iPhone Hardware Accessories

Further to the review linked in the post above, this is Beastgrip's presentation of the DOF Adapter Mk 3. Manager Oleg Gavronski narrates and Beastgrip owner Vadym Chalenko is operating the camera.

The review linked in the preceding post is clinical with uninspiring subject matter. Chalenko, who designed the DOF Adapter, shows what he thinks it can do in this video. For those interested, there are also examples by others of DOF Adapter Mk 2 footage on YouTube. If I recall, there may be one or two examples on the Kickstarter campaign page (link in the previous post).

As an experienced cinematographer, I've used my iPhone for quick shots in the past, but Apple's use of an iPhone 15 Pro Max at their event caught my eye. With Blackmagic's Cam App, I've decided to use the iPhone 15 Pro Max for an upcoming production.

To fast-track our learning curve, some colleagues and I have created an iPhone Cinematography website and a dedicated Facebook group for the iPhone 15 Pro and Blackmagic Cam app. We plan to share videos and information with other cinematographers as we build our cages and rigs. Cheers, Bill

The iPhone Cinematography website that Bill has created: https://iphone-cinematography.com

The iPhone Cinematography Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1719230818546493

As far as I can tell, Simon Horrocks's Mobile Filmmakers is the largest Facebook Group for people using phones for filmmaking. Horrocks is English, but lives in Switzerland. He has a YouTube channel (137,000 subscribers) and sells courses on mobile filmmaking. There's a Wikipedia entry about him, which I imagine he created and wrote himself.

One must apply to join Horrocks's group, which has 17,000 members. The group is phone brand agnostic, and Horrocks regards cameras like the GoPro and DJI Osmo as within the group's ambit.

His rules for the group suggest that he takes a proactive approach to moderation. He actively discourages members from posting links to videos on YouTube, whether made by themselves or others, and says "Most YouTube links will not be approved by moderators". He posts his own YouTube videos by using links to his Patreon account, which appears to be at the centre of his various activities.

Husband and wife team Bernie Lutz and Sue Swank, who are Florida realtors, created the group iPhone Photos & Videos - Tips, Tricks & Bragging Rights. As the name says, it's for iPhone users only. This group is numerically larger than Horrocks's (31,000 members), but covers both still photography and video, with what appears to be noticeably more of the former. It's a public group - there's no need to apply - and the content is visible to non-members. My sense is that this group is primarily a space for people to show their photos and video clips and learn whether others like them. If you're looking for a one-stop place to see a fairly large selection of what iPhones are producing as video images, this group may be the ticket.

iPhone Cinematography is the new kid on the block. Bill Kerrigan, who is from Montréal, has created it as a public group, visible and open to all. My impression is that he and current members are keen on attracting people who are interested in talking about the craft side of iPhone filmmaking. As Bill says in his post above "We plan to share videos and information with other cinematographers as we build our cages and rigs".

All of these groups have a Multimedia tab. There are sub-tabs for photos and videos. This means that it's possible to look only at one or the other. I found this useful, in particular when navigating iPhone Photos & Videos - Tips, Tricks & Bragging Rights.

I know very little about Facebook, and there may well be significant groups on iPhone video that I've missed. If so, add away.

Mobile Filmmakers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mobilefilmakers
iPhone Photos & Videos - Tips, Tricks & Bragging Rights: https://www.facebook.com/groups/iphonephototipstricks
iPhone Cinematography: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1719230818546493

Deleted

I wish BM's camera app would offer to up the data rate of HEVC like Cinema P3 does. That would be the perfect answer to this question.

HEVC in 10 bit 422 can be as good as ProRes if the data rate is high enough. Currently (depending on image content) HEVC from BM's app is about 10 times smaller than ProRes. A Sony A7 series camera is recording the same resolution in HEVC at much higher rates, which the iPhone can even surpass slightly.

When does it matter? Visually, HEVC from the iPhone is surprisingly good. If you always nail exposure and color perfectly, it wouldn't matter much. But then, you wouldn't need Apple log either. The main reason to use Apple log then is to defeat that stupid edge enhancement.

But as soon as you need to correct exposure by only one stop (or even less), the much thinner HEVC signal starts falling apart. I made some tests with one of the hardest 'scenes' to torture a GOP codec: heavy rain on a backlit water surface filling the screen. I have uploaded these to my Dropbox, since the examples are too large to attach.
This is ProRes: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ospv9wt7iad2e ... g.png?dl=0
and this HEVC at the data rate BM Camera is recording:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/n9e275hw ... z4h8i&dl=0

Both received identical corrections for underexposure and contrast.

Deleted

Well, you asked here, so I answered here.
I have added links to the waveforms, which show the difference clearly. ProRes out of BM's app is much 'richer', not pre-filtered as much as HEVC, which shows when grading.

