iPhone Air and Moment Lenses… Do They Work?

The iPhone 17 Air sits right between the standard 17 and the Pro — thin, light, and rocking one really good camera. It's built for ultra-simplicity —fewer bells and whistles, but super-solid glass for crisp, beautiful mobile images. A bunch of us have been begging for an "Air" in the iPhone lineup, and with the 17th generation, we finally got it.

Naturally, I wanted to see if this little guy could hang as a real creative camera setup. While initially designed to be stripped down, it sounds funny to bolt on niche accessories. But if you're a creator who wants a bones-only phone that still delivers great photos and video, adding a couple of tools isn't asking much.

The Setup

Moment's mobile ecosystem plays nicely with the iPhone 17 Air. The case uses the same mount as the Pro, so you can snap on any of the best-selling T-Series lenses — Wide, Tele, Macro, Anamorphic, etc.

But there are a few minor caveats with each, so let's break it down.

Moment

Camera Case for iPhone 17 - iPhone 17 Pro Max / Black

£48

Tele 58mm Tests

Moment's Tele 58mm has been a bestseller for over a decade, and it's basically the Air's cheat code. With only one rear camera on the Air, the Tele 58mm adds real compression and subject separation to the image, giving you a bigger, cleaner "zoom" that feels similar to the 17 Pro's new super-zoom options.

On the 17 Pro/Pro Max, the built-in zoom is already great. So honestly, the Tele 58mm shines more for the look than the reach on those phones. It gives your images that mirrorless, big-lens vibe with richer compression and more character, rather than just getting closer to a faraway subject. Same deal with the Tele 58mm on the iPhone Air, except you also get closer than you otherwise could with its native cameras.

If you want a more comprehensive breakdown of the camera lenses for each model in the iPhone 17 series, we have a full write-up here.

iPhone 17 Camera Lenses (Explained)

Everything you need to know about the latest iPhone 17 series' cameras, their specs, and how they differ from the iPhone 16 series.

Wide 18mm Tests

The Wide 18mm instantly gives the Air's camera a fresh perspective with sharp corners, natural color, and minimal distortion. It’s even wider than the 17 Pro’s 1x, with a touch of “big-glass” character and far less of the campy edge vignetting the Pro can show.

Macro Tests

Since there's no native macro mode on the iPhone 17 Air, a macro lens is a must if you're chasing texture and tiny pieces. In fact, it's the only way to get that look. Moment's macro options span the T-Series 75mm and the T-Series Macro 10x — check our guide for the differences.

The Air's sensor pairs nicely with both. You can get within a few centimeters of your subject, and the detail is insane, immaculate for fabric weave, plant veins, or the occasional tiny bug cameo.

Anamorphic Tests

This is where things get fun. The Air's lighter body makes handheld video a breeze with Anamorphic stabilization, enough that I rarely felt the need to install an extra gimbal. This goes for both the 1.33x and the 1.55x lenses.

The only trade-off, though, is that the Air's battery is smaller than the Pro's, so long video sessions drain faster. That said, if you chose the Air, you're probably not planning marathon shooting days anyway.

QuickLock Filters

Sadly, Moment's prized (and my favorite) QuickLock filters won't work at all with the iPhone Air. In a perfect world, they would, and the team would have done all they could to make it happen.

Because of the new phone's build, each model requires a unique-shaped QuickLock filter. The Air's device diameter was too thin for the already-thin add-on to be reliably secured on the camera interface.

However, you're not entirely without filter usages for the Air. Attach a 67mm Adapter to the iPhone 17 Air case, then use a 67mm threaded filter. Viola.