The Camera Bag: HiLO right angle lens lets you capture photos with your iPhone from unique angles
posted Friday, October 19, 2012 at 11:49 AM EDT
We've seen a couple of attempts to create a quality right angle lens for the iPhone, but the HiLO Lens seems like one of the better products yet. Check out the video at the bottom of this page, showing the HiLO being used to easily capture images from low and high angles, which it's hard to do with an iPhone in its current setup.
With the increasing popularity of using the iPhone for street and art photography, there are probably more applications for the HiLO than those bizarre telephoto lens attachments for smart phones we've seen already.
Now for the bad news: you can't actually buy the HiLO Lens yet since it's still a Kickstarter project. It also has a ways to go to reach its $27,500 goal but like the Bird Photo Booth project we wrote about on Tuesday, this product is one we think worthy of donations.
The HiLo Lens' casing is machined from aluminum and inside are three custom-made pieces of glass and a prism. It sticks over your iPhone lens via a tacky pad developed by 3M that comes off without leaving schmutz.
For high-angle shots, such as during concert or when trying to photograph over crowds, the HiLO Lens acts as a periscope. For low-angle shots, such as of pets and children, you can use your iPhone almost like a camera with a vari-angle, flip-out screen. It can be used in portrait or landscape mode.
The HiLo lens comes with a free app that corrects for any mirroring effect and enhances image quality. You can also import images with the app and there's a countdown clock if you want to be in the photo. Just lay your iPhone down on a flat surface with the HiLO Lens, and it will serve as a tripod.
It's compatible with iPhone4/4S/5 and there's an additional adapter to let you use the lens with an iPad. More info on the HiLO Lens' Kickstarter page. A pledge of $60 will give you the lens at a reduced price (if it meets its Kickstarter goal and ships).
Here's the company's website. Check out the demo video below. After that, see a sample image captured with the HiLO lens in a vertical angle.
