Smartphones on their own make for some pretty rough filmmaking. Their lenses, microphones, and settings all have limitations that can make capturing the shots you want difficult at best and impossible at worst. But, if you're a smartphone filmmaker whose ideas and visions surpass these technological constraints, there are lots of relatively cheap accessories out there that can help turn your device into a pretty beefy cinematic tool. The team over at Film Riot lists 13 pieces of gear, including lenses, stabilizers, and microphones, that you should definitely take a look at.
Here are the accessories (and app) mentioned in the video. (Links are available in the video's description.)
Lenses
- CamKix lenses ($23)
- olloclip lenses ($120)
- Moondog Laps 1.33x Anamorphic adapter lens ($175)
Stabilizers
- MeFoto Sidekick360 tripod adapter ($35)
- Benro BK10 mini tripod ($29)
- DJI Osmo Mobile ($300)
Audio
- iRig Preamp ($40)
- Boya BY-M1 condenser mic ($19)
- RØDE smartLav+ lavalier mic ($68)
- RØDE VideoMic Pro ($230)
- RØDE Stereo VideoMic Pro ($279)
Storage
- SanDisk iXpand 64GB flash drive ($54)
Apps
- FiLMiC Pro ($15)
Moment lens
I've got my hands on a variety of different smartphone accessories over the years and have encountered damn good gear, as well as complete garbage gear.
Moment lenses are probably my favorite smartphone lenses. I was able to get them for a great price years ago during their Kickstarter campaign, but their retail price is pretty steep at $100 per lens. But they're built like a tank with a metal body and their glass is award-winning. Plus, they've developed a new mounting option that puts their original sticky mounting plate to shame; a phone case with the lens interface built right in. Also, they're compatible with tons of different smartphones, including the Google Pixel, iPhones, and Galaxies.
You might also want to check out some waterproof cases if you're interested in getting some nice underwater shots (or if you're taking your phone out into severe weather). There are tons and tons of options, but the Pelican Marine case is reasonably priced at around $70 to $90 (compared to others on the market) and, duh, is one of the most trusted case manufacturers in the world. You can't keep it underwater for a crazy amount of time (about 30 minutes), but for deep sea diving kind of stuff, you'll want to take a look at housings like the $190 Watershot Pro.
What are some other must-have accessories for smartphone filmmakers? Let us know down in the comments.
Source: Film Riot
