Don't Get Taken!

This ad displayed is old, but the pitch hasn't changed.

Even now that cameras in phones have gotten pretty good, hucksters are still trying to pass of lens that stick on the front of your existing lens as a great idea, They are not.

I got an email offering 75% off add-on lenses for smart phones, tablets, etc. 

The copy said they performed better than a DSLR or mirrorless camera and beat out lenses from some very well-known lens makers. This was 100% pure nonsense. It is the same kind of unregulated garbage that hawks tiny electric heaters in the winters and equally useless "air conditioners" in the summer.

The company offered them at 75% off their normal price of $224 and said they are sold out in stores, so now only available online at the special price of $56.00. 

Another total lie. Let me explain.

I do some direct from China shopping and regularly see the same set for (wait for it) for as little as ONE DOLLAR!

Recently I saw an ad for some kind of superzoom that was supposedly zooming in on a person holding a sign a mile away. It was no doubt an AI fake. Even if such a lens existed, there is no way you would be able to hold the phone camera steady and there would be atmospheric distortion.

As is the case with so much you find online, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. 

Add-on lenses are seldom very good, especially when not made for a specific camera or lens. There are just too many design variations for a generic add-on to work  properly all the time.

Also the claims that these lenses somehow enable the camera to work better in low light is pure fantasy. Think about it:  If add-on lenses are so great, why is there a huge industry making removable lenses?