Mention macro cameras on smartphones, especially mid-segment ones, and we are sure that most people will simply shake their heads in disappointment. And with good reason. While many phones in the Rs 10,000 – Rs 45,000 price segment claim to come with dedicated macro sensors, these are often very token 2 or 5 megapixel affairs that boost spec sheets and sink photography. Macro or super close up photography for many of the users of such phones means taking a high resolution snap from the main camera and then cropping it to get a closer look at a subject.
The Signi X is very solidly built with a good quality plastic clip with the lens on one side (Express Photo)
An affordable macro lens with premium feels and accessories
The rather elaborately named Skyvik Signi X Mobile Camera 20X macro lens kit changes that. As its name indicates, it is a macro lens that adds 20x magnification to any phone camera. There have been such lenses in the past but they have tended to be difficult to use, compatible only with some phones and often very expensive (low priced options generally comes low image and product quality). The Signi X fortunately is a rather different kettle of macro fish.
The lens is generally available for Rs 1299 but often dips below Rs 1000 on online and offline stores (we got ours for Rs 999 from Amazon) and has a pleasantly premium feel to it. The Signi X is very solidly built with a good quality plastic clip with the lens on one side. Impressively, Skyvik has added cleaning cloth, lens cover and even a carrying hook, all packed inside a smart carrying case to the package.
Once the lens is on top of your phone’s camera, all you have to do is point and shoot (Express Photo)
Simple to use, and very good results
Using it is as simple as clipping the lens onto the camera of your choice (we recommend the main sensor) on your phone. It is a rather tightly held together clip so you will have to press rather hard to open it. The lens itself can fit smoothly over most of the phones we tried it with – the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, the OnePlus Nord 3 and the Samsung Galaxy M34. Yes, the design of the clip means that the other part of the clip will end up on your phone’s display, but this end of the clip is smooth and padded and will not leave any marks on the display or harm it.
Once the lens is on top of your phone’s camera, all you have to do is point and shoot. The lens is a purely physical attachment – you do not have to download any software to use it. We would recommend using it with the main sensor of your phone, as you get a very high resolution image on the best camera of your device. Shooting from a normal distance is totally ruled out with this lens on board – everything will just get blurred out. Get within a few centimetres of your subject, however, and you will suddenly see it appear in amazing clarity on your phone’s display. You can even zoom in digitally a little, but we would not recommend it. Do remember to keep your hands steady though, as the closer you get to your subject, the more shake tends to creep in. Having to be that close to the subject also limits the use of the lens for shooting video, as tracking the subject from that close is difficult and even when you are able to do so, it sometimes simply strolls out of the frame (as so many ants and insects did). All in all. Image quality from the Signi X was generally very good, and although colours lost a bit of radiance, we normally got superb macro and close ups – much much better than those token low resolution macro sensors. For its price, this lens delivers excellent macro photography, especially to mid-segment smartphones.
The lens itself works best when it is very close to the subject ( 3 cm – 8 cm) (Express Photo)
Want to shoot super close up on your phone? Get this lens!
Of course, it is not all smooth sailing with the Skyvik Signi X. Attaching it physically to a smartphone can sometimes be a challenge. The clip system does not always work well if cameras are packed close to each other on the back of the phone or if the phone is in a thick case. Sometimes the back of the clip (which ends up on the display) can cover parts of the camera UI on the phone too. The lens itself works best when it is very close to the subject ( 3 cm – 8 cm), and focusing is really down to moving back and forth until you get a clear enough shot. The area of focus itself is very small, so sometimes you might get the impression that a lot of the shot is blurred out. The lens is also of limited use in high-end phones, where the device switches between cameras automatically. So you might place the lens on a certain camera only for the phone to switch to another camera (something which often happens in macro mode). It can be managed by manually changing the cameras, but that kind of adds to the hassle.
It is streets ahead of the very token 2 and 5 megapixel macro sensors that come with most mid-segment devices (Express Photo)
That said, the Skyvik Signi X Mobile Camera 20X macro lens kit adds a real macro lens to your phone for not too much money. It is streets ahead of the very token 2 and 5 megapixel macro sensors that come with most mid-segment devices and comes with a good build and great accessories. If you are into macro photography and have a mid-segment phone (most phones between Rs 10,000 – 45,000), this handy little gizmo is a must-have. Just make sure it will fit your phone’s main camera.
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