As best as I can tell, this is not actually a zoom lens. It may have a focal length six times that of the iPhones built-in lens, but a zoom lens is defined as one with a variable focal length. A zoom lens is *not* the same thing as a telephoto lens.

jimothy

Well, at least now I have some kind of zoom on the iPhone.

@Jamaces: Digital zoom lowers quality of the darned photo, and just isn't worth it. You might as well crop to the portion of the photo you'd like to keep. However, I do often complain about the lack of any customisability whatsoever on the iPhone's camera. That's a mistake. No flash, zoom, editor or video = inadequate for real photography, unless the conditions are just right.

@The Magnificen7: Indeed.

Paul Dullford

@Con Seannery: Dude, there has never been a bad picture of The Boss. That set that was up here earlier wasn't great, but I got the point. Although, I like to think that a camera can't catch a true Bruce moment. By the time you take the shot, the moment is gone. You have to live in the moment, man. I am proud to say he is my biggest man-crush.

The Magnificen7

why can't apple just release a digital zoom?

Jamaces

Still wont get a good pic of The Boss.

Con Seannery

Uh, whoa. Get a real camera!

The Magnificen7

This is one of those things I would buy just so I could whip it out when people didn't believe me when I said I actually owned it.

BadBoyNDSU

@Git Em SteveDave displays attention-grabbing vanity: Lawlz. That will definitely happen. 'Hey wait! You haven't even seen the cool shutter animation!'

The Magnificen7

How does something like this actually get produced.

Benjaminx

Woman: So is that a telephoto lens in your pocket, or you just happy to see me?

Guy: It IS a telephoto lens! It's for my iPod. Here, let me show it to you. Hey, where'd you go?

Git Em SteveDave displays attention-grabbing vanity

@Paul Dullford: don't forget white balance. I was taking a photo of my daughter in a pool and the dominance of blue made the camera adjust the whites to oranges.

crackle

Or you could take the picture, go to the photo app, zoom in to what you want, take a screen shot and there you go. Sorted. Still wish the camera was better though...

kevanio

The problem with this is that it adds undesirable "forcible penetration" to the otherwise fun and harmless sport of upskirt photography.

OMG! Ponies!

@OMG! Ponies!: I think you're supposed to do that at a distance.

No, scratch that. YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT AT ALL! :O

Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish

Photo strap-ons may be somewhat neato, but if I'm going to have so much bulk for picture taking, I might as well use my superior SD1000 Digital Elph. My SE W810i's camera is still keener, and has an autofocus :D

Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish

Oh, yes! And how many f-stops of light does this thing lose you?

Seeing as the iPhone camera is already under-sensitive, I hope they're also releasing a tripod adapter so you can hold it still long enough, along with an illuminated sign saying, "Please stand still. iPhone photography in progress!"

LittleJon

Well, I dunno, part of me hates it (I'd never buy it) but for 19.00 and it comes with a clear case (which I wonder if, you can take the zoom off of) it's not THAT bad, not for me, I'm just saying. I wonder if the photos shown here of the house or whatever were actually taken with this thing?

Faslane66

iStalker

Akibake-

I totally just ordered this. It will be a neat toy. I am sure the lens is made of plastic and not glass... but for $22 shipped? It's worth feeling like a secret agent when I snap that sucker on haha

josh.hofer

I hate this useless apple simplism, what about getting different iphones? like one with a keyboard, one with a really good camera, and another with a buttload of memory (32-64GB)?

I would totally buy that.

Shadowlayer