Well, you asked here, so I answered here.

No, I didn't. You used my post as yet another excuse to pursue your romance with Cinema P3. I'm sorry that I raised a question about the iPhone 15 codecs, external storage, and solutions for external storage, and I've deleted it.

I see that you're now pursuing what you want to talk about on your Cinema P3 thread:

...to take the discussion to the right thread, as Robedge suggested...

Precisely.

A few days ago in this thread, you asked the organiser of the iPhone Cinematography Facebook Group whether you can talk about Cinema P3 there too. He said yes. Why don't you do that. Better yet, start a Cinema P3 Facebook Group. After three years, it isn't even in the top 100 photo and video apps. Maybe your evangelism will help.

The main purpose of the post that I deleted above was to talk about a Beastgrip video that shows an option for attaching external storage to its iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max cages.

I don't store a lot of data on my 256GB Pro Max day to day. The Blackmagic app tells me that I can record HEVC (H.265) for 11 hours and ProRes 422 for 1 hour. For the ProRes codec, I have two options: connect an external storage device to the phone (in my case, an SSD or CFast card), or take regular breaks to transfer data from the phone to external storage.

I want to use my Beastcage to protect the phone and as a place to add handles and mount filters. I don't want to mount anything, with the exception of a microphone in some circumstances, on the top of the cage. Beastgrip has come up with a way to mount a storage device that meets this preference.

As can be seen in the images below, Beastgrip's method is to mount the external storage device flush with the camera side of the phone. It can do this because a Beastcage has female 1/4-20s on the front of the cage. The images are from a YouTube Short that Beastgrip uploaded a couple of days ago.

The surface of the clamp is silicone or rubber. This means that the clamp, which is close to the surface of the phone, will not act as a heat sink.

Mounting a Beastgrip clamp on the camera side of the phone.

clamp 1.jpg (90.84 KiB) Viewed 13739 times

Mounted

clamp 2.jpg (102.16 KiB) Viewed 13739 times

Samsung SSD

samsung ssd.jpg (124.96 KiB) Viewed 13739 times

Beastgrip offers three options for cage handles. Two of the options will definitely not interfere with the SSD cable. I am pretty sure that the third option - Beastgrip relatively new "side handles" that mount on a Nato rail - can also be used without interfering with the cable. I mention this due to a YouTube review yesterday of the SmallRig/Brandon Li cage. In an otherwise positive review, the reviewer says that an SSD cable makes using the cage's side handles problematic.

Further to the post above, last night Beastgrip uploaded a second short that also shows its solution for mounting external storage to the phone.

This one shows a SanDisk SSD, which is larger than a Samsung SSD. It also shows that the solution does not interfere with a large diameter filter. I suspect that the filter in the image is 77mm, a size that Beastgrip plans to offer in the near future.

However, I'm not sure that the filter is mounted directly to the filter adapter shown in the second image in the post above. It may be mounted on a lens, creating vertical clearance with the SSD. Also, the larger SanDisk SSD and its cable take up more space in the vicinity of the phone's USB-C port. I don't think that SSD size is an issue with the smaller Samsung SSD.

The image shows Beastgrip's least expensive handle, which can be used singly or as a pair. I use this handle with Beastgrip's basic phone clamp.

Obviously, the new clamp could be used for a power bank instead of a storage device. If one wants, it can also be mounted, without the bracket screwed to the face of the cage, to the Beastcage cold shoe on the top of the cage.

sandisk ssd.jpg (116.17 KiB) Viewed 13727 times

A general comment on Western Digital's SanDisk SSDs, in particular the Extreme and Extreme Pro versions, one of which was used for the image above.... There were articles last summer suggesting a high failure rate of the 4TB and 2TB versions. Western Digital says that it has addressed this. Also, at least some Mac computers don't realise the speeds that are advertised for SanDisk 2x2 SSDs. I would want to know what speeds an iPhone 15 gets with these SSDs compared to a Samsung T series SSD or an NVMe in an enclosure.

Personally, for ProRes I'll be sticking with what I currently have, whether as a transfer destination or attached to the phone, namely Samsung T5 and T7, Angelbird CFast and card reader, and Samsung 980 Pro NVMe in an enclosure.

In last night's video, Beastgrip said that physical shipping of its iPhone 15 cages starts the day after tomorrow. I was also told that in an e-mail exchange yesterday.

Copying video from my iPhone 15 Pro Max to my Samsung T7 via a short USB C cable like the one in the image above happened so fast I was convinced it had failed to copy. Multi GBs take single digit seconds to copy. Simply not an issue.

Given the relatively small size of the h.265 files, especially now that I've upped the bandwidth to about 4mbps, I have no intention of recording direct to an SSD mounted on the phone.

