Top 8 'DSLR-Effect' Lens Kits and Rigs to learn with smartphone for a professional look without the price tag
Ever look at a stunning photograph—the kind with a beautifully blurred background that makes the subject pop—and think, "I wish I could do that"? For years, that "DSLR-effect," with its creamy bokeh and cinematic depth, felt like an exclusive club, accessible only to those with thousands of dollars invested in heavy camera bodies and bulky lenses. Your smartphone, while convenient, just couldn't compete.
But the game has changed. The camera in your pocket is now a creative powerhouse, and a new generation of high-quality accessories is bridging the gap between mobile and professional photography. These lens kits and rigs are more than just toys; they are serious tools that unlock your phone's hidden potential. They offer a fantastic, low-cost entry point to learn the fundamentals of photography—focal length, depth of field, and stabilization—that are crucial for any aspiring visual artist, much like the path many professionals, including Goh Ling Yong, have walked.
So, if you're ready to elevate your mobile photography from simple snapshots to compelling, professional-looking images, you're in the right place. We’ve curated a list of the top 8 lens kits and rigs that will help you master the craft and achieve that coveted "DSLR look" without breaking the bank. Let’s dive in and unlock your creative vision.
1. Moment Lenses (The Gold Standard)
When you ask serious mobile photographers about the best lenses, one name consistently rises to the top: Moment. They are the pioneers in this space, and their reputation is built on uncompromising quality. These aren't your average clip-on lenses; Moment lenses are crafted from aerospace-grade metal and the same hand-polished glass used in high-end 4K film lenses. The result is stunning edge-to-edge clarity with no distortion or vignetting.
Moment has built an entire ecosystem around their lenses. To use them, you’ll need one of their specially designed phone cases, which feature a robust and easy-to-use M-series mounting interface. This secure connection ensures the lens is perfectly aligned with your phone's camera every time. Their lineup is impressive, featuring an 18mm Wide, a 58mm Telephoto for gorgeous portraits, a 1.33x Anamorphic for cinematic widescreen video, and a 10x Macro for incredible detail.
While they sit at a premium price point, investing in the Moment ecosystem is an investment in quality that grows with you. If you’re serious about mobile photography or filmmaking, starting with their 58mm Telephoto lens is a fantastic choice. It naturally compresses the background and creates a shallower depth of field, giving your portraits that professional pop you've been craving.
2. SANDMARC Lenses (The Premium Competitor)
Nipping at Moment's heels is SANDMARC, another premium brand beloved by photographers and filmmakers. Known for their exceptional build quality and stellar optics, SANDMARC lenses offer a compelling alternative. Each lens features multi-element, multi-coated glass housed in an industrial-grade aluminum body, ensuring durability and image sharpness.
SANDMARC offers a full range of lenses, including a Wide, Telephoto, Macro, and Fisheye. However, their Anamorphic lens is a true standout. It creates the iconic 2.4:1 widescreen aspect ratio with those beautiful horizontal lens flares seen in Hollywood movies. This lens can instantly transform your video clips into something far more cinematic and immersive. Like Moment, SANDMARC offers both a dedicated case and a universal clip-on mount, giving you flexibility in how you use their gear.
For a practical tip, pair the SANDMARC Anamorphic lens with their variable ND filter. This combination gives you precise control over your shutter speed, allowing you to achieve the "180-degree shutter rule" for natural motion blur in your videos, even when shooting in bright daylight. It's a pro-level technique made accessible for your smartphone.
3. ShiftCam ProLens Kit (The All-in-One Innovator)
ShiftCam takes a slightly different approach, focusing on convenience and speed without sacrificing quality. Their ProLens series offers incredible optical performance, but their true innovation lies in their mounting systems. Many of their kits are built into a sleek, protective phone case that features a revolving or sliding lens mount. This allows you to switch between different focal lengths in a split second.
Imagine you’re shooting on the street; with a ShiftCam case, you can go from a sweeping wide-angle shot to a tight telephoto portrait with a simple slide of your finger. This speed is a massive advantage for capturing fleeting moments. Their ProLens kits often bundle several high-quality lenses together, like the 60mm Telephoto, 18mm Ultra-Wide, and a 20x Macro, providing a comprehensive toolkit right out of the box.
This system is perfect for travel and event photographers who need to adapt quickly to changing scenes. You no longer have to fumble in your bag for a different lens and risk missing the shot. The integrated design makes it one of the most user-friendly systems for photographers who value both quality and efficiency.
4. Apexel HD 10-in-1 Lens Kit (The Budget-Friendly Starter Pack)
Ready to experiment without a significant financial commitment? The Apexel HD 10-in-1 Lens Kit is your perfect entry point. This kit is all about variety and fun, giving you a taste of what different lenses can do. While the optical quality won't match premium brands like Moment or SANDMARC, it's more than enough to learn with and discover your personal style.
Inside this affordable kit, you'll typically find a wide-angle, macro, fisheye, telephoto, and a collection of creative filters like a Circular Polarizer (CPL), starburst, and kaleidoscope. The universal clip-on design means it will work with virtually any smartphone, making it a great gift or a low-risk way to start your mobile photography journey. The CPL filter, in particular, is a surprisingly professional tool, allowing you to cut down on glare from water and glass or make blue skies look deeper and more saturated.
