Can one really kit a smartphone with a pro filmmaker’s tool such as the anamorphic lens?

Sure! I mean people found a way to land on the moon (presumably), so it shouldn’t come as that big a surprise that people have also found a way to make a smartphone create the cinematic anamorphic effect.

Wedio top picks
Best Anamorphic Lens for iPhone in 2023
Moment Anamorphic Lens
  • Perfect add on – for iPhone, Android and others
  • Horizontal flares & widescreen – in an affordable manner
  • Choose between two – Tele 58mm or Wide 18mm
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Kase Film Lens
  • Create stunning cinematic videos – in a small housing
  • A 1.33x de-squeeze – to a 2.4:1 ratio and 70mm minimum focus distance
  • Ensures edge-to-edge clarity – cinema-grade B270 glass & aerospace-grade alloy
Moondog Labs Anamorphic Lens
  • Great cinematic glass – done in a cheap & flexible way
  • A 1.33x anamorphic adapter – for a wide range of iPhone models
  • organic flares, cinema-grade glass & expansive 2.4:1 – with full sensor resolution
Ulanzi Anamorphic Lens
  • Great when working on a budget – cheapest purchase price
  • Prominent flares – experience strikingly, bright blue flares
  • Compatible with a range of phones – e.g. iPhone, Pixel, LG, Samsung Galaxy and others
Kapkur Lens
  • Nice for beginners – it's very well built & easy to use
  • Experience awesome clarity – as well as cool lens flares
  • It's a little thin – doesn't offer much protection to your smartphone

Innovative start-up’s like Moondog Labs (talking about the moon...), Moment and Kase found an affordable way to use anamorphic lenses with your smartphone – and for less than £185 (scoop!). What’s more – Apple is totally on board with this idea and accommodates these lenses, simplifying the process of working with them.

Before we dig in; make sure you know, what an anamorphic lens is and why you should use it. Or do you already know this? In which case, you now need to find the best anamorphic lenses for your camera.

Now, that’s settled – shall we begin?

Moment anamorphic lens for iPhone and Android

This is the perfect add on for your iPhone, Android or other similar smartphones.

When it comes to anamorphic lenses for your smartphone, you’ve just found the holy grail (congrats! Celebrating at the Ritz later?). The Moment Anamorphic Lens allows you to capture those distinctive horizontal flares and does so in an affordable manner.

Choose between the Moment Tele 58mm lens or the Moment Wide 18mm lens.

Kase Film Lens for stunning cinematic videos

The Kase Anamorphic Lens creates stunning cinematic videos right from the palm of your hand. No, litterally, you can have your iPhone in one hand – no prob!

This lens is a 1.33X that will de-squeeze to a cinematic 2.4:1 ratio and with a 70mm minimum focus distance. It’s engineered from cinema-grade B270 glass and aerospace-grade alloy (a lot of grading). So, you can be sure of your videos’ edge-to-edge clarity.

Moondog Labs' anamorphic lens for iPhone

In 2014 the team behind Moondog Labs decided to make great cinematic glass available for everyone cheaply. This is why they created the now legendary (maybe just really well-known, established, beloved) 1.33X Anamorphic Adapter Lens for iPhone 5/5S (note, they are compatible with many more iPhones today).

They recently added a lens to their really well-known, established, beloved lens arsenal with the bayonet mount version of the 1.33X anamorphic lens which is compatible with a range of devices and case brands with a bayonet-style mount.

Moondog Labs’ anamorphic lenses are praised for their organic flares, cinema-grade glass and their expansive 2.4:1 video or 16:9 stills while still managing to preserve full sensor resolution. All in all, I think it’s safe to say, we get why this lens has become ‘legendary’.

Ulanzi's affordable anamorphic lens for smartphone

If you’re on a tight budget, then the Ulanzi 1.33X anamorphic lens is a perfect choice – at only £60, a great price for something that still delivers that cinematic look. Ulanzi has been producing affordable gear for smartphones for a while now, and they do it well.

Unlike the Moondog Labs’ more organic look, the Ulanzi lens has these really prominent flares. You’ll experience striking, prominent and bright blue flare when using the Ulanzi. That’s not necessarily a good or bad thing, it all depends on the look you want to create.

I should mention, that when you turn it to align it with the lens it’s slightly loose, so if you’re thinking of creating a hit n’ run scene – this might not be the best.

Apart from that, it does a great job considering the low price point, and it’s compatible with a range of different smartphones; iPhone, Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, LG and many others.

Kapkur lens for beautiful clarity and lens flares

The Kapkur anamorphic lens does a great job in terms of clarity and lens flares. If you’re relatively new to the business of Anamorphic lenses, you’ll love this lens, since it’s very well built and easy to use.

It is, however, a little thin and so it doesn’t offer much protection for your phone, so don’t look for this lens if you’re a bull-in-a-China-shop kind of person.

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Final thoughts

If creating cinematic-looking footage on a budget is what you’re after – these types of anamorphic lenses are a great option. They come with a crazy price-friendly tag, and excellent quality.

With that being said, however, there is a difference from the smartphone anamorphic lens and the ‘real’ stand-alone anamorphic lens for high-end cameras.

So, if you do have a bigger budget to play around with or just have your mind firmly set on the ‘real’ anamorphic lenses – you need to find your guide to the best anamorphic lenses for your camera.

Anamorphic Lens iPhone FAQ

How do you use an anamorphic lens on iPhone?

You can attach an anamorphic lens to your iPhone using either a specialised phone case or a clip. This depends on which model you use.

Can I use an anamorphic lens for photography?

Yes, you can use an anamorphic lens for photography. It will provide a wider angle than a regular smartphone camera.

What is the best anamorphic lens for an iPhone?

The best anamorphic lenses for iPhone in 2023 are:
  • Moment Anamorphic Lens
  • Kase Film Lens
  • Moondog Labs Anamorphic Lens
  • Ulanzi Anamorphic Lens
  • Kapkur Lens

Where can I get an anamorphic lens for my iPhone?

You can easily rent an anamorphic lens for your iPhone on sites like Wedio.

Rent anamorphic lenses from local creators.

Save up to 40%.
Global Coverage included.

Rent to try

€14

Rent to own

€60

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