AOI UCL-03 vs INON G-165 II - Which Close-Up Lens for Action Cams

[Naughticam]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to push my action cam setup to its full potential, and my next step is exploring macro/close-up photography.

 

I’ve come across two close-up lenses that seem to be well-regarded:

• AOI UCL-03: 3 elements in 3 groups, 90° field of view
• INON G-165 II: 2 elements in 2 groups, 110° field of view

 

Since they’re priced similarly, I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve used or compared these two lenses.

Which one would you recommend, and what’s your reasoning?

 

Thanks in advance for your advice!

[humu9679]

One of our moderators, @Davide DB asked about this. But we only heard the sound of crickets. Maybe we can fold this question in his:

 

[Naughticam]

Thanks, it is unfortunate that not more infos are available.

 

I am curious about which lens (INON or AOI) you would prefer. I guess I'll just get one of them and will report 🙂

[Maria Munn]

Hi @Naughticam

 

I loved using my Backscatter Macromate +15 mini and have also used a Backscatter/AO1 Action Cam Sharp Wide Lens Pro with my Go Pro 12 which I am totally in love with.  It is branded as a Backscatter Lens but the optics are made by AO1.  What I loved about it was that I could do some fabulous close-focus wide angle work with it, literally being just mms away from my subjects and they would still be razor sharp.  As you know it gives a 140 degree field-of-view underwater, perfect for caves and wrecks.

 

I used to shoot with just INON lenses, I do still use their UWL-H100 Wide Angle Lens with my Olympus TG-6 which has given me great results too. 

 

I'll dig out some pictures for you 🙂

[Naughticam]

Thanks Maria, sounds very promising! Sounds like both INON and AOI provide good quality and value

 

 

Out of curiousity: You mentioned caves and a wide FOV. Which lights/beam angle did you use to fill the 140° vie of you GoPro?

[Nikolausz]

On 1/7/2025 at 12:54 PM, Naughticam said:

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to push my action cam setup to its full potential, and my next step is exploring macro/close-up photography.

 

I’ve come across two close-up lenses that seem to be well-regarded:

• AOI UCL-03: 3 elements in 3 groups, 90° field of view
• INON G-165 II: 2 elements in 2 groups, 110° field of view

 

Since they’re priced similarly, I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve used or compared these two lenses.

Which one would you recommend, and what’s your reasoning?

 

Thanks in advance for your advice!

If I were you, I would go for the AOI UCL-03 when your aim is close-up (real macro is hard with action cam) due to the narrower field of view.

You can also improve your action cam picture quality by using the AOI UWL-03, so you can focus closer and can achieve close focus wide angle pictures.