Lens filters have been an essential tool for photographers for generations. It’s no wonder considering a simple colored filter over the lens can completely change the look or emotion of an image. Filters offer a huge amount of creative control and were used frequently by renowned photographers like Ansel Adams and Don McCullin.
While the world has transitioned towards smartphones as the dominant photographic tool, that doesn’t make the fun and simplicity of lens filters any less appealing. A new product called the Monila color filter has recently launched on Kickstarter and offers a spectrum of six filters for use with almost any mobile device.
Filter either front or rear facing cameras
Open Monila’s small carrying case and you’ll be greeted with a thin and light wheel with six colored windows. In the center is a sticky pad made of a unique reusable material that mimics gecko’s feet. By sticking the pad near your device’s camera you can rotate the wheel and change the filter color in front of the lens.
Monila states the adhesive pad is designed not to leave any residue and can easily be switched between the front and rear facing cameras. Imagine selfies taken in an ethereal magenta light, or landscape shots tinted like a red, alien world.
Unlike most software filters, the Monila filter can be used when recording video or live-streaming too.
Filter your phone’s flashlight
There might be an app for everything but changing the color of your phone’s flashlight definitely isn’t one of them. That’s where the color filter comes in… position it in front of your device’s flash and you’ll have a technicolor lightshow at your disposal.
When not in use, the filter can either be moved to the center of the phone (and serve as a fidget spinner) or be put back in its carrying case.
How to back the Monila color filter
If you’d like to be the first to harness the colors of the rainbow with your phone, you can currently pre-order the Monila color filter from $19. That includes the filter wheel in either black or white along with the carrying case.
If fully funded, orders are estimated to deliver October 2021.