Once copied to the T7, I edit the files in Resolve directly from the SSD. I understand that this is a risky, unprotected behaviour. I don't care. I'm doing this for fun and experimentation, not for money.

The handles on my Neewer cage do interfere with the phone's USB port. There's only one handle position and orientation that allows the handle and the USB cable to work simultaneously.

Ongoing experience with the Neewer cage has made me dislike both the onerous handle mounting solution, the size of the handles themselves (needlessly bulky) and the difficulty of re-orienting them for different shot requirements.

The cage itself remains just barely tolerable as a full time install.

Second that. A Samsung T5 or T7 is plenty fast for the iPhone. While the T7 (non-shield) is not recommended for BM's cameras, it has not given us any issues with the phone. Both of these can also get their power from the phone, while an NVMe needs external power to work at all.

A Samsung T5 or T7 is plenty fast for the iPhone.

That depends on what you want to do.

Both of these [Samsung T5 & T7] can also get their power from the phone, while an NVMe needs external power to work at all.

Explain that to the people who have demonstrated otherwise. It appears to depend on the generation of the NVMe and on the enclosure. The phone by itself probably won't power a current Samsung 980 Pro, but there's a very good chance that it will power earlier generation NVMes that I have. In any event, there are ways to supply more power if a drive needs it.

Of course, I didn't test them all. After Samsung finally fixed the firmware, we have settled on a whole bunch of 980 Pro.
So, thanks for the heads up that older models may work. I'm aware that there are others approaches to power supply, even including an NVMe.

So, thanks for the heads up that older models may work. I'm aware that there are others approaches to power supply, even including an NVMe.

I didn't say that earlier generation NVMe's may work. I said that they do work. We're now on Gen 4, and the phone will apparently provide enough power for Gen 3 NVMes that have been tried. This bodes well for other Gen 3 NVMes, and certainly Gen 2. The enclosure is also a factor.

Some packaged SSDs work and some don't. Same for NVMes in enclosures.

Copying video from my iPhone 15 Pro Max to my Samsung T7 via a short USB C cable like the one in the image above happened so fast I was convinced it had failed to copy. Multi GBs take single digit seconds to copy. Simply not an issue...

I understand that this is a risky, unprotected behaviour. I don't care. I'm doing this for fun and experimentation, not for money.

I'm just recording HEVC (H.265) and sending it to my computer via AirDrop (WiFi) when I get around to it. What you're doing is not only more rigorous, it sounds like it may be more efficient than transferring your footage from your phone to your computer. Several threads on MacRumors, the main Mac forum, say that data transfer between the phone and a Mac computer is nowhere near as fast as it's supposed to be ("up to 10Gbps"). The posts are as recent as late last month. If Apple is going to address this, it looks like it's in no hurry. On the upside, posters are saying that transfer is a lot faster than with previous iPhones.

DJI Mic 2 with 32 bit float recording.

Just released, already in stock at B&H:

DJI Mic 2: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... c_2_2.html

DJI lavalier for Mic 2: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... r_mic.html

Prices in USD:

1 transmitter: $220
2 transmitters: $350
Lavalier: $40

No shortage of videos on YouTube. This one is from B&H. He's cheeky enough to go with metric and translate for Americans (and Liberians and Burmese), but not cheeky enough on the length of a football field

DJI's promotional video:

As promised, Beastgrip has started shipping its iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max cages and its iPhone 15 filter adapter. It looks like Beastgrip is shipping in order of receipt of orders. I ordered shortly after pre-order opened. Beastgrip says that it expects to complete shipping of current orders by January 31st.

Beastgrip is in Des Plaines, Illinois, just outside Chicago, and today's Friday. Shipped UPS Ground, UPS estimates that my Pro Max cage and filter adapter will be delivered in New York on Tuesday. Weight is 1.2lbs (544g).

I haven't decided whether to purchase the SSD/Power Bank clamp discussed nine posts up. In any event, Beastgrip told me yesterday that they aren't ready to ship it.

UPS.jpeg (44.78 KiB) Viewed 13029 times

Is anyone ordering an Apple Vision Pro?

It looks like DaVinci Resolve on the iPad is one of the apps that will work with it.

On Apple's website for pre-order: https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/

The order process is a bit unusual. To determine what size Vision Pro you require, you need to use an iPhone or iPad with Face ID to scan an image that appears during ordering.

Price on Apple's U.S. site is $3500, $3700 or $3900 depending on desired storage.

Released today...

A Guided Tour of Apple Vision Pro

Very tempting, but I think I'll wait for version 1.2

Hoping to not venture too far into the weeds but interested in a little perspective, I did a little research and the equivalent price for an Apple II back in 1977 was nearly $6K USD

Unlike everybody else on YouTube who reviews external batteries for laptops and phones, this gentleman is an electrical engineer. Lately, he's been reviewing power banks. As of today, he's turning his attention to lower capacity, and therefore smaller and lighter, external batteries for phones.

