I wanted to convert my 5-year-old cell phone into a “professional camera” – I regretted the upgrade after 10 minutes

Some manufacturers offer accessories such as lenses for mobile phones. MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann ordered such a set and wanted to find out whether it was worth it. In the end he is quite disappointed.

One of the most important features of a modern cell phone today is a good camera. Because many people no longer just use their cell phones to make phone calls or for gaming, but primarily to take photos with them. It is often worth upgrading to a newer cell phone at some point because the built-in cameras just keep getting better.

I also have a cell phone that is showing its age. My Galaxy Note 9 is already a bit older and I didn’t want to buy a new phone for a lot of money. Instead, I bought a set with lenses and attachments. The price is around 40 euros.

*Affiliate links. We receive a small commission from Amazon if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

2 lenses are okay, the other two are below average

What’s included? The processing is really well done and the lenses feel valuable, but rely on plastic closures. Canon and Sigma also do this with high-quality models for DSLR cameras. For the price of 40 euros I get a lot of accessories: In addition to the lenses, there is also a tripod, a cleaning cloth and a protective box.

What’s good about the upgrade? Basically, the telephoto lens is to be used. Things zoom in well and details, like the street sEsports Extrason the other side, are easy to zoom in on. But you need a steady hand to take good pictures. On top of that, the images are slightly blurred at the edges. However, you can adjust the sharpness on the lens itself.

I was pleasantly surprised by the wide-angle lens. This means that much more fits in the photo and that is actually an improvement on my cell phone. The image remains sharp even with the lens and everything is clearly recognizable. That’s a plus for the set.

What’s not good? The macro lens is average. The details are good and sharp, but the area around them becomes blurred very quickly. Here I am already better off with my normal cell phone camera.

The same goes for the fisheye lens. The pictures are blurry, look rather ugly overall and sometimes work more or less well with my cell phone. Personally, I can’t do much with fisheye anyway. On the phone, it looks more like an inferior wide-angle lens.

After 10 minutes I packed my things again

Is the upgrade worth it? No, it wasn’t worth the money for me. The only really good part is the wide-angle lens, but I don’t pay 40 euros for the whole set. The others are nice or even below average.

On my comparison pictures (with and without lens) you can also see pretty well how big the difference is. And in most cases, in my opinion, it’s just not worth it.

Yes, they work, but my phone’s old photo sensor doesn’t get much better with a new lens. In my opinion it’s a nice gimmick, but nothing more. Especially if you already have a “real” camera at home and can take pictures with it.

Does this now apply to all products? Such objects do not necessarily have to be bad for mobile phones. With a combination package like this one can argue: what should you expect when each lens costs the equivalent of 10 euros? Some manufacturers offer significantly more valuable products for a higher price.

I activate a setting on every mobile phone – that’s why you should do it too