From all of iDevice accessories vendors, whose products I’ve reviewed, so far I found DCKina is one company that has most diversity and range in its product offerings, from Conversion Lenses to Tripods, and from Card Readers to Cleaning Kits. It doesn’t restrict itself to iDevices either as it also sells gears for other mobile devices.

I had previously reviewed conversion lenses from DCKina, but that one was using a magnetic ring to attach the lens to the phone. While it means that you can use the lens for many brand of mobile devices (i.e. not only iDevice), it also means that you are kind of ‘stuck’ with it. It’s a trade between device-independence and flexibility.

The two lenses I’m reviewing today are a bit different in that they come with a special iPhone 5/5s case on which you can attach the lenses.  These are the same type as other conversion lenses I’ve reviewed here before, e.g. Manfrotto’s Klyp+, Gizmon ICA5, SmartPhocus or Turtlejacket Pentaeye.

What I have here are 2 Conversion Lenses.  The first one is a Fisheye + Macro 2-in-1 Kit, and the second one is a Super Macro (A.K.A Microscope) Conversion Lens Kit.  Each of the lens comes with the back case for iPhone 5/5s.

The iPhone Case

The iPhone case is one of those ‘slim-fit’ clip-on case that is made from a tough plastic. The surface is rubberised and it fits quiet nicely on my iPhone 5.

I actually like this case very much!  And I’ve been using it ever since I opened the package. It’s very lightweight and thin so it doesn’t add to the bulge. The rubberised gives me that added ‘grip‘ when I take photo or even when I use the phone in general.

As you can see, the iPhone case is also doubled as the lens attachment, the case has the usual threaded hole on where you can screw in the lens. It has all the necessary openings for unrestricted to the iPhone’s ports and buttons. And lastly it has small holes where you can attach wrist-strap (not included in the package).

 

The Fisheye Lens

The first conversion lens I have is the Fisheye Lens + Macro combo. This is in fact the same combo lens that I reviewed before, except that this one doesn’t use magnet. Having said that, the high-grade aluminium barrel looks and feels to be a better quality than the magnetic one. The lens comes with 2 lens caps for both end to protect the front and the rear from dusts and scratches.

The Fisheye lens gives you pretty wide angle of view, though it’s not quiet 180 degrees as advertised, but it’s wide enough as you can see from my sample shot below.

Scene take with the iPhone Standard Lens

Scene take with the iPhone Standard Lens

 

Scene taken with DCKina Fisheye Lens

Scene taken with DCKina Fisheye Lens

As usual with Fisheye lenses, you will get vignetting effect and unsharp area around the edge. But if you compare the sample shot to other shots I took with my reference lens (Olloclip), the result is actually pretty good.

DCKina Fisheye Lens attached to the back case

DCKina Fisheye Lens attached to the back case

 

The Macro Lens

The get to the 1.25x Macro lens you need to unscrew the top part of the lens (the Fisheye part). I really love macro photography and with this lens you can start experimenting with the nature around you. Check out the sample photo I took with the Macro Lens below. I think you would agree with me that they are pretty cool!

 

The Super Macro – A.K.A the Microscope

The second kit I am reviewing is the Super Macro Lens or also known as the Microscope conversion lens. If the Macro Lens above is capable of 1.25x magnification, the Super Macro lens will give you 20x super magnification. It’s probably in the same level of magnification you can get from a low-end microscope, hence the name.

Since you can go close up and personal to your object with a maximum focusing distance of 0.7mm, the Super Macro lens sports a transparent hood which will make it easier to take photos.

You can check the result from these sample shots below.

Macro shot taken with DCKina Macro Lens

Macro shot taken with DCKina Macro Lens

Macro shot taken with DCKina Microscope Lens

Macro shot taken with DCKina Microscope Lens

Final Verdict

One thing I really like about DCKina products are that they are quiet cheap compare to other brands have on offer, but they are definitely not ‘cheap’ in quality.

The build quality of the lenses and the case are very good and they take very good photos.

 

The Fisheye + Macro combo kit will cost you $20.85 and you can get the Super Micro lens for $11.25. They are a bargain, even for the case alone. As for the shipping rate, you can check it when you do the checkout, but for example, to send the Fisheye lens to the UK will cost me about $5.