Re the table at 4:34, he has reviewed the two Anker and the Nitecore power banks in earlier videos.

Reviewed: Best Selling Power Bank for Phones in 2024

DJI Mic 2 with 32 bit float recording.

Just released, already in stock at B&H...

Curtis Judd is holding up his review due to a problem that he's discovered with the sound. DJI engineers apparently agree that there's a problem, and think that it can be fixed with a firmware update. Judd has released a short video on his channel about this.

Judd's advice:

To overtly say the obvious: I do NOT recommend buying the DJI Mic 2 YET. I'll have my recommendation after DJI releases the firmware update.

This was all recorded on the transmitter in 32-bit float mode with the transmitter’s built-in microphone.

Judd's video is attracting a large number of comments, including some from people who already have the Mic 2 and want to share their experience with it.

Re Apple's Vision Pro...

Very tempting, but I think I'll wait for version 1.2

Hoping to not venture too far into the weeds but interested in a little perspective, I did a little research and the equivalent price for an Apple II back in 1977 was nearly $6K USD

Having watched Apple's walkthrough video, I'd like to try using an iPhone 15 to make content for Vision Pro. I can already do the sound recording and processing to place sound in space. I'm not ready to purchase a Vision Pro device, but I'm thinking that it might soon be possible to rent one to try out. I'll certainly be dropping by an Apple Store for a demonstration.

My humble and probably ill-informed opinion is that 3D acquisition by the current iPhone line will be disappointing due to incorrect interocular distance of the cameras. Cameras on opposite ends of the body would be near-optimally situated.

My humble and probably ill-informed opinion is that 3D acquisition by the current iPhone line will be disappointing due to incorrect interocular distance of the cameras. Cameras on opposite ends of the body would be near-optimally situated.

I've read that there are likely to be some issues. The walkthrough specifically mentions using an iPhone 15, which suggests to me that results will be satisfactory within some set of parameters. In any event, I want to try it.

Where I am, there are nine Apple Stores within a reasonable subway ride, so I should be able to get a good sense of Vision Pro and its limitations before I wear out my welcome

A company called Think Thing Studio, having run a successful Kickstarter campaign, is taking pre-orders for a product called MagDisk Pro. It combines a holder for an iPhone 15 and a holder for an external SSD. Delivery is apparently next month: https://www.thinkthingstudio.com/magdisk-pro

I'm interested in the design of the SSD holder. It isn't for pre-packaged SSDs. It's an enclosure that accepts M.2 size SATA and NVMe SSD sticks. According to Think Thing's Kickstarter site, it will accept sizes 2230, 2242, 2260 and 2280. In these sizes, 22 is the width in mm, and the second number is the length. For SATA and NVMe SSDs, sizes 2260 and 2280 are common. I've sent Think Thing an e-mail asking what brands/models of SATA and NVMe SSD they've successfully tested. I've also asked Simon Horrocks, who Think Thing has sent this product, what SSD was in the enclosure that he received. Horrocks has not reviewed this product. I just noticed it in a brief shot in a video that he uploaded to YouTube yesterday.

I'm interested in the fact that Think Thing's enclosure works with the iPhone 15, and with both SATA and NVMe SSDs. That said, for me Think Thing's price, at HK$1,100, is not attractive. I've already gone with Beastgrip accessories, and I also have SSD enclosures. If I needed a different enclosure to do this, they are not expensive. If I need a pocket light, which Think Thing's product appears to come with, I'll probably get Rosco's DASH: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... d_kit.html

This is Think Thing's video about this product. The gimbal is a DJI Ronin, maybe an RS3 Mini?

Where I am, there are nine Apple Stores within a reasonable subway ride

Lucky you. For me, the nearest Apple store is either seven hours east or ten hours west. We'll look forward to your reports.

With regard to accessories, it seems to me that absolute ground zero has got to be a PD-capable USB hub. From there, all things are possible.

Where I am, there are nine Apple Stores within a reasonable subway ride

Lucky you. For me, the nearest Apple store is either seven hours east or ten hours west. We'll look forward to your reports.

With regard to accessories, it seems to me that absolute ground zero has got to be a PD-capable USB hub. From there, all things are possible.

I vote for Vancouver over Calgary.

Where I spend summer/fall, there's what's known as a Premium Apple Store 2 ½ hours away. An actual Apple Store is another matter. That's an eight hour drive followed by eight hours on a ferry followed by another four hours driving, for a total of 20 hours. One way.

