Blackmagic Forum

Hello guys
I have issue with iPhone 16 pro and blackmagic camera app
When I slightly move phone while filming left and right picture “jumps”
Does anyone have same issue ?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eKlc3y ... p=drivesdk

I'm also experiencing the same issue on my iPhone 16 Pro. It seems to happen significantly when the image stabilization is turned on with the 5x (120mm) lens, regardless of whether it's in Standard, Cinematic, or Max mode. I tested the Moment app and the default camera just to see if it might be a hardware issue, but during my brief test, I didn't encounter the same problem. I hope Blackmagic addresses this issue with an app update soon.

Hey man,

Yeah I'm testing it and same thing happening to me on the 120mm I've noticed... Hopefully an update will fix it soon.

Also noticed latest version causing the longer form videos to freeze if you touch the screen after 10mins or so.

I'm seeing the same thing. Camera app version 2.0.000016.
Pro Max 16 1X lens shown. Standard (lowest level) stabilization, in low light and daylight.

Low rez example attached.

In my experience it's always connected to having any kind of stabilization activated.

Uli Plank wrote:In my experience it's always connected to having any kind of stabilization activated.

Apple Native video app does not experience this problem, nor did my previous iPhone 15 Pro Max on the BMD app.

While the issue is intermittent, IMHO this problem effectively renders any stabilized shooting impossible until this is fixed.

Good to know. I plan on upgrading my iPhone 13 Pro to a 16 Pro next month. Was traveling and couldn't make it work this month. Now that I know this issue exists I'll maybe delay the upgrade. But likely I'll get the phone and be more aware that this is an issue until a fix is released.

I'm not really upgrading my phone for the camera features after all. It's just that time as I got the three years out of the phone I've had. Personally, I'd love to make the next phone last 4-years. However, that's unlikely with the upgrade cycle of phones these days.

I'm experiencing the same issue. In my case, the problem primarily
occurs with the 13mm lens. Glad I'm not the only one.

Chiming in here - I can confirm I am experiencing this on my iPhone 16 Pro. With any of the BMC stabilization features turned on, there is a random up/down shift of the image - every few seconds - maybe just a frame or two. When stabilization is turned off - no shifting shows in the image. I tried other camera apps and none of them appear to have this issue. I may shift back to using the built-in Camera app, but I really like the controls in the BlackMagic camera. App version: 2.0.000016

Give Cinema P3 a try.

Uli Plank wrote:Give Cinema P3 a try.

It doesn't hurt.

I used the h265 4:2:2 2020 HLG 25 fps 25MByte/sec setting extensively on my iPhone 15 Pro in South Korea recently. Image quality indistinguishable from ProRES 422 (HQ or not), but less storage requirements are highly welcome during travel, where you don't know beforehand, what you need over the day.

At the end of the day, I run a script, that transfers files to the folders APPLE/video, APLLE/DNG, APPLE/PNG, CP3 and BMC in one go to an external drive (at hundreds of megabytes per second - running rings around direct to MacBook transfer speeds around 35-40MB/sec).

The current Cinema P3 version 1.4.9 is not yet adapted to iPhone 16 Pro, but Tom is working on a release (I have no indication on release date).

This gives a chance to discover, if the effect also is (currently) present in Cinema P3 (as in Blackmagic Camera), or if it is a Blackmagic Camera - latest version - specific problem.

Regards

Anyone Tried Cinema P3?

DShewy wrote:Chiming in here - I can confirm I am experiencing this on my iPhone 16 Pro. With any of the BMC stabilization features turned on, there is a random up/down shift of the image - every few seconds - maybe just a frame or two. When stabilization is turned off - no shifting shows in the image. I tried other camera apps and none of them appear to have this issue. I may shift back to using the built-in Camera app, but I really like the controls in the BlackMagic camera. App version: 2.0.000016

The problem persists, consistent with no recent upgrades available. Any stabilization mode seems to create this "jump" artifact. It appears seemingly at random, sometimes absent for a minute or so, sometimes occurring several times in a few seconds.

In addition, with either "Cinematic" or "Extreme" stabilization invoked, as soon as recording commences, the Apple Log to REC 709 LUT disappears from the viewfinder and you're left looking at the flat log view until you cut, whereupon the LUT is again applied to the viewfinder image. If you have stabilization off, this problem disappears.

I have the same problem. Hopefully BM will respond with an update!

This is a known issue with iOS 18 on the iPhone 16. We are in discussion with Apple about this issue.