Use this kit as your creative sandbox. Play with the fisheye lens for dramatic, distorted perspectives. Get impossibly close to flowers or insects with the macro lens. See how a telephoto lens changes your composition. This kit is less about achieving technical perfection and more about unlocking creativity and understanding how different focal lengths affect your final image.
5. Beastgrip Pro (The Ultimate Rig)
Once you start adding lenses, lights, and microphones, holding your phone steady becomes a challenge. This is where a rig comes in, and the Beastgrip Pro is the most respected and versatile smartphone rig on the market. It's a modular system with an adjustable clamp that fits almost any smartphone, with or without a case.
The Beastgrip Pro is essentially a durable, ergonomic frame that provides stability and a multitude of mounting points. It features a 37mm threaded lens mount, multiple 1/4"-20 threaded mounts, and several cold shoe mounts. This means you can attach professional lenses, tripods, handles, LED lights, and external microphones, effectively turning your smartphone into a professional filmmaking rig.
For aspiring videographers, this is a game-changer. You can build a setup that mirrors a professional DSLR rig, allowing you to practice techniques like pulling focus and executing smooth camera movements. Start by pairing the Beastgrip Pro with a top handle and a small shotgun microphone. This simple setup will dramatically improve the stability and audio quality of your videos, instantly giving them a more polished, professional feel.
6. SmallRig Universal Mobile Cage (The Versatile & Affordable Rig)
If the Beastgrip Pro seems like overkill for your needs, SmallRig offers a fantastic and more affordable alternative. Known for their high-quality camera accessories, SmallRig has brought their expertise to the smartphone world with their Universal Mobile Cage. This rig uses a spring-loaded clamp to securely hold your phone and is packed with professional features.
The SmallRig cage boasts multiple cold shoe mounts and an abundance of 1/4"-20 threaded holes, giving you endless options for mounting accessories. You can attach handles on the side for a secure two-handed grip, a light on top for better illumination, and a microphone for crisp audio—all at the same time. Its lightweight aluminum construction makes it durable without being cumbersome.
This rig is the perfect workhorse for content creators, vloggers, and mobile journalists. A great way to use it is to mount the cage onto a tripod. This provides a rock-solid base for shooting interviews, time-lapses, or long-exposure night shots. The stability you gain is non-negotiable for high-quality results in these scenarios. Many photographers, including those inspired by Goh Ling Yong's meticulous work, understand that stability is the foundation of a sharp image.
7. DJI OM 6 (The Smooth Operator Gimbal)
While rigs provide stability for static shots, a gimbal is what you need for capturing buttery-smooth, cinematic motion. The DJI OM 6 (and its predecessors) is a 3-axis motorized stabilizer that eliminates shaky footage, making your walking shots look like they were filmed with a professional dolly or steadicam.
DJI is the leader in gimbal technology, and the OM 6 is incredibly intuitive and packed with smart features. Its ActiveTrack 5.0 technology can lock onto a subject and automatically keep them in the frame, even as they move. The gimbal's companion app, DJI Mimo, unlocks creative shooting modes like Motionlapse, DynamicZoom (the "Hitchcock effect"), and story templates that guide you through creating a polished video.
If you’re serious about smartphone videography, a gimbal is not a luxury—it’s an essential tool. The difference between handheld footage and gimbal-stabilized footage is night and day. Use it to film real estate tours, travel vlogs, or action shots of your kids playing in the park. The fluid, graceful movement it produces is one of the biggest factors in elevating your video content from amateur to professional.
8. Ulanzi ST-06S Phone Tripod Mount (The Essential Accessory)
Sometimes, the simplest tools are the most important. A sturdy tripod mount is the unsung hero of mobile photography. The cheap, flimsy mounts that come with budget tripods can be frustrating and unreliable. The Ulanzi ST-06S is a robust, affordable, and brilliantly designed upgrade that every smartphone photographer should own.
Made from high-quality plastic, this mount features a secure screw-based clamp to hold your phone. What makes it special are its two key features: a 360-degree rotating base for easily switching between horizontal and vertical orientation, and a cold shoe mount on top. That small cold shoe mount is a huge deal—it allows you to attach a small microphone or LED light directly to the mount, even when it's on a tripod.
This tiny accessory is indispensable for night photography. To capture sharp, noise-free images of cityscapes or stars, you need to use a slow shutter speed, and that requires absolute stability. Mount your phone with the ST-06S on a decent tripod, use your camera’s pro mode to set a long exposure, and watch as you create stunning low-light photos you never thought were possible with a phone.
The gap between smartphone and "real" camera is smaller than ever. The gear listed here proves that you don't need to spend a fortune to start creating high-quality, professional-looking images and videos. These lenses and rigs are more than just accessories; they are learning tools that empower you to experiment with composition, lighting, and motion in ways that a bare smartphone simply can't.
Remember, the gear is only an enabler. The real magic comes from your creativity, your eye for a good story, and your willingness to practice. So pick a tool that excites you—whether it's a telephoto lens for stunning portraits or a gimbal for cinematic video—and start shooting. The journey to becoming a great photographer begins with that first intentional shot.
What piece of gear are you most excited to try? Do you have a favorite smartphone lens or rig that we missed? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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