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I am filming golfers swinging at the driving range. Due to common video standards I want to film in landscape mode instead of portrait mode. However, to fit a whole person in I need to be quite far away from the golfer, approximately 2-3 driving range stalls down.

I would like to film the golfer from up close, yet fit in the full person from head to toe such that I can record the whole swing.

I know I can purchase lenses for the iPad that snap on, such as this one, my problem is I do not know what type of lens I need to buy.

Can you please advise what lens type I would need?

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    1) For us, ignorants about golf course measures, What is "two or three driving range" in meters or yards? And, 2) What is the result you have right now? Do you need the player to be smaller? or closer? – Rafael Nov 27 '16 at 13:49
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    Some example photos would be helpful. – vclaw Nov 27 '16 at 15:04
  • @Rafael A driving range stall is just a spot that each user occupies to knock golf balls onto a common practice area called a driving range. That way many players can use the same space at the same time to practice. Rather than retrieving each ball as it is hit, each user hits many balls from a bucket they have obtained from the driving range. The driving range periodically collects the balls from the range (tractors, sometimes with wire cages to protect the operator, with custom attachments can do this very quickly) and then rents the same balls to subsequent users. – Michael C Nov 28 '16 at 11:00
  • google.com/… – Michael C Nov 28 '16 at 11:02
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You need a wider field of view, hence you need a wide angle lens. There are a few options available for clip-on / snap-on / screw-on (with adapter) lens kits for mobile phones and tablets (although in reality, most of the "options" available to buy are manufactured by the same company).

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    Made by the same company, or made by some dozen tightly-linked but competing factories in China or other low-cost manufacturing center with no compunction about exactly copying designs. – mattdm Nov 27 '16 at 17:21
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    @mattdm Indeed. And I'm willing to bet several brands use more than one of those copy factories at different times during their product offering, so that one can't make meaningful comments about quality differences between the brands (as much as "quality" can describe what are effectively toys, as you note in your answer). – scottbb Nov 27 '16 at 17:38
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You can buy a clip-on lens that will provide a wider angle of view, and you can almost certainly buy one that will be wide enough for your needs (I know that some provide a 180° fisheye view, even — you mention that you don't want this effect, but I mention it as an example of extremes.).

The typical wide-angle lens one sees in 3-in-1 kits* are about 0.6× lenses, and since there's a linear correlation between focal length and field of view, that's easy — you will get about ⅔ more in the frame with one of these. You can also find "ultra wide" 0.45× and 0.3× add-on lenses — although I'd be wary of trusting the numbers precisely. They're cheap, so I'd suggest getting a few and trying them out.

However, it must be mentioned that all of these are effectively toys — they are simple optical designs which go on top of but do not replace the built-in lens, and will add all sorts of uncorrected defects. This may or may not be a deal-breaker for your needs. If you are just looking to review a swing or something like that, it might be okay. If you are making images for a more lasting use or you need to make a good impression with them, you should consider investing in a real camera.

* not an endorsement — just a representative sample.

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