Upgrading An iPhone Lens To The Max
Mobile phone cameras have reached a level of quality that rivals dedicated devices, yet their fixed lenses remain a limitation for advanced photography. Evan Monsma has upgraded his iPhone by replacing the stock lenses with a custom-machined brass mount that supports interchangeable C-mount and EF-mount lenses. This modification includes a tripod thread for stability and 3D-printed covers, though the author suggests adding an IR filter to correct color balance issues.
- ▪Phone manufacturers have significantly improved camera sensors, but the fixed lenses still limit the device's photographic potential compared to interchangeable lens systems.
- ▪Evan Monsma created a new lens mount from solid brass that covers two of the iPhone's cameras while leaving the third unmodified camera accessible.
- ▪The custom mount is secured to the phone with epoxy and features a machined tripod thread for better stability during shooting.
- ▪The setup allows the use of both C-mount and EF-mount lenses, with the latter providing a very long effective focal length.
- ▪The project currently produces a pink glow in images, which the article suggests could be mitigated by adding an IR filter.
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| Original publisher | Hackaday |
| Canonical URL | https://hackaday.com/2026/10/06/upgrading-an-iphone-lens-to-the-max/ |
| Publication time | Wed, 07 Oct 2026 02:00:37 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-10-07T02:04:25.396Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Upgrading An IPhone Lens To The Max No comments by: Jenny List October 6, 2026 Title: Copy Short Link: Copy The camera in a typical mobile phone is now at a standard at which it can be considered a serious device rather than a toy, such has been the effort put in by the phone manufacturers. They are still held back in some ways by their lenses despite the same development effort being pointed in that direction, and there have been projects aiming to replace those lenses with better quality ones. A while back we covered [Evan Monsma]’s replacement of his broken iPhone camera lens with a C-mount item, and now he’s back with a much improved version. The original was glued on with cyanoacrylate adhesive, and this had parted.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Hackaday.
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