It’s been couple of years since we’ve heard from Moment, which makes a series of mobile phone cases and lenses for photography enthusiasts. Today the company is announcing its latest in hardware — a pair of iPhone cases and a wide-angle lens it’s crowdfunding on Kickstarter.
Moment launched three years ago with a Kickstarter campaign to fund the creation of a couple of interchangeable add-on lenses that could be attached to your mobile phone. It followed that up with a mobile app and iPhone case to help users take better pictures with their phones.
Now the company is coming out with new hardware that takes those ideas a step further, with the release of a new iPhone case and battery case that double as mounts for a new lens that it’s also crowdfunding.
The Moment photo case for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus ($30) is the latest generation of its protective hardware, allowing users to add a camera strap and mount one of its interchangeable lenses to their phones.
This time around, the company is releasing a version of its case that also includes a battery back. The Moment Battery Case for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will sell for $100 and provide extra juice for mobile photographers on the go.
The iPhone 7 version will provide a 2,500 mAH battery, while the iPhone 7 Plus version will tack on an additional 3,500 mAH. Both cases have a DSLR-like button for taking photos and come with advanced controls that allow users to manage when their phones are charging. It also works with existing lightning cables and accessories.
Finally, the company is coming out with a new version of its wide-angle lens for $100. The new lens is slightly bigger than the older lenses and has an all-glass asphere to help users take even better photos.
While Moment has raised $4.5 million in funding, the company is again launching its products with a crowdfunding campaign. “We do that to know if this is something people want,” Barros told TechCrunch. “You usually know if it is going to work in the first 24 hours.”
For backers, there is little risk of the product not being delivered, however. CEO Marc Barros says the company is working with the same manufacturers that it used for its older hardware, so production should move along smoothly after the campaign is fully funded.
For Moment, which started making lenses and has expanded into cases, the hope is to ride the wave of mobile photography into new product categories. Barros notes the company has focused on image capture to date, but there’s still opportunity in editing sharing, and printing.
In the meantime, the new cases, lenses and mobile app will hopefully keep iPhone photographers inspired.