For now, if you need stabilisation and you see this jump in standard mode, try cinematic mode, being aware that LUTs are not shown in the preview but the recording should be correct.

Peter Chamberlain wrote:This is a known issue with iOS 18 on the iPhone 16. We are in discussion with Apple about this issue.

For now, if you need stabilisation and you see this jump in standard mode, try cinematic mode, being aware that LUTs are not shown in the preview but the recording should be correct.

I appreciate the update, thank you! However, I did want to mention that this issue appears to occur both in standard and in cinematic modes.

Peter Chamberlain wrote:This is a known issue with iOS 18 on the iPhone 16. We are in discussion with Apple about this issue.

For now, if you need stabilisation and you see this jump in standard mode, try cinematic mode, being aware that LUTs are not shown in the preview but the recording should be correct.

Thanks, Peter, for this update. I just installed V 2.1.000170 and the two main difficulties persist: Image jumping and apparently-related LUT display abnormalities.

In my situation, with any degree of stabilization more intense than "Standard" invoked, the image jumping artifact persists.

For the LUT issues, the viewfinder LUT (in my case "Apple Log to REC 709") is applied until recording commences. Once you begin recording, the LUT disappears, severely disabling the viewfinder image.

Probably nobody cares but me, but the ability to record from my Bluetooth hearing aids has disappeared. The option no longer appears as an audio source. This is a big loss for hearing aid users, as they used to function perfectly as a wireless mic. They also provided audio very similar to a binaurally recorded track. Quite useful and unique. Sorry to see that go.

For what it is worth, the jumping footage is exactly the same on Filmic Pro so this isn't a BM issue, it must be with IOS.

The CinemaP3 app doesn't have this jitter issue on the 16pro and it has most of the features of the BM app

I got the same problem of jumping image on my Iphone 16 pro with the BMC (With every lens with stabilziation except the 1x lens) and Final Cut cam.

I talked to Apple Support and they run some tests on my device, they say that the hardware is in perfect conditions the stock apple camera works well. I told them about the Blackmagic issue and they say that might be a software optimization error because of the new device / iOS version. In other words they blame the app optimization for the newer 16 iPhones.

I think our work is to let Blackmagic and Apple know about this error to get it fix it as soon as possible. So if you can download the Apple Support app and tell them and write on Blackmagic Forum (Doesn't work by support form, they say that app issues don't work via that form, only on the forum)

paultom wrote:The CinemaP3 app doesn't have this jitter issue on the 16pro and it has most of the features of the BM app

It shows the same behavior. Change stabilization to “Cinematic” and it goes away, as with the BMC App.

Any official news on this topic? Seems to affect all camera apps in the iPhone 16ProMax...

timbutt2 wrote:Good to know. I plan on upgrading my iPhone 13 Pro to a 16 Pro next month. Was traveling and couldn't make it work this month. Now that I know this issue exists I'll maybe delay the upgrade. But likely I'll get the phone and be more aware that this is an issue until a fix is released.

I'm not really upgrading my phone for the camera features after all. It's just that time as I got the three years out of the phone I've had. Personally, I'd love to make the next phone last 4-years. However, that's unlikely with the upgrade cycle of phones these days.

Tim, I'd advise getting a ProMax 15. The upgrade was definitely not worth it for me.

I second getting the 15 for a good price. The biggest advantage over the older ones for filming is the USB-C port. Both BM Camera or Cinema P3 are working well with the 15 Pro or Pro Max.
IMHO, the 16 has no huge advantages over it.

Peter McLennan wrote:

timbutt2 wrote:Good to know. I plan on upgrading my iPhone 13 Pro to a 16 Pro next month. Was traveling and couldn't make it work this month. Now that I know this issue exists I'll maybe delay the upgrade. But likely I'll get the phone and be more aware that this is an issue until a fix is released.

I'm not really upgrading my phone for the camera features after all. It's just that time as I got the three years out of the phone I've had. Personally, I'd love to make the next phone last 4-years. However, that's unlikely with the upgrade cycle of phones these days.

Tim, I'd advise getting a ProMax 15. The upgrade was definitely not worth it for me.

Oh, I got the 16 Pro a month ago. The advantage came when the second hurricane hit and I had no cellular. I was able to use Satellite connectivity with the 16 Pro. So I was glad to do the upgrade for that. I've barely used it for video so far. I didn't buy it for the video. But it is nice to know it is there if I need it.

