OnePlus 6 tested with Aukey smartphone lenses, astonishing results

OnePlus 6 Camera Specifications

OnePlus 6 features a dual-lens camera setup. The camera module comprises of primary 16MP Sony IMX 519 sensor with 1.22 μm pixels. The sensor works on a brighter f/1.7 aperture and comes equipped with OIS and EIS. This is accompanied by a 20MP secondary Sony IMX 376K sensor with 1.0μm pixels.

It is technically the same camera setup we have tested on OnePlus 5T; however, there are some noteworthy camera upgrades. As mentioned above, the pixel size for the primary 16MP sensor has been increased to 1.22 um, which brings in more light and makes OnePlus 6 a slightly better smartphone for low-light photography. There's OIS in the primary camera along with EIS, which improves video performance. The new OnePlus 6 is also capable to shoot videos in the 4K format at 30 FPS and 60 FPS. The smartphone can also record super slow-mo videos that max out at 480 frames per second.

For selfies, OnePlus 6 comes with a 16MP front-facing camera. The shooter uses Sony IMX 371 sensor with 1.0μm pixels and works on ƒ/2.0 aperture. It also supports EIS and can record videos at 1080p at 30fps, 720p at 30fps. We are not going to focus on front camera as we have mostly used the Aukey lenses with the rear camera.

Aukey Smartphone Lenses

The Aukey Lens kit comes with three different optical coating lenses, which as per brand's description are made of upgraded HD glass to reduce glare and reflection. The lenses come with detachable and portable clamps that are equipped with a soft rubber coating to guard against bumps and scratches on your phones' camera glass. It is fairly easy to use the lenses in the kits. Simply mount the lens on the clip and clip to your smartphone rear (or front) camera.

Three lenses in one kit

The kit offers 2-IN-1 Wide Angle and Macro Lens and 180 Degree Fisheye Lens. As the wide angle and macro lens are twisted together, simply remove the wide-angle lens to use the macro lens with the bundled clip. The lenses are made up of good quality material and feel premium. The lenses are made up of metal and glass and have a substantial weigh to them. They are easy to strap on any smartphone and thanks to the sturdy clip mechanism, the lenses offer solid alignment for unhindered photography sessions.

Macro Lens camera Performance

Out of the three lenses in the kit, the 10 X Marco Lens turned out to be my favorite. The macro lens is brilliant to capture extreme close-up pictures within 1 inches. The image you see above is not possible to capture with any smartphone camera without a macro lens. Importantly, OnePlus 6 has done a great job in taking this shot. It was not an easy job to capture the fast-moving Damselfly but the fast autofocus mechanism on OnePlus 6's camera made me capture the perfect shot in the second attempt.

Vivid colors for perfect macro shots

The above shot also shows how effectively the 10X Aukey macro lens captures the minutest details. The conventional smartphone's camera can never get this close to the subject without the help from an additional camera accessory. To capture such stunning macro shots with Aukey 10X macro lens, keep the camera at 0.4 - 1 inch from the object.

Importantly, OnePlus 6's camera has once again surprised me here and proves how important it is to have capable camera hardware in order to make the most out of additional camera gear. As you can clearly see in the image, the smartphone's camera has beautifully captured the green color of the fauna. The lighting looks just perfect and the pleasing bokeh effect in foreground and background gives this particular image a DSLR effect.

Fish-eye Lens camera performance

The second lens in the kit- the Fish-eye lens is another interesting addition that can help you capture some fascinating shots if you love to experiment with your smartphone's camera. To some, the fish-eye lens might seem like a gimmick, which is true to some extent as there are many photo editing apps that can help you achieve a respectable software-driven fish-eye effect. However; try shooting a video with an additional fish-eye lens and see the output. You will instantly love it.

Fish-eye lens adds a whole new perspective

That's exactly what I did with the Aukey fish-eye lens in the kit. I strapped the 180-degree fish-eye lens on the OnePlus 6's camera and captured some shots and videos. The above image shows what kind of image output you will achieve with the Aukey's lens. The images and videos look interesting and add a whole new perspective to your shots. Aukey's wide angle lens can be a good addition if you spend a good time in street and landscape photography.

Wide-angle lens camera performance

The third lens in the kit is a Wide-angle lens, which again comes handy while shooting landscapes and street scenes. Unlike the two other lenses, the wide-angle lens in Aukey's smartphone kit is largely a disappointment. It only adds a little bit of extra scene in the frame and importantly, it messes up with the image output. The pictures captured with wide-angle lens strapped on look soft and show a major color shift. If you compared the two images above, you will notice that the first image is sharp and have better detailing. The second image looks soft and colors also look dull. Aukey's wide-angle lens will only come in handy in situations where you cannot move farther from the subject or while taking landscape and shots. I also tried the wide-angle lens with some other handsets and noticed the same difference in image quality. Aukey needs to improve the lens quality of its wide-angle lens to ensure better overall image output.

Verdict

Smartphones have gradually become our primary camera devices. They are easy to carry around and far easy to use as compared to dedicated cameras. With advancements in mobile camera technology, some high-end smartphones, like the OnePlus 6, are capable enough to give point and shoot cameras a run for their money. As far as Aukey lens kit is concerned, it is a value for money deal and will help you capture some interesting shots without any DSLR and point and shoot camera. Just clip the lenses on your phone and you are good to go. The lens kit is also very portable and can fit in your jeans pocket. Aukey smartphone lens kits are available on Amazon.in in different combinations.