It’s often said that the best camera is the one you have with you at all times, and there’s isn’t a second of the day that we’re without our phones. Smartphone cameras have come a long way over the past few years and have evolved to the level of quality where full on Hollywood productions are choosing to shoot on iPhones. Steven Soderbergh shot his newest film “Unsane” starring Claire Foy and Matte Damon using just an iPhone. You’re probably reading this blog post on an iPhone or Andrroid phone right now, you see that thing you’re holding in your hand? They made a film using one of those and it started Matt frickin Damon. If that isn’t a testament to the power of smartphones then I don’t know what is.
But even though you can still shoot great video using just your smartphone, there are a lot of accessories on the market that can help take your phone to the next level. Here are a few great and affordable products that I have tested and recommend everyone to check out.
Manfrotto Universal Smartphone Clamp
The Manfrotto Universal Smartphone Clamp gives your phone a strong and secure way of being mounted to tripods, sliders and other forms of stabilisation But not only does it offer you a way to mount your phone, but it also comes equipped with a cold shoe mount on top which offers you a world of versatility when adding accessories and rigging out your phone with things such as lights and microphones. Manfrotto's Universal Smartphone Clamp is an essential piece of kit for any filmmaker that wants to fully utilize their smartphone.
BUY THE MANFROTTO UNIVERSAL SMARTPHONE CLAMP HERE
Rode Videomic Me
Good audio is an absolutely vital part of filmmaking, and if you really want to up your audio game then you're going to need to use more than your phone's built in microphone. Rode's Videomic Me is in my opinion the best option on the market for mobile filmmakers. The Videomic Me connects straight to your phone through the 3.5mm headphone jack (a lightening adaptor is needed for iPhone users). The Videomic Me provides great, clean and directional audio which is perfect for filmmaking. Audio quality is something that seriously shouldn't be overlooked, bad audio can completely ruin a film so do yourself a favour and pick up one of these mics, you won't regret it.
BUY THE RODE VIDEOMIC ME HERE
DJI Osmo Mobile
Over the past few years, a gimbal has become an essential part of any filmmaker's kit, and for big. heavy cinema cameras, a gimbal can cost a tonne of money. But luckily for mobile filmmakers, gimbals have become seriously affordable. And the best mobile gimbal on the market today in my opinion is the DJI Osmo Mobile 2. Say goodbye to amateur and shaky footage, the DJI Osmo Mobile instantly smooths out your footage to give you that fluid cinematic style, for such an affordable price point, there's really no reason to be missing out on the DJI Osmo Mobile.
BUY THE DJI OSMO MOBILE 2 HERE
Moment Lenses
There are a lot of lens adaptors on the market for smartphones and I can tell you for a fact that most of them are f***ing awful. The only exception I have found are the Moment Lenses, they're a little bit more pricey that the stuff you typically find, but they are without a doubt worth every penny you're paying. Maintaining a clean, sharp and crisp image throughout the frame, Moment Lenses are a great bit of kit for someone who wants to take their smartphone filmmaking to the next level.
BUY THE MOMENT LENSES HERE
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