When I was a kid, I never would have expected that I would own a cell phone, that I would spend a lot of my time sharing things I write via the internet, or that anyone other than James Bond could capture videos with a tiny device that you could hold in your hand. Younger me carried an enormous 126mm camera around with her, took 3.5 inch square photos, and had to take them to a drug store and pay someone to have them developed. Take a moment to appreciate this fact: we can do truly magical things with our phones! Case in point, I took this video last week to test out Instagram’s new video function. A cell phone, an inexpensive macro lens attachment, and a woolly pipevine plant, and here’s what you get:
That’s a pipevine swallowtail caterpillar, munching away on its host plant. How awesome is it that we can do this sort of thing with our phones??
_______________
The Dragonfly Woman 
Intrigued – macro lens attachment for a phone camera? Great film – as you say, nom, nom, nom!
Yes! There are several options for cell phone camera lens attachments. I am currently using the Squidcam system for my iPhone 4, which integrates a silicone case and a set of lenses (macro, wide angle, fisheye). Another great option for iPhones is the Olloclip, though you can’t use the Olloclip with a case. A good choice for non-iPhones (though they work with iPhones too) is the Photojojo macro/wide angle lens. You attach a little metal ring around your phone’s camera lens, then attach the lenses via a magnet that holds them in place. The Photojojo lenses are the cheapest option of the three I mentioned here and the most versatile, but there are lots and lots of other options too. Adding lenses like these can really extend the range of what your phone’s camera is capable of doing! That said, you’re never going to get the same quality as you can out of a dedicated camera with a larger sensor, but having a cell phone camera with you at all times is better than having a fancy camera that you never take with you, don’t you think? I take a lot of photos with my phone, and I love having the extra lenses when I need them.
That is one hungry caterpillar!
It’s also a rather large caterpillar, so it’s really packing in the food!
Technology has really shot ahead but left me behind on the mobile phone front in France as they are still very expensive to run here.
They’re reasonably expensive here too, but I’ve learned to use a smart phone and now I can’t live without one! It’s terrible… Honestly, it would be good for me to be less connected sometimes, so I envy you a little.