Using the Moment Macro Lens for the Pixel 2 XL

by ToglefritzSep 10, 2018Google

Introduction to the Moment Macro Lens

One of Google’s goals with the Pixel 2 XL was to create a smartphone with the best camera around, like the company did with last year’s first generation. As many reviewers will attest, the Google Pixel 2 XL is indeed equipped with a deeply impressive camera. The 12.2MP rear shooter is backed up by a powerful CPU (actually a pair of CPUs) and Google’s AI prowess. The camera on the Pixel 2 also features an excellent HDR+ image processing technique allowing the camera to capture details in bright and dark areas of a photo at the same time.

However, as clever as the camera on the Pixel 2 XL is, it still has some limitations common to all smartphone cameras. Certain types of photography techniques are particularly challenging for smartphone cameras. One of the most challenging techniques for smartphone cameras to pull off is macro photography.

Smartphone cameras are unable to focus on objects too close to the lens.

Cameras on smartphones, unlike DSLRs, or even point-and-shoot cameras, do not have optical zoom (for the most part). Optical zoom involves lenses moving back and forth to adjust the focal distance of the lens array. There is simply not enough room inside a smartphone for moving lenses (except for a couple examples in which the optical zoom achieves at best a 2x magnification). Instead, smartphones are designed with a fixed focal distance.

The issue with the fixed focal distance is that smartphone manufacturers design their products with cameras to suit the majority of photography situations. Typically, smartphone cameras are designed to focus on subjects at least a few feet away from the lens. When it comes to macro photography, with subjects less than an inch away from the lens, smartphone cameras are simply not capable of focusing.

There is always the option of zooming in on the subjects in your photos, but again, because smartphone cameras lack moving lenses, zooming in with a smartphone camera does not produce the same results as zooming in with other types of cameras. Smartphones use digital zoom, which is essentially in-camera cropping. The farther you zoom in with a smartphone, the lower the quality of your photos. You might know this from your own experience with zoomed-in photos having a grainy or noisy quality.

Enter the Moment Macro Lens

If you really want to take high-quality macro photos with your Google Pixel 2 XL, without reducing the quality of your photos by using excessive digital zoom, you will need a lens accessory. There are several macro lens products on the market today that allow the Pixel 2 XL lens to focus on objects that are close to the camera. Since I take a large number of macro photos for projects I post to this website and on Instructables, I decided on one of the highest quality macro lenses available for the Pixel 2 XL, the Moment macro lens.

The Moment macro lens has two parts. First, Moment sells cases in a few different aesthetic designs. The cases provide a way for the lens itself to be attached to the phone. The cases also have a place for attaching a wrist strap to the phone for extra security against drops.

Then there is the macro lens itself. Moment sells several types of lenses. They are all made from high quality glass and aluminum. The macro lens has a translucent hood around the lens for diffusing light onto the subject. The macro lens attaches to the Moment case so that the lens is positioned correctly in front of the Pixel 2 XL’s camera.

Using the Moment Macro Lens

Using the Moment macro lens is really easy, but there are a few tricks and techniques to know about to get the best results.

Of course, the first step in using the lens is mounting it onto the Pixel 2 XL. The mounting process begins by slipping the phone into the Moment case. If you take a look at the camera section of the case, you will notice a rectangular cutout on either side of the central hole. These cutouts match the tabs on the lens. To install the l lens, first insert it into the Moment case, and second twist the lens until you hear a click or feel a pop indicating that the lens is locked in place.

With the lens in place you will obviously need your subjects to be much closer to the camera in order to get them into focus; that is, after all, the entire purpose of the lens. The Moment macro lens has a white translucent hood on the front. This hood helps to diffuse light onto your subject. The lens is also designed so that, when it is placed directly against an object, that object will be at the correct focal distance for the lens.

As long as you have a bright light source, one bright enough to illuminate your subject despite your phone being directly above it blocking much of the light, you can achieve some incredible results using the Moment macro lens for the Google Pixel 2 XL.