I hate hubs. I'm convinced that they hate me too. Anyway, I haven't had one for about ten years. When I purchased my Mac Studio, my main question was "how many ports are there and how fast are they?" I do have a couple of Gen. 4 2TB external drives that I can set up as RAID 0. It's wicked fast. However, what I've learnt from RAID 0 is that, leaving aside bragging rights on MacRumors, wicked fast doesn't have any practical applications.

Speaking of pocket lights, I've noticed that vendors are making a significant effort to market these to iPhone 15 owners. For some time, I've been looking for an excuse to buy Rosco's DASH (actually, Rosco subsidiary DMG Lumière's DASH). Watch the videos below, and you'll want one too.

This is Toronto's Dale Sood from a cinematographer's perspective. His earlier pocket light review, which pre-dated the DASH, is also worth watching:

Australian gaffer Andrew Lock (Gaffer & Gear) made this video for the technically minded. Re Lock's comments on price, the light is US$300 with Bluetooth but not CMRX/DMX:

B&H, Rosco DASH: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... d_kit.html

A company called Think Thing Studio, having run a successful Kickstarter campaign, is taking pre-orders for a product called MagDisk Pro...

I'm interested in the design of the SSD holder. It isn't for pre-packaged SSDs. It's an enclosure that accepts M.2 size SATA and NVMe SSD sticks...

I've sent Think Thing an e-mail asking what brands/models of SATA and NVMe SSD they've successfully tested. I've also asked Simon Horrocks, who Think Thing has sent this product, what SSD was in the enclosure that he received.

The following should put to rest Uli's statement above that "an NVMe needs external power to work at all".

In response to my request, Simon Horrocks has posted the following image on Facebook:

Kioxia NVMe.jpg (114.88 KiB) Viewed 12319 times

This is an image from Kioxia Singapore:

kioxia web.jpg (75.48 KiB) Viewed 12306 times

In 2019, Toshiba Memory was renamed Kioxia. The SSD that Think Thing provided Horocks in its new enclosure for iPhone 15 Pro external storage, and that he used in his latest iPhone 15 video, appears to be a Toshiba/Kioxia Exceria NVMe. Kioxia uses different graphics patterns for different product lines. Both images above indicate the Exceria line.

Kioxia America now only sells business products. This is Kioxia Singapore's page on the specifications for the Exceria line: https://apac.kioxia.com/en-apac/persona ... a-pro.html

I'm awaiting a response from Think Thing about whether it has tested other NVMe or SATA SSDs with its enclosure. I'd also like to know whether the enclosure's electronics are off the shelf or custom (I suspect the former), and whether there's anything about the electronics that makes them particularly suitable for an iPhone 15. I don't know whether Think Thing would answer these questions if asked.

I vote for Vancouver over Calgary.

Any day of the week. Vancouver is my hometown. I still miss the ocean.

I hate hubs. I'm convinced that they hate me too.

I see no alternative if you want to connect more than one of external storage, external power or a microphone.

Waiting with baited breath for NAB and Tilta.

Well, you can have external power via MagSafe, but that's kind of fiddly.

I see no alternative [to a hub] if you want to connect more than one of external storage, external power or a microphone.

Waiting with baited breath for NAB and Tilta.

I won't need a hub because the rule that I've adopted for myself is that I'm not going to connect more than one thing at a time to the phone's USB-C port.

I record sound with an external microphone, an external preamp and recorder and timecode. I don't need to have a copy of my recordings on my phone.

I can record HEVC internally for 11 hours. For ProRes, I have an hour. For me, the main difference between recording ProRes to the phone, and taking a short break occasionally to transfer the footage to an SSD or laptop, is that the latter is less of a hassle. No need to add a clamp, storage drive and USB-C cable to my "rig", and no added bulk and weight.

I do think that it may be useful sometimes to connect a power bank to the phone. For bulk and weight reasons, I won't use a power bank larger than about 10,000mAh, so using one probably means having a couple. That said, if I have a choice between feeding power to the phone and a charging break, I'll take the latter. I'm struck by how fast the Pro Max charges from a wall outlet or even a car or laptop port.

Beastgrip's design for adding a storage drive or power bank, which places these devices flush with the back, camera side of the phone, is more palatable than mounting them on top of the cage, but unless it's necessary I want to avoid using a storage drive or power bank while filming in the first place.

I share your curiosity about what Tilta and others come up with for rigging a phone, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to be a customer. Every time I see a rigging gizmo and think "nope", it's a win

Interested in Rosco's DASH pocket light (five posts up), I've had a look at Beastgrip's own to see if the DASH will work well with a Beastgrip cage in terms of fit. Turns out the answer is yes; relative dimensions below. These are screen captures of Beastgrip's pocket light:

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BG light 1.jpg (99.21 KiB) Viewed 11620 times

With Beastgrip's basic phone clamp:

bg clamp.jpg (69.06 KiB) Viewed 11579 times

Beastgrip pocket light dimensions
12.9cm x 7.1cm x 1.5cm / 5.1" x 2.8" x 0.6"
Rosco DASH
12.8cm x 8cm x 2.8cm / 5" x 3.1" x 1.1"

Beastgrip cages will take a lanyard. So will its pocket light. The Rosco has attachments for safety cables, which could be used for a lanyard.

