This is pretty much the same kind of rip off I have written about before. Take a cheap smart phone lens that people can buy at Amazon for $16.99 or less, jack up the price to $56, make outrageous claims, and see how may people you can sucker into buying the item at the higher price. They even used the same “questionable” technologist who has multiple identities.
Posted Oct. 17, 2016. Revised and expanded Dec. 2, 2017.
Ridiculous Claims
The teaser ad on Facebook takes you to a longer ad for an HD360X zoom lens. Anyone who believes this lens can turn their camera phone into the equivalent of a professional DSLR deserves what they get.
Screen capture from HD360X ad,
Do you really believe a $56 camera phone lens is better than the lenses from Nikon, Zeiss, Leica, and Canon? Then I have a bridge to sell you.
Is This Person a Real Engineer?
Screen captures from three different ads.
Now about that “lead technologist” from Germany. How is it that he has three different names in three different ads for three different products? This is one very busy guy. And that is not all.
Screen capture from a LuxQue ad.
He is also Alex P, of Pulatani Builders. Which brings his identity total up to four. Does this make you suspicious. So who is he really?
Shutterstock page for professional photographer Simon Greig.
He is a male model and you can buy his image at Shutterstock. Here’s the story behind this face. The name of photographer is, coincidentally, Simon Greig.
The Doctored Magazine Cover Appears Once Again
Screen capture from an ad in June. Click for a larger version.
When I wrote an article about this company in June they were using this magazine cover (on the right in this screen capture) in one of their ads. Note the round LUXHD450 logo on the cover and the “Top Gadget” blurb above the magazine cover.
Screen capture from an HD360X ad in October.
In the HD360X ad I found today, they are again using the same magazine cover except they removed the round logo for the LUXHD450 and replaced it with a round logo that promotes the 8X zoom lens. Again note the “Top Gadget” blurb above the magazine cover.
Digital SLR Photography, April 2016 cover.
This is the real magazine cover. No round logos promoting the LUXHD450 or the HD360X zoom. Draw your own conclusions.
What is the Going Price for This Lens?
Screen capture from the HD360X ad.
Moving on to the HD360X zoom lens. This is an example of the kind of camera phone lens that a retail company can buy at a really cheap price from the manufacturer and resell for a profit. The manufacturer will even put the retail company’s name on the lens. That is how the same product can show up on the internet with several different names, prices, and accessories.
Amazon ad screen capture.
Here is an identical looking 8X zoom lens at Amazon with the same clip on adapter selling for $19.99 under the Aduro name.
Amazon ad screen capture.
And for $16.99 with a different adapter you can get the same identical looking 8X zoom lens under the Leeko name.
How good is this 8X zoom lens? In my opinion the photos in the ad look terrible. You can find much better lenses. Check out the review articles in the links below.
So before you shell out $56, think twice. And you might want to read the articles linked below about the problems with this company and the risks of being overcharged or getting stuck with outrageous shipping changes. You are much safer dealing with someone on Amazon.
Problems with the Company
You can learn a lot more about the problems with this company in this article: LUX HD450 phone lens, I’m calling it a scam, or this follow up article on irate customers.
Series Overview
The Chinese Lens Rip Off Series – Overpriced Camera Phone Lenses
Series Links
The Chinese Lens Rip Off! Part One
Same Guy, Several Different Names, Several Different Ads, Several Different Products – The fake German engineer used in the Chinese lens rip off ads Â
The Chinese Lens Rip Off! Part Two
The Chinese Lens Rip Off! Part Three
How Many Identities Can One Man Have Before You Get Suspicious? Would you Believe 17? – Another fake German engineer used in the Chinese lens rip off ads.
The Chinese Lens Rip Off! Part Four
The Chinese Lens Rip Off! Part Five. The fascinating story of cheap, Chinese camera phone lenses.
The Chinese Lens Rip Off! Part Six. Video: “Does It Suck?â€
The Chinese Lens Rip Off! Part Seven. Comparison test: telephoto phone lens vs DLSR and zoom lens
The Chinese Lens Rip Off! Part Eight. How much does this lens really cost? $224.50? $2.99?
The Chinese Lens Rip Off Series, Part Ten. Good Luck Trying to Get a Refund
The Chinese Lens Rip Off Series, Part Eleven. The Same Lousy Lens With Many Different Names
How to Choose the Best iPhone Lenses
Reviews of the Best Smart Phone Lenses