REVIEW – We live near a very large lake that has an abundance of wildlife. There’s a public dock that I love to take my camera to and try to capture some images. There are a ton of alligators, sandhill cranes, ospreys, eagles, etc. Bringing them closer to me would be great, but they don’t respond to me, and I think they are actively avoiding me. I have a DSLR with a telephoto, but it doesn’t work too well, and it’s bulky and heavy. Sandmarc has introduced a solution to enhance the iPhone camera for capturing distant shots. The Sandmarc Telephoto 10x Lens for iPhone just might be my magic bullet.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $329.99
Where to buy: Sandmarc
What is it?
The Sandmarc Telephoto 10x Lens for iPhone (12 through 16 Pro Max) is just that, a telephoto lens that attaches to an iPhone with an included special case. The lens enhances the iPhone’s already excellent camera by giving it a 10x optical zoom capability. Used along with the iPhone’s limited optical zoom (2x up to 5x), the Sandmarc Telephoto 10x can provide up to 50x zoom.
What’s included?
- Sandmarc Telephoto 10x Lens for iPhone
- iPhone case (21 options for iPhone 12 mini up to 16 Pro Max)
- Protective lens pouch
- Front and back lens caps
- Filter adapter for Sandmarc filters
- Carrying Case
- Carabiner
- Microfiber cloth
Tech specs
- Focal Length: 240mm
- Magnification: 10X
- Length: 7.6 in. (183mm)
- Diameter: 1.6 in (40.5 mm)
- Weight: 10.9 Oz (310g)
- Focus Distance: 16 ft (5m) – ∞
- Field of View Angle (degree): 10°
- Materials: Glass and Aluminum
Design and features
The Sandmarc Telephoto 10x Lens for iPhone kit comes nicely packaged in a zip-up carrying case. Inside the case, Sandmarc has put the 10x lens inside a drawstring bag to further protect it. Included is a microfiber cloth to keep both ends of the 10x lens and the iPhone’s camera lens dust and fingerprint-free. The glass in the lens at either end is even further protected with plastic lens caps.
The 10x lens attaches to the iPhone with a fitted phone case for whatever model iPhone you specify when ordering from Sandmarc’s website. The 10x lens’ mount is threaded, as are the mounting holes in the iPhone case that sit right above the iPhone’s lens. The threaded mounting points on the lens and the iPhone case are both metal. With my iPhone 15 Pro Max, there are two locations for the 10x lens to attach. Over the iPhone’s Main camera lens and the ultra-wide camera lens.
The Sandmarc Telephoto 10x Lens is not a cheap plastic snap-on, like some lens enhancers that have come to market. The Sandmarc 10x is a solid, all-aluminum and glass telephoto with quite a bit of heft to it. It weighs 10.9 oz (310 g) alone. Heavier than an iPhone 15 Pro Max alone, and fully attached to the iPhone via the included case, the setup is approaching 20 oz (567 g).
The 10x lens has a focus wheel on the thicker part of the body that is designed to be firm and smooth in operation. The focus wheel is located where the lens would sit in your hand while holding it.
The carrying case has a carabiner and D-ring to attach to your belt for easy lens extraction and deployment to capture that shot quickly.
Setup
Attaching the Sandmarc Telephoto 10x Lens to my iPhone was very simple.
-
- Watch the instructional video on Sandmarc’s website. There are no instructions included with the kit, so the video is what you need to watch.
- I just removed my iPhone 15 Pro Max from its case and slipped it into the Sandmarc case. Remove the small lens cap from the mounting end of the 10x lens. Try not to lose or drop it.
- Screw the 10x lens into the mounting hole over the main camera on the iPhone.
That’s it. Now let’s discuss using it.
Performance
After attaching the Sandmarc Telephoto 10x Lens to my iPhone, I spent an hour or so around our house taking a few pics to practice. The first thing I noticed was that the setup is heavy. 20 oz (567 g) doesn’t seem like a lot of weight, but it is when you’re trying to hold it still enough to focus and not blur the picture. I needed a tripod. Sandmarc does say you should use a tripod anyway to minimize shaking the lens while taking a picture. Mounting the phone and a 7.6 inch lens to a tripod requires a sturdy phone mount. I fortunately had one, made of metal, that held my iPhone and 10x lens securely.
Using the tripod alleviated the weight issue, but now focusing on a subject was a little tricky for me. On a DSLR, you have the viewfinder right up against your eye. This makes focusing easy and typically successful (not to mention the auto-focus ability of most modern DSLRs). Focusing by using the iPhone screen took some getting used to. I’m at that age where I have to hold a book further and further from my face to focus on the words. I found that the same thing was needed to get subjects in focus using the iPhone screen. Well, my arms are not long enough to check the focus on the screen while reaching for the focus wheel and adjusting the focus. I eventually figured out a system of adjusting focus, backing up to check the screen, and repeating until I thought I had the focus right.
Taking pictures by clicking the iPhone’s side buttons or the on-screen shutter release was causing the phone and lens to shake and ruining the pictures. I then purchased a very inexpensive remote shutter release that connected to the phone using Bluetooth. This was worth every penny of the $8 for two of them. Shaking eliminated.
My iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 5x optical zoom (120 mm) capable camera. Using it produces pretty good results, but not as good as 10x of the Sandmarc lens. Its 240mm lens doubles the iPhone’s optical zoom capability. Yes, my iPhone has a 25x zoom, but anything over 5x is done digitally using the iPhone’s CPU to enlarge the image and make whatever adjustments it thinks are necessary to create a good photo. I’ve never seen any good images from my iPhone that are over the 5x optical zoom.
I tried video and could not get anything clear enough, as I tried to follow the subject. The shakiness was dizzying and distracting.
Here are a few images to show my results (click on the images to see the results full-sized). Compare pictures taken with the native iPhone camera to the Sandmarc lens on the iPhone with the iPhone’s various optical zoom options (1x – 5x).
Final thoughts
After using the Sandmarc Telephoto 10x Lens for a few weeks now, I’ve concluded that while it does deliver more natural, DSLR-type images, this lens is not for the everyday, quick pictures that most people expect. It would be for capturing images requiring better subject/background separation, background blur, or bokeh. If you have the extra equipment (tripod with phone mount and a remote shutter release), you can achieve cinema-like results with your photos.
What I like about the Sandmarc Telephoto 10x Lens for iPhone
- Results are more natural and look less processed
- Good subject/background separation
- The fit and finish of the lens and case are impeccable
- A necessary phone case is included
What needs to be improved?
- Expensive
- Focusing is finicky
- The sheer weight and size are cumbersome
- Eliminating shakiness requires additional equipment
- iPhone’s screen is not the best viewfinder
Price: $329.99
Where to buy: Sandmarc
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Sandmarc. Sandmarc did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
Check out these other iPhone lens reviews!
- Sandmarc Probe Lens review
- SANDMARC Telephoto 6x Lens review – extra optical zoom for your iPhone photography
Phone Camera Lens Kit 28X Telephoto Lens for iPhone with E-Clip and Tripod, Suitable for Most Smartphones (Black)
$19.99 (as of July 9, 2025 12:10 GMT -04:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
