a much better deal! 😄
But @gramsy10 I agree with the others who said you probably don't need one for your '15.' -My problem was I bought a '13' without knowing it had notoriously lousy macro (close-up of tiny things) compared to any other models before or since. I could actually take much better macro photos with the ancient '7' that I was "upgrading" from!!
Here's something people often forget. No matter how carefully you handle your phone, the lens is bound to get dirty. It can creep in gradually so you don't notice until it's really bad. So try wiping the lens with a microfiber cloth. It can make a shocking difference sometimes.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoThe usual reasons are
The product has the full manufacturer's warranty.
The product purchased as NEW is NEW
The price is better for a NEW item.
Delivery is faster.
Ebay has identified its areas of business loss to Amazon and concentrates in other areas of the market.
This does not consider the less quantifiable aspects to buying as well as selling on Ebay, like receiving retaliatory feedback when you leave bad FB for a seller.
I only buy from a few sellers on EBay, who I know I can count on when I am buying other than cheap Chinese crap.
I buy less cheap Chinese crap on Ebay than I used to because Temu is cheaper.
jonathanbrightlight
·1 year agoI don’t know that I would expect that to be the best way to improve your photos, although it is possible. Are you trying to get really good closeup photos? Or are you trying to get the color balance or focus better, or something else along those lines? What model iPhone are you using?
gramsy10
OP1 year agoI have an iPhone 15 Plus. Maybe it’s just “operator error†but I’d like my pictures to be sharper and more in focus.
slippinjimmy
·1 year ago@gramsy10
If you can't get good pics with an iphone 15 I would suggest the problem is one or more of these reasons.
- Bad lighting
- Improper camera settings
- A shaky hand
I skimmed through your listings (only looking at the Gallery image), many of them need better cropping and most of them look clear enough to me. Using some sort of add-on lens is unlikely to improve them and might make them worse.
gramsy10
OP1 year agoThanks. I’m trying to figure out the lighting issue. Perhaps using a tripod would help with the shaky photos.
gone.c-33
·1 year agoYou should look into a tripod with a ring light ☺ï¸
jonathanbrightlight
·1 year agoThat’s not the type of issue an additional lens will solve. Maybe try a stand or mount of some type to hold it steady if you’re having trouble with that?