Sunday, 15 February 2009

Griffin Clarifi for iPhone 3G review


According to Rosemary Hattersley at PC Advisor :

Griffin Clarifi for Apple iPhone 3G snaps on to your iPhone, and helps you capture close up shots with the Apple phone's camera.

Cameraphones may have come on in leaps and bounds, routinely packing 5Mp or even 8Mp sensors, but the Apple iPhone trails badly behind in the image-capture stakes. While it's adept at snapping bright, crisp photos that look good on its 4in screen, they don't compare with even the lowliest of digital camera shots because of their poor resolution.

Even importing iPhone photos from my recent Arizona jaunt to iPhoto showed up the device's shortcomings. Its 2Mp images were pixellated and edges jagged - it just doesn't capture enough detail.

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Griffin addresses this problem with its Griffin Clarifi snap-on accessory for the iPhone 3G.

The Griffin Clarifi is a shiny black half-case that has a magnifying lens for use with close-up shots. This slides across the iPhone's camera lens when you want to capture a subject in more detail, rather than the whole image appearing flat and closer objects blending in to their surroundings.

Of course, this works best when you've got plenty of contrast between subject and background, good light, a steady hand - there's no getting away from the awkwardness of holding aloft your iPhone handset, using its screen to compose the shot and then pressing an onscreen camera icon to trigger the shutter.

It's also worth noting that while the Griffin Clarifi lens can bring out hitherto uncapturable detail on close-to objects, it can do nothing to improve the overall lack of detail caused by the iPhone's limited megapixel rating.

Specifications

Protective polycarbonate case; rubberised coating; built-in close-up lens; compatible with Apple iPhone 3G

Verdict

As with many iPhone and iPod accessories, the Griffin Clarifi is a one-trick pony, but if you're an inveterate snapper who doesn't want to take a 'proper' camera with them on every occasion and you routinely want to snap close-up objects, it may just be worth spending £20 on the well-built and stylish Griffin Clarifi







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