I'm interested in Rosco's DASH, but I noticed that Beastgrip's light has a cool trick. It can be used as a 5,000mAh power bank.

Looks very similar to the one I bought about a year ago. It's excellent. The CRI is as good as daylight to my eye. I use it as a print viewing light.

Maybe not up to the professional on-set use shown with the Rosco light, it's still very usable and appears quite robust.

Price shown is $CDN, so it's about $75 USD.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B08D6R ... =UTF8&th=1

Looks very similar to the one I bought about a year ago. It's excellent. The CRI is as good as daylight to my eye. I used it as a print viewing light.

Maybe not up to the professional on-set use shown with the Rosco light, it's still very usable and appears quite robust.

Price shown is $CDN, so it's about $75 USD.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B08D6R ... =UTF8&th=1

For the Amazon U.S. listing, search for "IVISII G2 Pocket RGB Camera Light, 32Wh Built-in 4300mAh Rechargeable Battery".

You're close on price: US$70

I received my iPhone 15 Pro Max Beastcage today and will post some photos. One of my priorities is to find out whether there's vignetting with the phone's 13mm ultra-wide lens and, if so, how much. When the cage arrived, it was starting to get dark, but I tried a neutral density filter indoors.

The Beastcage filter adapter for the 15 Pro phones takes 58mm filters. I tried a 2-stop B+W F-Pro 58mm. The rims on F-Pro filters, which B+W has renamed its Basic line, are standard thickness. I didn't see any vignetting. However, I want to test this more thoroughly, and with a step-up ring and 82mm filters as well as 58mm.

It may be possible to handhold 100mm x 100mm square filters over the 13mm lens, but this would require removing the cage to prevent light leaking in from the sides.

In particular, I want to test:

a clear filter;
one ND filter;
two ND filters stacked; and
a circular polariser, because they're thicker than regular filters.

I'd also like to test a variable ND filter, but I don't have one.

Maybe not up to the professional on-set use shown with the Rosco light, it's still very usable and appears quite robust.

Sure. I didn't mean to suggest that one has to spend US$300 to get a decent pocket light. I have still photography and video uses for a DASH and I've been considering one for some time. Anyway, I ordered one yesterday and it's currently out for delivery.

The photos that I see of people using a pocket light with a phone cage show the light fixed in one spot. One has to move the whole cage to move the light in relation to the subject. I think that this is likely to be pretty frustrating, even if one is just using the light for fill. For example, I purchased Beastgrip's macro lens. A pocket light will be very handy for close-up images, but only if I can point it where I want. I'm thinking that the light should be attached to the phone with a short articulating arm or small ball head. I also anticipate placing the light off the phone cage altogether.

I also anticipate placing the light off the phone cage altogether.

That's what I do. The worst place for lighting (other than for an eye light or a tiny bit of fill) is on the camera.

I put an Arca plate on the "L-handle" on my light. I can mount it pretty well anywhere.

I put an Arca plate on the "L-handle" on my light. I can mount it pretty well anywhere.

Peter says that his light is an Ivissi G2, or very similar to one. This image from the Ivissi website (https://ivisii.com) shows the L-handle/arm.

ivissi g2.jpg (172.79 KiB) Viewed 11061 times

Last night, while figuring out how to support the Rosco DASH that I'd just ordered, I became something of an expert on what's available in terms of small Arca-Swiss clamps and plates There aren't a lot of them, but I found a few.

An Italian company called Ulanzi makes a quick release system called Falcam F22 that initially looked attractive. The system has been the subject of the usual adoring videos by "influencers". However, there are a couple by people who actually paid for Falcam 22 components, and who have significant reservations that the influencers somehow missed.

I'm only going to use a phone to record video if I can keep the weight and bulk down. As it is, my cage and phone weigh 528g (1.2lb). This concern is why I'm resistant to adding a hub and external SSDs and power banks (explained eight posts up).

If mounted on the cage, the Rosco DASH would bring the total weight to just under 900g (2lb). That means that it's only coming along, like my audio recorder and one or two microphones, when I know that I'll need it. Both will be traveling in a backpack or shoulder bag, not on the cage. That said, it's worth noting that my cage, audio recorder and DASH light will all take a lanyard.

