The first Moment lens I recommend purchasing is the 18mm wide lens because it is undoubtedly the most versatile. The Moment 18mm Wide Lens will give you a 2x wider view without any image distortion towards the edges and provides single-camera smartphone users with a better version of that ultrawide field of view so popular on flagship devices.
If you’re looking for an introduction to mobile photography gear, then the Moment 18mm is worth learning more about. In this Moment 18mm Wide Lens review, you’ll see sample photos from the lens, see it compared with other Moment lenses that you might consider, and learn how to mount Moment lenses.
Moment 18mm Wide Lens Sample Photos
Use the image slider above to see what adding the Moment 18mm lens to an iPhone 11 Pro can do for your content.
You should notice a 2x wider field of view with no distortion towards the edges of the image. The Moment 18mm Wide Lens features both cinema-quality glass and an aerospace-metal build, providing superior image quality. The .63X magnification ratio on Moment’s 18mm is similar to the iPhone 11 Pro’s ultrawide lens but is slightly wider.
Moment 18mm Lens Review
When you purchase a Moment lens, you receive the lens, a microfiber lens pouch, and a front lens cap in addition to a quick-start guide. For almost $130, one might hope for a rear lens cap, but that’ll cost you another $10. Fortunately, your purchase does come with a two-year warranty and the option to protect your purchase using Extend. I purchased all my Moment lenses when they had a lifetime warranty and am currently unsure whether that is still being honored. If you have experience with Extend, please leave your thoughts in the comments, as I’d love to provide some thoughts on that process here in this post.
See the Moment 18mm Wide Lens Unobxing and Review on Youtube for even more information on this lens.
As is the case with all Moment lenses, the 18mm will require the additional purchase of a mounting option. The options for mounting Moment lenses include:
- Moment M-Series Case – made for the newest iPhone, Galaxy, and Pixel devices at a number of price points (check out used options as well). Some reviews say Moment photo cases are cheaply made and prone to breakage but my experience couldn’t be more different. I’m currently on my 4th Moment phone case and everyone has lasted the full life of my phone without any issues with the bayonet mounting system that’s used for mounting all my Moment lenses.
- Moment M-Series Lens Mount – created as a universal option for mounting Moment lenses. I will be creating a video for the Youtube channel about Moment’s universal mount but my initial thoughts are similar to the reviews on Moment’s site – it’s underwhelming. Even still, if it’s your only option for mounting Moment lenses then it may still be worth purchasing.
- BeastCage by BeastGrip – while not a Moment product the BeastCage offers 20 1/4″ mounting options which is ideal for attaching some sort of external lighting. This option is the highest quality one on this list but does cost a pretty penny. Do note that the purchase of the BeastCage from BeastGrip comes with mounting options for BeastGrip, Moment, Sandmarc, and ShiftCam lenses.
Is the Moment 18mm wide lens worth it? I certainly think so. While I don’t use it as much now that I have all the Moment lenses and a little more experience, the 18mm wide lens from Moment is especially useful on single-camera devices as it can provide a popular ultrawide focal length. The Moment 14m Fisheye provides a similar effect, albeit with a slightly wider fisheye look to it, and is better suited for action shot and music videos. The Moment 18mm Wide Lens is suited for all scenarios, though I use it most for real estate photography and videography.
Moment 18mm vs Moment 14mm
The Moment 18mm sample photo above can be compared to the Moment 14mm sample photo by dragging the image comparison slider.
In my experience, if you’re interested in the Moment 18mm lens, then you’re also interested in the Moment 14mm lens. You want a wider field of view, and now the question is whether you like the fisheye effect or not. Personally, I don’t find the 14mm fisheye effect to be overdone at all – I quite like it for vlogging on my smartphone. While the 18mm could be used for vlogging, it is best used for real estate and landscape photography.
It must be noted that the 14mm is wider than the 18mm. While this is the case, the 14mm does feature some distortion towards the edges of both photos and videos due to the fisheye effect. The distortion is minimal, however, and adds to the look as a whole. Comment your thoughts on the Moment 18mm Wide Lens versus the Moment 14mm Fisheye Lens below, as I’d love to discuss which is right for you.
Is the Moment 18mm Lens the Best Wide Lens for iPhone and Android?
While there are other wide lenses available for both iPhone and Android, the 18mm wide lens from Moment is undoubtedly one of the best (if not the best). You can give our Best Wide Angle Lens for Mobile Photography post a read for more information. One of the goals of Photos with Phones is to eventually purchase and test every iPhone and Android lens head to head to provide definitive answers to this question, so like and share this post to help us get there.
Before you buy the Moment 18mm Wide Lens consider learning about all of Moment’s lenses in the full Moment lens review.
If you’re interested in this lens, you can buy the Moment 18mm Wide Lens here.
