If we lived in a world without the advancement of artificial intelligence, the iPhone 15 Pro and its Apple Log recording might have gone down as the film and video tech story of the year. And, alongside it, the rise of the Blackmagic Camera iOS app that is a perfect pairing to any iPhone video workflow.
However, despite being overshadowed by the many AI advancements this year, this Blackmagic Camera app is still quite newsworthy, not just because it’s so handy and it’s already found itself being featured on some of the biggest stages, but also because it just keeps getting better.
Blackmagic Design has just announced another update for the app that promises to add more functionalities and improved useability — most notably in the form of support for lower ISO numbers and improved LUT handling.
Let’s take a look at everything that’s new to this popular iPhone video app.
Blackmagic Camera 1.2.1 Update
Alright, if you’re not super familiar with the Blackmagic Camera iOS app, we can’t blame you. The app was only introduced a few months ago at IBC 2023. Since then it’s already had a few notable updates, but if you’re curious about it here’s a great primer on getting started.
What’s cool about this new update is simply that Blackmagic Design is wasting now time improving the app with added functionalities across the board. The biggest with this update is probably the improved ISO control which should allow for better exposure when recording video outside in bright daylight conditions.
With this more comprehensive range of ISO numbers, specifically in the lower range, your iPhone will be able to act even more like a cinematic camera — even without the use of actual ND filters. Which is all to say, if you want to get the most out of your iPhone 15 Pro and its Apple Log recording, using an app like Blackmagic Camera is going to be crucial to maxing your camera’s capabilities.
Improved LUT Handling
The other most noteworthy improvement in this 1.2.1 update has to be the app’s improved LUT handling. Unlike before, now the Blackmagic Camera app will be able to import a duplicated LUT and it will give you the option to either overwrite the LUT or save it as a copy so that you can use it for any future projects as well.
This will be hugely helpful when shooters are looking to make adjustments to their LUTs and then still be able to compare them back to the original, without actually deleting the originally and needing to make all of the changes again manually.
There’s also some other helpful improvements in terms of general stability and performance as well as practical features for working with flipping images between the vertical and horizontal when using SLR lenses.
The Blackmagic Camera appBlackmagic DesignFull Updates and How to Download
As always a reminder, this Blackmagic Camera app is free to download and to to use, and you can find it on the Apple app store. For update 1.2.1 in particular, you should be able to download it either directly in the app or by simply downloading the latest version linked above.
Here is the full list of updates for the new Blackmagic Camera 1.2.1:
- Flip image now flips image both vertically and horizontally for SLR lenses.
- Improved ISO controls to allow lower ISO ranges.
- Improved handling when importing duplicate LUTs.
- Addressed an issue with preview quality when switching phone orientation.
- Addressed an issue with audio sync when switching lenses during recording.
- General stability and performance improvements.
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- Blackmagic Adds Apple Log to Rec.709 LUT to Its Camera App ›
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