After getting a chance to test out the SANDMARC Telephoto zoom lens for capturing distant images recently, it’s now time to bring it up close and personal with its 100mm iPhone Macro Lens. I had a blast with the zoom lens and came away very impressed, and, maybe it’s just me, but I’m having even more fun with the Macro model. Head below for my hands-on impressions of the 100mm iPhone Macro Lens and an exclusive deal in the latest edition of Tested with 9to5Toys.
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Hands-on with the SANDMARC 100mm iPhone Macro Lens
The SANDMARC 100mm iPhone Macro Lens is compatible with a range of iPhone models going back to iPhone 14 and right through to the pro-grade 15 series devices. It ships with the case you’ll need to attach it to iPhone (as well as a clip if you don’t want to use the case) and carries a $129.99 MSRP. However, using our exclusive 9TO5TOYS promo code, your total will drop to $116.99 shipped.
Features at a glance
- Magnification: 12x
- Multi-element, multi-coated optics
- Industrial aluminum body
- Precision engineered glass
- Coating: Multi-coated
- Weight: 114g
- Height: 39mm
- Diameter: 48mm
- Focus Distance: 53mm
- Simple and secure screw-on system
- Incl. iPhone 15 Pro case, Clip-on mount, Lens pouch, and front/back lens caps
9to5Toys’ Take
Installing and actually attaching the lens, like all SANDMARC lens gear for iPhone, is a total breeze. Much like I described in my review of the brand’s Telephoto lens for capturing subjects at a distance, it simply screws on to metal threading on the included iPhone case (you can also use the clip that comes in the package as well). It literally attaches in a few seconds with a few simple turns – it feels entirely secure and the metal lens cover protects your phone’s lens while safely guiding the lens attachment in place perfectly. It’s a wonderful and simple to use system – it’s hard to even imagine it being any better.
When you’re looking to get up close and personal, I mean so close the onboard Apple lens options don’t really stand a chance getting the same effect, SANDMARC’s does it with grace – the main difference here to my eye is the focus. You can get nearly as close with the built-in iPhone 15 Pro Macro lens, but it doesn’t look quite as detailed and I can’t get that sweet blurry background.
Every vein on a single leaf, the texture on a flower petal your eyes can barely make out, the seeds in a kiwi, or a single droplet of water – you’ll see colors in someone’s eye you didn’t even know were there, and the SANDMARC lens does it all with ease.
Perhaps under ideal conditions, if you’re a serious pro, or at least an amateur really putting the effort you might be able to get close with the Apple lens array. But the way the 100mm Macro Lens gets up close with a professional-style focus on the subject, artfully blurring out the background, and in some cases (depending on the light conditions and angle) creating a beautiful bokeh effect, is simply wonderful and incredibly simple to achieve.
It comes in two flavors, the 25mm model and the 100mm model I have had a chance to test out for this review. They are both, generally speaking, designed to deliver the same results, but the 100mm gives you a little more breathing room. The 25mm model comes with a lens hood to acts as a guide for how close you should be to your subject for the optimal up close results, while the 100mm allows you to stay a little farther away (a longer minimum focal distance at 53mm), capturing more of the image, and providing a little bit more flexibility on angles and the like. Again, I’ve only had a chance to test out the 100mm, but if the 25mm model is anything like that, it will make for a wonderful option at a lower price point, just with a slightly lesa versatile set of creative options when it comes to capturing your subject.
I have always found it to be a touch frustrating to get really great, super close-up shots on iPhone 15…I want that blurry background when getting up close. I know you can and I know some folks are better at this than I, that’s for sure…I’m certainly no professional iPhoneographer. But with the SANDMARC Macro Lens none of that matters. It all just works right away and looks fantastic.
All of the usual caveats apply here of course if you want to get images as beautiful as the examples on the SANDMARC site – lighting, subject choices, and so on, but it at the very least removes any of the technical hassles getting in the way of your next insanely detailed close-up. When showing some friends and family the shots I took with it, just about everyone said something to the effect of, “how did you get it that close?” or “no way you took that.”
Buy the SANDMARC 100mm iPhone Macro Lens
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