Same problem. Damn near ruined a shoot for me. Also the focus jumps around sporadically, so I had to disable both stabilization and autofocus

Back to the topic, please. May I ask again for an official response on this problem? Basically, the BM Camera App (and other third-party camera apps) is unusable for iPhone 16 Pro (Max) users right now, if you use the .5x or 5x lens.

How can this be such a big issue, that it's not solved yet??

Hi,

If possible, could you try iOS 18.2 beta and see if it helps with the stabilization issue?

Regards,
Vivek

VivekVedagiri wrote:Hi,

If possible, could you try iOS 18.2 beta and see if it helps with the stabilization issue?

Regards,
Vivek

I prefer not to install any betas, as I only have one device (haha, time to get a second iPhone i guess and the beta (public beta as well as the developer beta 3) seems to have some bugs, that may affect me.
18.2 should be read for release soon, though, if this fixes the problem, I can wait!

Anyone else could give it a try?

chrisE wrote:

VivekVedagiri wrote:Hi,

If possible, could you try iOS 18.2 beta and see if it helps with the stabilization issue?

Regards,
Vivek

I prefer not to install any betas, as I only have one device (haha, time to get a second iPhone i guess and the beta (public beta as well as the developer beta 3) seems to have some bugs, that may affect me.
18.2 should be read for release soon, though, if this fixes the problem, I can wait!

Anyone else could give it a try?

He... it's like a "well meant" (peace in our time) advice to unruly kids: "Go and play football on the highway!!"

Regards and a big smile

If anyone needs a temporary workaround, I'm not seeing the issue on Apple's Final Cut Camera app. Running iOS 18.1 on iPhone 16 Pro.

Using default stabilisation in Resolve seems to work very well on removing the rhythmic jumps. I am new to iPhone video and got my iPhone 16 Pro shortly before going on a trip in October. I thought it was my crap technique that was causing the rhythmic jumping (which I see in Cinema P3 as well as the BM app) until I saw this thread. I only had an iPad with me (no laptop) but I found that Resolve for iPad stabilisation was pretty effective at smoothing the jumpy footage. Since getting back I’ve checked with Resolve Studio on my Mac and it works just as well as the iPad using the default Perspective stabilisation on the Edit page. Maybe worth a try for anyone who has been caught out by this. I’ve tried it in FCP as well as Luma Fusion on iPad and they don’t work at all but Resolve has saved my stuff anyway to a level where I’m happy.

I noticed this as well. However, If i remove all stabilization in the BM app settings, the problem disappears and the video looks smooth/normal.

SHC2000 wrote:I noticed this as well. However, If i remove all stabilization in the BM app settings, the problem disappears and the video looks smooth/normal.

You should try the iOS 18.2 beta which fixed the issue.

chrisE wrote:

paultom wrote:The CinemaP3 app doesn't have this jitter issue on the 16pro and it has most of the features of the BM app

It shows the same behavior. Change stabilization to “Cinematic” and it goes away, as with the BMC App.

Any official news on this topic? Seems to affect all camera apps in the iPhone 16ProMax...

P3 is working fine on my 16Pro - I've been filming on it all week for a feature doc without issues

Hello, was the problem fixed in the end?

Updated my iPhone 16 pro yesterday to 18.2 OS and it fixed the issue for the moment

Now that 18.2 is out, did anybody with a 16 try?

Uli Plank wrote:Now that 18.2 is out, did anybody with a 16 try?

Just a quick test (actually the first thing I tried after the update ), the issue is gone for me (iPhone 16 Pro Max, iOS 18.2). I'll do some more tests before relying on it, but I'm optimistic!

I just got a 16 standard. It's jerky with releasing it's stabilization. I get the same effect to a lesser effect with GoPro's latest. There's nothing like a good mechanical gimble like a DJI. Never been really satisfied with digital stabilization even on my Nikon Z8. Regardless, I can get some very nice C-roll with the phone, just have to be careful and do some creative editing.

wemrick1 wrote:I just got a 16 standard. It's jerky with releasing its stabilization. I get the same effect to a lesser effect with GoPro's latest. There's nothing like a good mechanical gimble like a DJI. Never been really satisfied with digital stabilization even on my Nikon Z8. Regardless, I can get some very nice C-roll with the phone, just have to be careful and do some creative editing.