Having spent some time today with the DASH and the myMix app, I think that they're worth the cost. The light is unquestionably well-built, and both are well-designed. Reminds me a bit of my first light, a DLH4, which I still use many years later. Maybe paradoxically, I think this would be a great light for someone fairly new to lighting. The app is user-friendly and rewards experimenting. There are also a good number of videos by professionals about using the DASH to good effect. Some of these are in French, but automatic translation appears to work well.

For example, Adorama recently held a streamed event with Rosco on DMG lights and the myMix app. This was Adorama's first streamed event and there are some technical problems, but also good substance. The event included sections on using the DASH grouped and singly. Starting at 34:50, the presenter uses the DASH as a single light (summary of the event at 52:00):

Color Science and Skin Tone Sampling with the myMix App & DMG Lighting

Having built a LiFePO₄ battery, I'm OK with Rosco's insistence on doing battery replacement for the reasons explained in the user manual. Heat is a mortal enemy of lithium batteries, and the DASH has components designed to address that. I've asked for the current cost.

[EDIT: For an update to this post, including the results of my test with a B+W Master ND filter, see my post on January 29th, 10:50a.m.]

Good news for people who have ordered Beastgrip's iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max Beastcage.

Beastgrip designed the filter mount for these cages to avoid mechanical vignetting with the 13mm ultra-wide lens.

The mount takes 58mm filters, and larger with a step-up ring.

My results for 58mm filters with the 13mm lens are below. I’ll test 82mm filters in the next few days.

I tested a clear filter because they’re most likely to show any vignetting. B+W’s F-Pro filters have regular thickness. About three years ago, they were renamed B+W Basic. I tested two Heliopan circular polarisers, regular and “Slim”. These polarisers are identical except that the “Slim” version has a reduced rear thread and no front thread.

Single 58mm Filter
Kenko Tokina clear: no vignetting
B+W F-Pro 2-stop neutral density: no vignetting (MRC)
Heliopan circular polariser, “Slim” (High Transmission, SH-PMC): no vignetting
Heliopan circular polariser, regular (High Transmission, SH-PMC): no vignetting

Two 58mm Filters Stacked
Kenko clear plus B+W F-Pro neutral density: no vignetting
Kenko clear plus either of the Heliopan polarisers: see second comment below

The stacked result is very helpful for the use of neutral density filters. These days, they're generally sold in a sequence that jumps stops, such as 2, 3, 6, 10-stop. There are only a few makers of intermediate stops, and of course ND filters are expensive.

Combining the Kenko clear filter with either of the Heliopan polarisers results in some vignetting in the left corners of the image. This is the side of the phone that the lens is on. In the next few days, I'll try using a B+W Master filter, instead of an F-Pro, with the polarisers. B+W Master filters, which is B+W's new name for XS-Pro filters, are thinner, designed to be used with wide angle lenses.

In any event, I'm delighted with the results.

If you're thinking of going with Beastgrip, earlier today Vadym Chalenko posted a walkthrough on the new iPhone 15 Beastcages. The holder for an SSD (which I think would also work for a power bank up to about 10,000mAh) is a new component that should be available soon.

Getting started with Beastcage for iPhone 15 Pro &15 Pro Max. Dedicated filmmaking cage for iPhone

Neewer has announced Gen. 2 of its iPhone 15 cage, with pre-order until February 15: https://neewer.com/products/neewer-pa04 ... 6908256449

It's released a YouTube Short, but it isn't specific about the changes:

https://youtube.com/shorts/tuU4D1Fh1fc? ... QoqmFpbvQK

If you're thinking of going with Beastgrip, earlier today Vadym Chalenko posted a walkthrough on the new iPhone 15 Beastcages. The holder for an SSD (which I think would also work for a power bank up to about 10,000mAh) is a new component that should be available soon.

Getting started with Beastcage for iPhone 15 Pro &15 Pro Max. Dedicated filmmaking cage for iPhone

Someone who watched the video has asked when the SSD holder will be available and what it will cost. Beastgrip's reply:

We are planning to release it next month [February], it will be $35 and $40 options depending on mounting configuration, please stay tuned for more info.

So either US$35 or $40, maybe depending on whether one wants just the clamp or also the bracket for attaching the holder to the face of the cage rather than to the top of the cage. The video also shows an SSD attached to the top of a side handle.

The post four up provides results from testing the new Pro Max Beastcage for vignetting with the phone's 13mm ultra-wide lens. Using the cage's 58mm filter mount and 58mm filters, vignetting only happened when I tried to stack a standard thickness neutral density filter and a polariser. The vignetting was not pronounced. Tomorrow, I'll be able to re-run this test with a B+W Master ND filter (formerly named XS-Pro) that's made for wide angle lenses. I should note that Hoya also makes ND filters for wide angle lenses. So does Heliopan, which it calls "Slim" filters. I have a Slim Heliopan ND filter, but I haven't identified a U.S. source for them.

