Smartphone Telephoto Lens: Beastgrip 3x Pro Series vs Ulanzi 65mm

I forgot to mention that the Beastgrip has a thread to mount a 58mm filter whereas the Ulanzi can't mount any filters directly

The number ONE reason for using a tele lens is NOT about depth of field. It’s about the angle of view. Wide angle lenses exaggerate perspectives, which is very annoying for portrait, when tele lenses flatten them. The shallow depth of field is an added bonus. You should try native lens, 2x and 3x converters with the same framing, not the same distance from the camera. While the framing will be the same (same amount of your face in the picture) these will definitively be 3 quite different pictures, telling 3 difference stories.

subbed much love from Vancouver Canada 🇨🇦 so excited for this 😍

You've just convinced me to get the Ulanzi. I wish I had this lens when I was shooting this weekend.

Nice one, Simon. I have the BeastGrip and Moment lenses, but am also considering Ulanzi’s.

Informative. I have the Ulanzi 65, great lens! Thanks sweetheart!

I hope Ulanzi makes a version 2 with filter mount accessibility of their Tele Len's, however this will do for now 👍

Thanks for the videos that you've done one this and related subjects. You take the time to really investigate and talk about what others such as me want to know. That Ulanzi is something that I'm going to try now that I saw your video. I wanted to point out something that seems to rarely get mentioned: that on smartphone cameras (such as my iPhone X), the default 1x lens usually causes fish-eye distortions due to their "default" of taking in the widest shot. To me, when shooting a person's face it makes the subject look like they are in a fun-house of mirrors and it's unappealing. Do we want the face of our subject to look distorted? So I always try to switch to the longer lens on the camera (e.g. hit the 2x on my iPhone X) and take a few steps back to get the same amount in frame. Aren't most prime "portrait" lenses on a SLR camera often chosen on the order of 85 to 135mm? I think that it's for multiple reason and one among them is lack of distortion. You wouldn't shoot up in their face with a 28mm, right? Beside smelling each other's breath they would look distorted which is the point I'm trying to make. I've taken photos of my wife and others using both the "standard" magnification iPhone lens and then framed the same but standing further from the subject using the longer lens. It startles people when they see the resulting images side-by-side and the response is almost always that "the close up lens shot makes me look distorted and UNATTRACTIVE". To me it is sad that people accept looking really unnatural and distorted on video chats and in taking photos or movies this way. Who wants the center of their face effectively magnified and the peripheral parts of their face unnaturally shrunken?? Many webcams and front facing smartphone cameras do this. Add in failure to get white balance correct and the impression is of someone seriously needing medical help. ;-)

Super informative, thank you!

Great video!

I use all the Beastgrip lenses and the resolution is fantastic. My favorite is the 3x tele. Great lens.

The Ulanzi definitely seemed sharper than the Beastgrip. I am disappointed with the lack of filter threads on the ulanzi, however, as for any serious iPhone shooting I’m doing these days, I almost always want to use an ND or the pro mist filters. Hopefully Ulanzi will release a 2.0 version that had thread mounts. Both companies continue to innovate for phone filmmakers, though companies like Beastgrip and Moment, etc., tend to price their products just out of my budget range, while Ulanzi is reliably affordable. Thanks for testing these lenses. I was glad to see them in action.

getting the ulanzi, its just perfect. i dont have to back up that far to get a perfect shallow dof compared to the beast grip plus it would be a perfect addition to my s22. imagine the main 1/1.56 sensor and the f 1.8 plus this telephoto lens man the background blur is going to be creamy and you dont have to get that close to the subject to achieve that this is amazing and its compact! ❤️

This was a great comparison. Very well explained! Thank you so much... Just subscribed! Love and greetings from India. 🇮🇳

Exactly what I was looking for!

Another very useful video brilliantly done. I have just ordered a ulsnzi from wish

Brilliant comparison. Whilst the Beastgrip was more zoomed in the Ulanzi looked like a clearer image to my eyes and really good quality. So cheap as well.

Thanks for this review.

Thanks for this video!

Can you do a similar video, but with the fisheye lenses?