I’ve been using an Insta360 Flow Pro phone gimbal with my iPhone 16 Pro and it’s quite amazing. It’s small enough to fit in my pocket, adds very little weight and works really well. In addition, it has subject tracking utilising Apple’s Dock Kit which works with the BM app as well as Cinema P3. I don’t use a cage etc with my phone as the main reason I got it was to have the lightest setup possible for getting smooth motion in my videos. The gimbal is only $140 or thereabouts so pretty light on the pocket as well as the body. It’s getting great reviews which is how I came across it.

I have a Z8 but that is tripod only for video. When I have used my Nikons for handheld video, I find Sports mode stabilisation better than electronic but I’ve more or less given up with that as the iPhone on the little gimbal gives excellent quality (H.265 Apple Log 60fps).

It seems like the jerky issue is fixed with the latest iOS update. I was getting it all the time with the gimbal with no stabilisation turned on in camera but it seems fine now.

mickspixels wrote:

wemrick1 wrote:There's nothing like a good mechanical gimble like a DJI.

I’ve been using an Insta360 Flow Pro phone gimbal with my iPhone 16 Pro and it’s quite amazing. … I don’t use a cage etc with my phone as the main reason I got it was to have the lightest setup possible for getting smooth motion in my videos. The gimbal is only $140… It’s getting great reviews….

Some people aren’t prepared to entrust the security of a phone that costs US$1100 and up to a magnet. I see that Insta360 has promotional footage of people making skateboard videos. This doesn’t strike me as a good idea. One of the people who posted in this very thread can tell you that entrusting his iPhone to MagSafe while filming was a mistake. In addition, some people want to use neutral density filters or a polariser, which as far as I can tell is not possible with an Insta360 gimbal.

Some mass, rather than “the lightest setup possible”, improves smoothness of motion when shooting video.

The “great reviews” are coming from people who were paid by Insta360 to make and post them

It appears that the price of the Insta360 Flow Pro is actually US$180 plus $20 if one wants to use a magnetic MagSafe attachment rather than a magnetic holder that comes with the gimbal, at which point the price is $200.

Personally, I prefer the security and flexibility of a Beastcage. DJI’s RS 3 Mini works with one, including with filters. The DJI sells for $280. I regard the additional $80 as money well spent. B&H will sell you one second-hand in mint condition, which is how I got mine, for less. I’d rather get an RS 3 Mini than go through the hassle of making an AppleCare claim, with a deductible of course, assuming that one has AppleCare for this kind of event.

robedge wrote:

mickspixels wrote:

wemrick1 wrote:There's nothing like a good mechanical gimble like a DJI.

I’ve been using an Insta360 Flow Pro phone gimbal with my iPhone 16 Pro and it’s quite amazing. … I don’t use a cage etc with my phone as the main reason I got it was to have the lightest setup possible for getting smooth motion in my videos. The gimbal is only $140… It’s getting great reviews….

Some people aren’t prepared to entrust the security of a phone that costs US$1100 and up to a magnet. I see that Insta360 has promotional footage of people making skateboard videos. This doesn’t strike me as a good idea. One of the people who posted in this very thread can tell you that entrusting his iPhone to MagSafe while filming was a mistake. In addition, some people want to use neutral density filters or a polariser, which as far as I can tell is not possible with an Insta360 gimbal.

Some mass, rather than “the lightest setup possible”, improves smoothness of motion when shooting video.

The “great reviews” are coming from people who were paid by Insta360 to make and post them

It appears that the price of the Insta360 Flow Pro is actually US$180 plus $20 if one wants to use a magnetic MagSafe attachment rather than a magnetic holder that comes with the gimbal, at which point the price is $200.

Personally, I prefer the security and flexibility of a Beastcage. DJI’s RS 3 Mini works with one, including with filters. The DJI sells for $280. I regard the additional $80 as money well spent. B&H will sell you one second-hand in mint condition, which is how I got mine, for less. I’d rather get an RS 3 Mini than go through the hassle of making an AppleCare claim, with a deductible of course, assuming that one has AppleCare for this kind of event.

Each to his own Rob. I need lightweight for my lower back. I have a Weebil S gimbal which I can use with my cameras if necessary so I don't need another gimbal. However, walking with a heavier gimbal puts too much pressure on my lower back. And I get better results with the phone for motion video.

