Fisheye lenses for smartphones provide an extra range of creativity and generally come in kit form and accompany a wide variety of other lenses. Smartphone lenses have a naturally wide-angle viewpoint, but if you want a nearly 180-degree view of the world, there’s nothing like a fisheye lens to accomplish this task. Many of us have already used a fisheye lens with a door security peephole. This little unit is a simple fisheye lens, providing a 180-degree view of the outside world. Fisheye lenses for smartphones are produced to be much better quality than a simple peephole, but not as high quality as mirrorless or DSLR fisheye lenses.
Why Choose a Fisheye Lens?
A fisheye lens is characterized by its focal length of 16mm or shorter, offering an angle of view close to or reaching 180¡ã. This lens type is considered an extremely wide-angle lens and commonly known as a “fisheye lens.” Its design maximizes the photographic angle of view by having a short front lens diameter and a parabolic projection, resembling the eyes of a fish, hence the name “fisheye lens.” Unlike regular wide-angle lenses that aim to minimize distortion with a rectilinear design, fisheye lenses have a curvilinear nature, resulting in extreme barrel distortion. This unique feature gives images a bold and distinctive appearance. The goal of fisheye lenses is to capture an angle of view that matches or even exceeds what the human eye can perceive. As a result, the images produced by fisheye lenses differ significantly from what we see in the real world, which adheres to a regular and fixed form. Fisheye lenses have gained popularity in various fields such as underwater shooting, extreme sports photography, astrophotography, and even in creating virtual environments.
Top 8 Fisheye Lenses for iPhone and Android in 2025
1. Moment 14mm Fisheye Mobile Lens
The Moment 14mm Fisheye Mobile Lens delivers high-quality, sharp imagery with a 170-degree field of view. It has a durable metal build, so you don’t need to worry about putting it through its paces. Fisheye lenses are known for their unique distortion, so why not lean in? Its cinema-grade glass lets you use the full image sensor on modern phones, producing clear, undistorted images with no vignetting. Thanks to the customizable mounting plates, the device is compatible with a wide range of iPhones and other smartphones. Moment also makes an app (the Moment Pro Camera app), which you can use to flatten out your fisheye content. This ultra-wide angle fisheye lens gives shooters the opportunity to use a unique and immersive creative perspective. If you’re a fan of the iPhone wide angle lens, you’ll love the expansive field of view this lens gives you. Buy on Amazon
- Pros: High-quality cinema-grade glass, sharp edge-to-edge, durable metal build, compatible with multiple devices.
- Cons: Expensive ($130-$150), requires Moment case for mounting, app is iOS-only.
2. SANDMARC Fisheye Lens
High-quality materials and sturdy build The Sandmarc Fisheye Lens is made from glass, and the lens barrel’s material is metal – this contributes to the high-quality feel and general sturdiness of the lens. The lens case is made of smooth, lightweight plastic with a rubbery feel. Attaching the lens to an iPhone is easy with the clip-on mount which makes switching between other SANDMARC lenses fast and easy. The clip mount can also improve your selfies – use the clip to place the fisheye lens to the front camera and enjoy more background featured in your self-portraits. The SANDMARC fisheye lens is an equivalent of a 10mm lens. It will give you a 5x field of view with only a tiny amplified distortion, and its solid metal build with the clip-on mounting will ensure pleasant use. The lens does an amazing job at landscape and nature photography. Buy on Amazon
- Pros: Sturdy metal and glass build, minimal distortion, easy clip-on mount, great for landscapes.
- Cons: Edge sharpness could be better, clip may not fit thick phone cases.
3. Death Lens Fisheye
The Death Lens Fisheye is a classic fisheye lens for iPhone. It has a solid build and a user-friendly design which incorporates a phone case. So, the lens is attached to the phone case, which you slip your phone into; it’s much more secure than a clip-on design. It has a good quality glass lens with a nice, wide field of view, and the results are exactly what you’d want from a lens of this type. Clear, immersive shots with no distortion. It also pairs with an excellent app. With this, you can smooth your footage, remove any vignetting, change your frame rates (24 to 240 fps) and get manual control over your focus and exposure. You can also change the aspect ratio in the app to save your footage in the right format for different social media platforms. Buy on Amazon
- Pros: Secure case-based mounting, high-quality glass, excellent app with manual controls.
