Moment Will Let You Add a Third Lens to the iPhone 7 Plus

THE IPHONE 7 Plus has two lenses and two sensors built right into it. One of them captures a 28mm wide-angle field of view, just like a bunch of other phones. But the second lens is set at a more portrait-friendly 56mm, giving you built-in optical reach.

In other words, you may not need lens accessories to zoom in with Apple’s new dual-shooter. But if you already own some Moment lenses that you bought for the iPhone 6 and 6s, you can still use the company’s optics with the iPhone 7 Plus—and you might want to if you intend on capturing super-wide scenes and macro shots.

Moment’s system consists of a slick case—or a less-slick stick-on mount—for its lenses. When you use the case, it recognizes when each lens is mounted and launches the Moment app. There’s a shutter button built into the case so you don’t have to smudge up your screen while you’re shooting away.

According to Moment’s website, the company has been testing its lenses with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and they work well. Getting good results out of the iPhone 7’s single camera is the easy part. But what do you do for a camera that already has two lenses on it? Use a tiny pair of lens goggles?

Nah. The company is developing a case and a mount you can use with the iPhone 7 Plus, albeit only one of its two cameras: The wider, 28mm shooter on the left side of the back. They’re using 3D-printed mockup cases for their tests, so the design may change once it’s finalized, but the setup appears to block the iPhone 7 Plus’s 56mm module when a lens is mounted. So this is a lens you’ll want to attach only when you know it’s the only set of optics you want to shoot with.

There are three options that’ll be a good fit for the 7 Plus, and they each cost $100: The new Superfish Lens (15mm), the Wide Lens (18mm), and the Macro Lens (10x magnification). There’s also a 60mm Tele Lens for the same price, but if you use it with the iPhone 7 Plus, you’re essentially duplicating the focal length of its other lens, just with a bigger piece of glass.

But at this stage, there are two huge missing pieces of the puzzle. The new cases for the iPhone 7 lineup haven’t been announced yet, and the new stick-on mounts won’t be available until November. If you’re looking to squeeze the most out of your iPhone 7 camera’s performance, it’s probably best to wait until the case is available. But if you already have and love Moment’s lenses, know that help is on the way.