The iPhone for me is perfect with the small gimbal. The stabilisation is excellent. I've been using it for a couple of months now and it works really well for me. I don't want to carry a rigged cage as it would negate the whole reason for me using a phone. I don't record sound when I'm shooting mainly landscape and nature. I don't do anything vigorous or dangerous that would be likely to cause the phone to come off and so far it has stayed put. I have AppleCare with accidental damage coverage should it come off but that should not happen unless I drop it (that would be a problem anyway) or fall myself and bang it off the ground. But yes I am aware that the clamp is not as secure as a cage. ND filters could be a problem if they need a case. I wouldn't use a case with the magnetic clamp as it would be too insecure.

The magnetic clamp is included with the gimbal here in UK and is currently retailing on Amazon for around £140 which is usually the same as the $ price in the US.

mickspixels wrote:The iPhone for me is perfect with the small gimbal.

Yes, it sounds like the Insta360 fits your needs very well.

Appreciate the suggestions for gimbles. Haven't started shopping yet. Need to play for awhile with just the phone. Got some wonderful shots of a chorus performance in pretty low light conditions @ 4:2:2 10 bit prores already. Tried using an external SSD with the phone and the phone overheated in about a minute. I attribute that to battery drain rate. The SSD's transfer fine on BM cameras at similar bit rates. At this point I am relegating the phone to short B/C roll clips which in itself is very welcome as the phone is always with me. I am considering a gimble for short (5 to 10 minute) interviews where the gimble would be primarily a tripod. I have been doing paranormal interviews for a network affiliate and they can be spontaneous. Regardless of where it goes, the phone is now part of my "tool box" per the images it can produce. Very pleased with the BM camera app.

wemrick1 wrote:Appreciate the suggestions for gimbles. Haven't started shopping yet. Need to play for awhile with just the phone. Got some wonderful shots of a chorus performance in pretty low light conditions @ 4:2:2 10 bit prores already. Tried using an external SSD with the phone and the phone overheated in about a minute. I attribute that to battery drain rate. The SSD's transfer fine on BM cameras at similar bit rates. At this point I am relegating the phone to short B/C roll clips which in itself is very welcome as the phone is always with me. I am considering a gimble for short (5 to 10 minute) interviews where the gimble would be primarily a tripod. I have been doing paranormal interviews for a network affiliate and they can be spontaneous. Regardless of where it goes, the phone is now part of my "tool box" per the images it can produce. Very pleased with the BM camera app.

Do check up on gimbal use, camera mounting plus balancing and gimbal handling - maybe frequent a few practical setup videos on YouTube.

A gimbal will usually NOT replace (even a flimsy) tripod, when hand held - unless you have unusually steady hands, arm, body and are not tempted to alter you position even slightly, if addressed during the interview.

For simple setups (typically involving iPhones) I have a very small (fully collapsed 41cm) and leightweight (~900 grams including ballhead, quick mount and carrying utensil). It's certainly not designed to be used for big rigs involving full frame cameras and paraphernalia like Atomos Ninja, big batteries etc.

Regards

wemrick1 wrote:Appreciate the suggestions for gimbles. Haven't started shopping yet.

The smartphone gimbals are designed to support a phone by itself or in a light case. DJI doesn’t publish maximum load capacity for the Osmo for that reason. If you want to add components like an SSD or a filter I’d suggest a gimbal for mirrorless cameras.

Last week, Beastgrip posted a YouTube Short that basically “blesses” using a DJI RS 4 with its phone-specific Beastcages. I’m using an RS 3 Mini with an iPhone 15 Pro Max. It works with a filter. I haven’t tried adding an SSD or using the phone in vertical orientation. The issue isn’t one of weight. It’s a matter of weight distribution. Gimbals for mirrorless cameras expect a rectangular box, not a long, thin phone.

This is the Beastgrip short. Note the somewhat counterintuitive position of the phone’s lenses in the lower left. This upside down placement of the lenses, which Beastgrip recommended in an earlier video on using a gimbal, makes it much easier to balance the phone, cage and gimbal:

https://youtube.com/shorts/HxMxUS_OWHw? ... wGVC-TVU0F

I wrote this post and following on setting up my phone with the DJI RS 3 Mini: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=191338&start=500#p1057157

Thanks again guys for the information. I do have a DJI RS3 that I use with my Z8 and a Xhiyun that I use with my GoPro as well as a DJI Pocket 3 which is amazing. Anything planned can be easily covered with one of those setups. If I'm shooting for anything beyond YouTube distribution, I have a Ursa mini broadcast G2 and a C200 which are both shoulder mounted. I'm not excited about pulling the phone in and out of it's case so a gimbal might not be something I will use. Time will tell. If I find myself in need of a gimbal often enough I'll move forward. For right now it's just a pleasure to know I always have something in my pocket that I can get a shot with.