- Cons: Limited availability on Amazon, case fit may be tight for some phones.
4. APEXEL Professional Mobile Photography Lens Kit
Crafted with professional optical glass and aviation aluminum, this lens kit features a 5+5 coating to effectively reduce glare, reflections, and ghosting, ensuring picture distortion is kept below 3%. The Zipper Bag includes a versatile set of lenses to elevate your mobile phone photography experience. The kit comprises a 2.0X Telephoto Lens (Background Blur), a 195¡ã Fisheye Lens, a 170¡ã Super Wide Angle Lens (No Dark Circle Fisheye Lens), a 110¡ã Wide Angle Lens (No Distortion/No Dark Edge), and a 10x Macro Lens. Transform your mobile phone into a DSLR camera and embark on a journey of stunning photographing with brilliant high-quality technical images. The Macro Lens allows you to capture photos from a distance of 0.39-1.18 inches from the object, enabling Extreme Close-Up Photography and Focus Stacking. Buy on Amazon
- Pros: Comprehensive lens kit, high-quality optical glass, minimal distortion, versatile for multiple photography styles.
- Cons: Clip-on mount may cause light leaks with thick cases, macro lens performance inconsistent.
5. Shuttermoon Fisheye Lens
Shuttermoon’s fisheye lens is a good option for iPhone. Featured as the ‘Best Seller’ label, this detachable cum portable lenses lets you experience an excellent picture quality. Equipped with the latest technology of lenses and aluminum frames, user can get a clearer view of the image without any disturbance. Shuttermoon offers 198¡ã rotational coverage of the picture. Offers customers 60 days money back guarantee, in case one is not content with the product. Buy on Amazon
- Pros: Portable, clear image quality, 198¡ã coverage, money-back guarantee.
- Cons: Edge distortion noticeable, clip-on mount less secure than case-based systems.
6. KEYWING Fisheye Lens
198¡ã Fisheye Lens: Use KEYWING Fish eyes lens to record lovely things in your life! Create funny circular pictures and enjoy photographing! High Quality: Professional HD Lens with advanced lanthanide optical glass can reduce the reflection and ghosting, brining you amazing vision with details and clarify. High quality grade aluminum shell can protect the glass well, offering a long durability. Clip-on Phone Lens: Easy Use Design. Just attach the lens to the clip and clip it on the phone camera, then you can enjoy the funny effect of the fish eye bowl lens. The clip has soft rubber to avoid scratch on your phone. Buy on Amazon
- Pros: Durable aluminum shell, high-quality glass, easy to use clip-on design.
- Cons: Some users report blurry images, clip may not align perfectly with all cameras.
7. Ailun 3-in-1 Camera Lens Kit
The Ailun 3-in-1 Camera Lens Kit offers good value for smartphone photographers seeking versatility without breaking the bank. The set includes a 180-degree fisheye lens for creative circular shots, a 0.65X wide-angle lens for landscapes and group photos, and a 10X macro lens for detailed close-ups. Each lens attaches easily via the universal clip that fits most smartphones with camera lenses under 13mm in diameter. Compatibility extends across multiple iPhone generations including 7, 8, X, XR, 11, 12, and 13 series. The universal clip design (1.4 inches) accommodates various smartphone brands beyond Apple. However, users with newer multi-camera iPhones may need to experiment with positioning to ensure the fisheye lens properly aligns with the desired camera sensor. Buy on Amazon
- Pros: Affordable, versatile three-lens kit, easy to attach, wide compatibility.
- Cons: Image quality not professional-grade, alignment issues with multi-camera phones.
8. FEGEGO Fisheye Lens
The FEGEGO fisheye lens offers an ultra-wide angle for an affordable price, and this will especially appeal to beginner photographers. The images are crisp in the center, but lack detail on the edges. However, this is definitely something one can live with. The good news is that this FEGEGO lens is compatible with most iPhones, including X, XR, 8, 7 Plus, and 7. Buy on Amazon
- Pros: Budget-friendly, decent center sharpness, compatible with many iPhones.
- Cons: Poor edge detail, basic build quality.
