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A BROKEN IPHONE 13, NOW SHOOTING ON CANON LENSES

Evan Monsma's iPhone 13 had a broken camera lens, so he machined a brass mount for it and now shoots through Canon EF DSLR lenses and old 16 mm film camera lenses.

by Evan Monsma

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

Open-hardware

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

Evan Monsma's iPhone 13 had a broken camera lens, so he modified it to take Canon EF DSLR lenses and C-mount lenses from 16 mm film cameras. Version 1 used a C-mount lens mount on a plywood back, glued with cyanoacrylate, and the glue failed. Version 2 is a lens mount machined from solid brass covering two of the phone's cameras, epoxied to the phone, with 3D printed lens covers and a tripod thread machined into the bottom. It works with both C-mount and EF lenses; Hackaday notes the EF lenses give a very long effective focal length. Footage has a pink glow because there is no IR filter yet. He does not share plans or files. The custom milled parts were made by PCBWay, the video's sponsor. This is a one-off on his own broken phone: inspiring to watch, but if you want one you will be designing your own mount. For context, Canon had produced more than 150 million EF and RF lenses by January 2021, so there is plenty of glass out there.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —No plans, files or build instructions are shared.
  • —The phone is Evan's own iPhone 13 with a broken camera lens.
  • —Version 1: C-mount mount, plywood back, cyanoacrylate (failed). Version 2: solid brass mount, epoxy, 3D printed lens covers, tripod thread.
  • —The custom milled parts were made by PCBWay, the video's sponsor.
  • —Videos are published under the standard YouTube licence; no open licence is stated.
  • —Footage has a pink glow because there is no IR filter yet.

Parts to buy

4 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • Not statedFind
  • He used his own broken iPhone 13Find
  • Canon EF and C-mount lensesFind
  • Custom milled brass partsFind

Can I build this?

Printlens covers (files not shared)
Buynot stated; he used his own broken iPhone 13, Canon EF and C-mount lenses, and custom milled brass parts
Toolsmachining for the brass mount (his parts were made by PCBWay), epoxy
Skillsdesigning a lens mount yourself, phone disassembly, bonding with epoxy
Timenot stated
Costnot stated
SafetyPhone disassembly: be careful with glass and the battery.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

I put DSLR lenses on my phone

Version 2 (6 Oct 2026): the brass mount, 3D printed covers and footage through EF and C-mount lenses. Sponsor: PCBWay.

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Gallery

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Watch version 1, then version 2 (Seeing why the glued version failed explains the brass and epoxy redesign.)
  2. 2.Read the Hackaday write-up (Short summary of version 2, including the missing IR filter.)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • No plans or files are shared: you design your own mount.
  • Glue matters: version 1 with cyanoacrylate parted from the phone; version 2 uses epoxy.
  • Without an IR filter the footage has a pink glow.
  • This is a one-off on his own broken phone, not a tested design for others.

Are the files or plans available?

No. Evan does not share plans or files.

Why is the footage pink?

There is no IR filter yet. Hackaday suggests adding one.

What happened to version 1?

It used a C-mount mount on a plywood back glued with cyanoacrylate. The glue failed and the mount came off.

Which lenses does it take?

Canon EF DSLR lenses and C-mount lenses from 16 mm film cameras.

Does it cover all the cameras?

No. The brass mount covers two of the cameras and leaves the third one unmodified, according to Hackaday.

Community builds

No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.

Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

Evan turned his broken iPhone 13 into a body for Canon lenses. Which old lens would you put on your phone?

CompareeTEAM7d ago

Practical notes from our verification: Evan does not share plans or files, so this page is about the idea and the result, not a build kit. The phone is his own iPhone 13 with a broken lens. Version 1 (C-mount on plywood, superglue) failed; version 2 is machined brass, epoxied on. The pink glow in the footage comes from the missing IR filter. The milled parts came from PCBWay, which sponsored the video.

Evan Monsma

Evan Monsma is a maker from Indianapolis who documents his projects on YouTube. The camera lens of his own iPhone 13 was broken, so he turned the phone into a body for real camera lenses. Build and footage: Evan Monsma.

Web

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  • Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
  • Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
  • Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
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