Just for info, here’s a link below to a New York Times review article on best smartphone gimbals in 2024 which is where I heard about the Flow Pro gimbal. It can be difficult to discern what reviews are sponsored or biased but this one seemed pretty honest and trustworthy. I was travelling at the time, had bought the new iPhone 16 Pro just before leaving and was realising that my ability to shoot stable video handheld was pretty compromised, moreover because of the jumping issue that is the subject of this thread. In-built stabilisation wasn’t working for me. I tried the native app, the BM app, the Final Cut spp and Cinema P3. All were jumpy.

So I decided to see if I could get a smartphone gimbal, not knowing the first thing about them. A search brought up the article below as well as a few others where the Flow was getting good comparative reviews. I managed to buy one in a local shop in Tenerife on my travels and found I was getting much smoother video although the jumping issue was still there on the gimbal with, stabilisation on or not on the phone. However, I had meanwhile discovered that a quick pass through DaVinci Resolve for iPad edit page stabilisation in default mode worked wonders on the jumpy video. So I learnt on the go and it is a lot better than it was looking at one point. This is just a personal project anyway so I wouldn’t have lost anything except my time.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... ne-gimbal/

mickspixels wrote:Just for info, here’s a link below to a New York Times review article on best smartphone gimbals in 2024 which is where I heard about the Flow Pro gimbal. It can be difficult to discern what reviews are sponsored or biased but this one seemed pretty honest and trustworthy.

These smartphone gimbals are fine for people who are prepared to risk their phone’s security on a magnet and who don’t care about maintaining a constant frame rate or recording to an external SSD. They have their place.

It’s unclear what the status of the Insta360 Flow Pro is in the U.S. The Wirecutter link on Amazon says that it’s no longer available. B&H says that it’s “discontinued”. Adorama doesn’t have it either.

The NY Times is my local newspaper. Its theatre, film, book and restaurant critics work for the newspaper and are subject to its editorial standards. The NY Times company owns Wirecutter, but it operates independently of the newspaper. It has its own website. In the newspaper, Wirecutter doesn’t even have “Section” status. The newspaper doesn’t publish its content.

Like YouTubers, Wirecutter makes at least part of its money from a cut from vendors of sales to people who have visited the Wirecutter site. The NYT does not get a cut from theatre, film, book or restaurant sales to people who have read its critics’ reviews. Maybe because that would destroy the paper’s reputation, and if that was going on the Times couldn’t find anybody reputable to write its reviews?

I imagine that Wirecutter writers try to be objective. That said, I don’t know how one can write a serious review about gimbals without even mentioning the use of a magnet for attachment and the inability to carry a load other than the phone and maybe a basic case. Wirecutter is certainly not in the mold of the Consumer Reports of my youth.

robedge wrote:
These smartphone gimbals are fine for people who are prepared to risk their phone’s security on a magnet and who don’t care about maintaining a constant frame rate or recording to an external SSD. They have their place.

.

I already covered the reasons for me using a light gimbal rather than a cage setup on a bigger gimbal and why I am happy with the magnet for the type of stuff I do. I’m not running around or waving it in the air. It can’t be used in high wind anyway as it wouldn’t stabilise.

I’m not clear what you mean about constant frame rate in relation to using a gimbal. I thought all iPhone video was variable rate anyway. If it isn’t then I’ve not found out how to do that, gimbal or no gimbal. Please enlighten if you know something that that I don’t about getting constant frame rate with an iPhone. In any case, the variations in frame rate tend to be very minor, at least with the codecs I’m using. I don’t record sound when shooting so no issues there.

To date I tend to mainly use HEVC Log using the highest bitrate available (Cinema P3 beats the BM app here). I’m intending to check out ProRes LT when I get some time but I don’t need ProRes HQ for what I’m doing with the phone - mainly motion to augment the static tripod stuff I’m recording with the Nikons where I generally use NRAW or HEVC.

I don’t have any reason to record to an external drive, as the iPhone 16 Pro can record Apple Log 4K up to 120fps internally with the BM app and 60 fps with Cinema P3 despite Apple restrictions. It gets hot at 120 but I generally don’t need that anyway. I’ve had no issues at all with 60fps internally. I record short form video so I’ve not tested for long form.

So I’m more than happy with the phone and the way I use it. It does what I need.