Two weeks ago I got hooked on shooting macro with my iPhone thanks to a tip from Doctor Popular the community manager for Sincerely and Postagram. My results using that tip floored me, and while using it I also came across a unique product from Photojojo that had a tiny lens incorporated into a rubber band. I ordered the Easy Macro Cell Lens Band and continued playing with the water drop trick while I waited for the new lens to arrive.

This is a fairly simple item that doesn’t require an elaborate review so I will get straight to the important points of note, offer some samples and let you go.

The pros – The lens does what they say it will, it easily produces very impressive, clear, crisp macro photos. It’s small and simple to store here or there and adds a fun, creative tool to your iPhone photography arsenal. It gets remarkably close and is simple to use and get great results with.

The cons – $15… eh I feel like it should be $10, I have no idea how much it costs to produce but I guess I just feel guilty paying $15 for a tiny lens connected to a rubber band. The only other thing I can come up with for a con is, worrying about how long it will last. The rubber band is attached to the lens on two sides and I’m just waiting for those connections to fail. It feels like it is built well, I mean as well as a rubber band connected to a tiny lens can be, but with normal use of stretching it to get it around the phone I get worried. See what I mean with this 100% crop from the Photojojo product picture.

Tips – When it comes to you it is wrapped around a credit card sized card in a sealed plastic bag. The bag is sealed with some gummy glue, when removing the card be careful not to rub the lens against this glue. I did and didn’t notice until after my first shot which came out like crap, then when I examined the lens the gummy glue smear looked identical to a scuff on the lens and I was furious. On my way to find the number for Photojojo it clicked that it may be that glue on the lens, sure enough, I cleaned it with some alcohol based hand sanitizer and all was well.

Final thoughts – I’m happy with this product and would recommend it to anyone, if you are on the fence about the $15 price tag, I understand and would suggest trying the waterdrop tip mentioned in the link above. I have a comparison between this lens, the waterdrop tip, and the naked lens below.

iPhone only as close as possible.

With Photojojo Macro Cell Band

Dr. Popular’s Water Drop Tip

The photos below are all results from my iPhone 4 using the Photojojo Easy Macro Cell Band.

Industrial threads using the Photojojo Easy Macro Cell Band

Lilac bud using the Photojojo Easy Macro Cell Band

Pitted rusted metal macro using Easy Macro Cell Band