I recently received a pack of Moment lenses to test out for review. What I was most excited for was the Moment Tele lens — a 58mm lens that I could attach to my iPhone 12. As someone who didn’t know how bad iPhone’s digital zoom was until a few years ago, I had hoped that the Moment Tele would help me zoom in on my world … without having to pinch in on my screen.
After using the lens for several weeks, I can confidently say that it works as advertised, and it’s a great solution to anyone looking for a closer view of what they see in front of them.
Editor’s note: Moment sent us a copy of the Tele 58mm to review and keep. This, however, is a completely independent review. All thoughts expressed are our own. We’re telling you this as we always want to be honest with you.
First impressions of the Moment Tele
First off, this lens is tiny! It makes it perfect to travel or walk around with, as you can simply take it out and plop it on your phone. I used Moment’s iPhone case, which made it easy to connect the lenses in seconds.
The Moment Tele offered me an approximate 2x optical zoom, something that’s not offered on my iPhone 12. If you’ve got an iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 12 Pro Max, you can double this, and get a 4x optical zoom when used with the iPhone’s native telephoto lens.
Why use a dedicated lens for a phone?
Simply put, you’ll get significantly better picture quality if you use a dedicated lens as opposed to using your phone’s digital zoom. That is the number one reason to invest in dedicated lenses for your phone. Take a look at the comparison below, and you’ll see what I mean.
You can see above that the photo on the left has a soft feel to it, and very little dynamic range. I used the iPhone’s digital zoom here, and you can absolutely see how poor the picture quality can be with it. Contrast this to the photo on the right with the Moment Tele, and you’ll see it’s much more clear, with expanded dynamic range and richer colors. It’s overall a much better photograph.
The Moment Tele would be perfect for those wanting to do close-up street photography, portraits … you name it. But it’s also great for the parent looking to photograph (or take video of) their kid’s school performance. It’s perfect when you’re on the golf course looking to grab some shots of your friends as they make a huge divot in the grass (guilty). If you need a closer view than your phone provides, the Moment Tele is really the perfect answer.
Outside of the Tele lens, Moment also offers several other lenses at various focal lengths. There are also some more creative lenses, like the Macro 10x lens, the Wide 18mm lens and various fisheye lenses. These all offer a view that you can’t get with your phone’s native camera, which really help to expand your limits of creativity.
Things to keep in mind with the Moment Tele
One thing to keep in mind here — which should come as no surprise — is the fact that Moment lenses aren’t weather-sealed. They don’t have a typical mount you would find with your DSLR or mirrorless camera. The Moment Tele is basically a piece of glass encapsulated inside an aluminum case. There’s no electronics or anything like that.
Because of this, you do have to be somewhat aware of the weather conditions. I took my Tele out to Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, MI, and I got caught in a heavy downpour. What’s more, it was extremely humid. The combination left the lens not only wet, but it also fogged up considerably. It took a few minutes once it stopped raining — and several wipes with a dry lens cloth — to get it back to working order.
Additionally, because this lens is pretty small, it’s easy to get fingerprints on the glass. Or even drop it. Whenever I added this lens to my iPhone, I made sure I was over a soft surface like my backpack.
Get a closer view with ease
All in all, the Moment Tele really works well. It’s easy to attach to your phone and it does what it promises to do. As long as you aren’t exploring the rainforest or some crazy weather patterns, the Moment Tele is a great option to have in your bag (or pocket) when you need that closer view with your phone.
Moment Tele 58mm Lens
Built using aerospace-grade metal and hand polished glass, the Moment Tele 58mm Lens provides a 4x optical zoom when mounted on a dual-lens phone for a natural 120mm look, as well as a 2x optical zoom when mounted over single-lens cameras or the wide side of a dual-lens camera for a more traditional 58mm focal length. Built using a six element design, this lens excels in portrait, landscape, travel, and sports photography.