Earlier today, I tested a 58mm-82mm brass step-up ring with a Heliopan Slim 82mm ND filter. No vignetting. I'll be doing further testing of 82mm filters, and an 82mm polariser, sometime in the next few days.

Further to the above post...

B+W, Hoya and Heliopan all sell 58mm polarisers with thin rims, and Heliopan's "Slim" polariser is available in the U.S. The B+W and Hoya thin polarisers both have front threads. Heliopan's Slim polarisers, unlike its Slim ND filters, don't. However, they have the numbers 1 through 10 written along the rim. If one is stacking an ND filter and a Heliopan Slim polariser, one option is to look through the ND filter while setting the polariser. This order of operation may turn out to be easier:

1. screw on the polariser
2. set desired polarisation
3. note the position of the polariser's rotation using the numbered scale as a reference
4. unscrew the polariser
5. screw on the ND filter
6. screw the polariser onto the ND filter and match the position in relation to the previously noted number

This is from Heliopan's German site on a somewhat analogous situation:

The rims are calibrated to help in finding the
 proper settings when a TTL [Through the Lens] preview is not available. If it is not possible to view through the lens the desired effect is obtained by rotating the filter in front of the eye and noting the numbered scale when the desired effect is obtained. Mount the filter on the lens and rotate the filter until the number is in the same position on the lens as it was when viewed when in front of the eye.

With my 112mm polariser, I actually prefer to just hold it up in the air and set position by eye

Neewer has announced Gen. 2 of its iPhone 15 cage,

Interesting. Overall, it looks very similar to my Gen. 1 Neewer cage.

The quick release handle/shutter button is very tempting. The original handles are, uh, Gen 1.

Tilta's "Khronos Ecosystem" for the iPhone 15 is imminent. From the YouTube Description for The X-Gift, the Claudio Miranda video that Tilta released on Christmas Eve:

The Khronos Ecosystem is scheduled to launch by the end of January, along with the release of a behind-the-scenes video.

The behind the scenes video will be from YouTuber Gene Nagata, aka Potato Jet: https://www.youtube.com/@PotatoJet/videos

Tilta's Khronos Ecosystem teaser page: https://tilta.com/2023/12/the-x-gift-a- ... ne-15-pro/

Speaking of Tilta, has anyone gotten the Nucleus Nano II to actually work with the iPhone 15?

A couple of weeks ago, Tilta posted a video about the latest Nano firmware update, the first minute of which shows someone using the Blackmagic app and a Nucleus Nano II to control an iPhone. However, I've seen exactly one video from a purchaser. It shows him make it work, briefly, sort of.

This is the Tilta video:

This is further to my January 26, 3:22 p.m. post on the iPhone 15 Beastcages, 58mm filters (which is the thread size for the cage’s filter mount) and vignetting of the phone’s 13mm ultra-wide lens.

In that post, I said that I only saw vignetting with 58mm filters when I stacked a standard thickness B+W F-Pro ND filter with a Heliopan circular polariser. There was vignetting regardless of whether I used Heliopan's standard version or its Slim version. I arranged to try a B+W Master ND filter to see if it makes a difference. B+W Master filters are the successor to the company’s XS-Pro filters, and are designed for wide angle lenses. Sure enough, it did. No vignetting. Not with the Slim version and not with the standard version.

Conclusions

One can use standard thickness ND filters alone or two stacked without vignetting. I was using B+W’s F-Pro filters. The same should be true of B+W’s Basic filters, which have succeeded the F-Pro line.

One can use a standard thickness circular polariser alone. I used a Heliopan.

One can stack a thin ND filter with either a thin or standard circular polariser. I tested a B+W Master ND filter, as noted above, with both versions of Heliopan's circular polariser.

A standard thickness ND filter plus either a standard or thin circular polariser will cause some vignetting in the left corners of the image. The obvious option, especially if there’s little motion in the clip, is to omit the ND filter and record at a higher shutter speed. Another option is to embrace the vignette and enhance it during editing. If it’s a still image, one can also crop a bit on the image’s left side.

I've decided that I’ll be using 58mm filters with my Beastcage instead of a step-up ring and larger filters. That said, I’ve successfully used a Sensei Pro 58mm-82mm step-up ring and 82mm filters. This may be of interest to people who don't have 58mm filters, but use thin ND filters and polarisers. It will be of less interest to people who are using standard thickness filters. The reason is that my 82mm ND filters and polariser are all from B+W’s thin XS-Pro line, except for one Heliopan ND filter that’s from Heliopan’s Slim line. I have not tested any standard 82mm ND filters or polarisers.

I should stress that the above is based on the filters and polarisers that I tested and may not hold true for some others.