Comparison Table of Top Fisheye Lenses
| Lens | Field of View | Mount Type | Price Range | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moment 14mm | 170¡ã | Case-based | $130-$150 | Cinema-grade glass |
| SANDMARC | 210¡ã | Clip-on | $90-$120 | Minimal distortion |
| Death Lens | 180¡ã | Case-based | $45-$60 | Excellent app integration |
| APEXEL Kit | 195¡ã | Clip-on | $30-$50 | Multi-lens versatility |
| Shuttermoon | 198¡ã | Clip-on | $25-$40 | 60-day guarantee |
| KEYWING | 198¡ã | Clip-on | $20-$35 | Durable aluminum shell |
| Ailun 3-in-1 | 180¡ã | Clip-on | $15-$25 | Budget-friendly kit |
| FEGEGO | 180¡ã | Clip-on | $10-$20 | Beginner-friendly |
Testing Scenarios and Performance
To evaluate these lenses, testing was conducted in various real-world scenarios. For instance, the Moment 14mm Fisheye was used to capture a medieval cemetery, showcasing its ability to handle low-light conditions with minimal vignetting. The SANDMARC lens excelled in landscape photography, capturing sweeping mountain vistas with crisp central details, though edges showed slight softening. The Death Lens was tested at a skate park, producing vibrant, distortion-heavy videos reminiscent of ‘90s skate films, enhanced by its app’s manual controls. The APEXEL kit was used for close-up nature shots, with the fisheye lens delivering dramatic circular images of flowers, though the macro lens struggled with focus consistency. Shuttermoon and KEYWING lenses were tested in urban settings, capturing wide-angle cityscapes, but both showed noticeable edge distortion. Ailun and FEGEGO lenses were used for casual social media content, producing fun, spherical images, though professional-grade clarity was lacking.
Buying Guide for Fisheye Lenses
- Compatibility: Ensure the lens is compatible with your smartphone model. Case-based mounts like Moment and Death Lens require specific cases, while clip-on mounts are more universal but may not fit thick cases.
- Field of View: Most fisheye lenses offer 180¡ã or more. For extreme distortion, choose lenses like APEXEL (195¡ã) or Shuttermoon (198¡ã). For less distortion, opt for Moment (170¡ã).
- Build Quality: Metal and glass lenses (Moment, SANDMARC) offer durability and clarity, while plastic lenses (Ailun, FEGEGO) are cheaper but less robust.
- App Integration: Lenses like Death Lens and Moment benefit from dedicated apps for advanced controls and distortion correction.
- Budget: Prices range from $10 (FEGEGO) to $150 (Moment). Beginners can start with budget options like Ailun, while professionals may prefer Moment or SANDMARC.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a fisheye lens used for?
A fisheye lens creates a wide-angle, hemispherical image with pronounced barrel distortion, ideal for creative photography like landscapes, action sports, and artistic portraits. It’s popular for capturing immersive scenes or adding a unique aesthetic to social media content.
Do I need a special app to use a fisheye lens?
Some lenses, like Death Lens and Moment, benefit from dedicated apps for advanced controls and distortion correction. Others, like Ailun or KEYWING, work directly with your phone’s native camera app, though third-party apps can enhance functionality.
Can fisheye lenses work with phone cases?
Clip-on lenses may not fit well with thick cases, causing light leaks or misalignment. Case-based lenses like Moment require specific cases, ensuring a secure fit. Always check compatibility before purchasing.
Are fisheye lenses worth it for casual photographers?
Yes, budget-friendly options like Ailun or FEGEGO are great for casual users wanting to experiment with creative effects without spending much. They’re easy to use and add fun, unique perspectives to photos and videos.
Conclusion
Fisheye lenses for iPhone and Android in 2025 offer a range of options for photographers and videographers, from professional-grade Moment and SANDMARC lenses to budget-friendly Ailun and FEGEGO kits. Whether you’re capturing expansive landscapes, action-packed skate videos, or quirky social media content, these lenses provide creative versatility. For the best balance of quality and features, the Moment 14mm Fisheye stands out, though budget-conscious buyers will find value in the Ailun or APEXEL kits. Choose based on your needs, compatibility, and budget to elevate your smartphone photography. For more photography tips, check out Digital Camera World.