iPhone & Android Hardware Accessories

Apologies if this has already been discussed:

I'm wondering if the new "PYXIS Monitor" will work with BMD's Camera mobile app, either "now" or "soon"?

PYXIS Monitor acting as a remote control for the mobile app and/or as a monitor would be sweet.

Apple’s technical specs say that ProRes Log is available for both the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max without showing an exception for the 128GB iPhone 16 Pro.

Thank you, good find!

This morning, YouTubers who were invited to the September Apple Event started posting iPhone 16 reviews:

Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake for PetaPixel

Shot outdoors on an iPhone 16 Pro.
Camera Control at 4:49.
Video capabilities at 7:55 and 14:23.
Apple Intelligence and photography at 21:59.
Conclusion: 23:38.

The iPhone 16 Pro Review for Photographers

Dave Lee (Dave2D)

Camera Control from 5:23.

My iPhone 16 / Pro / Max "Review"

Marques Brownlee

This is an unboxing/discussion of features and cases. Substantive review to follow.

Camera Control from 5:40.

iPhone 16/16 Pro Unboxing: End of an Era!

Is there a consolidated list of tested audio interfaces and or mics that work with the camera app? If not maybe we should start one. Has anyone tried any lower cost interfaces that support XLR and phantom power like the Saramonic SmartRig+? Thx.

Danny Boyle’s New Zombie Flick Was Shot on an iPhone 15

https://www.wired.com/story/28-years-la ... iphone-15/

Yesterday, Wired published the above article about Danny Boyle’s new film 28 Years Later. The article says that it’s a sequel to Boyles’s 2002 28 Days Later, and was shot on iPhone 15 and action cameras. The first film in a trilogy, shooting on the second installment has already started.

Wired says that the budget for the first installment was US$75 million. Boyle used Beastgrip cages and its Depth of Field Adapter Mk. 3, as well as action cameras.

This is the Wikipedia article on the original 28 Days Later: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28_Days_Later

28. days.jpeg (631.6 KiB) Viewed 12858 times

Is there a consolidated list of tested audio interfaces and or mics that work with the camera app? If not maybe we should start one. Has anyone tried any lower cost interfaces that support XLR and phantom power like the Saramonic SmartRig+? Thx.

My understanding is that the maximum draw from the iPhone 15 USB-C port is 4.5 watts, and that the iPhone 16 doesn’t change that. If the device draws more, it has to supply power itself.

Earlier in this thread, I experimented a bit with a Sound Devices USBPre 2 and a MixPre. If you’re interested in that, read this post and the two after: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=191338&start=400#p1027220

The SmartRig+ is self-powered by an onboard battery so power isn't the issue here. The bigger question for me is does it work with the camera app as an external audio source?

Is there a consolidated list of tested audio interfaces and or mics that work with the camera app? If not maybe we should start one. Has anyone tried any lower cost interfaces that support XLR and phantom power like the Saramonic SmartRig+? Thx.

The SmartRig+ is self-powered by an onboard battery so power isn't the issue here. The bigger question for me is does it work with the camera app as an external audio source?

Further to my response about this two posts up...

I’ve just looked at the Saramonic Smartrig+. It’s a self-powered preamp that accepts a mike with an XLR connector as an input and that has a USB-C output.

There is no reason why this device would be an issue for an iPhone 15/16 and/or the Blackmagic Camera app. The Saramonic web page says specifically that the device will work with an iPhone 15.

Two posts up, I suggested that you look at posts that I wrote earlier in this thread about using a Sound Devices USBPre2 and a Sound Devices MixPre-6 II with an iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Blackmagic app. I was essentially using those devices as a preamp.

Those posts include screen captures that show that the Blackmagic app recognized both Sound Devices units and their mikes as audio inputs. You will see the screen captures if you look at the link that I gave you.

I know someone who is using an IK Multimedia iRig Pre to run an XLR mike into an iPhone 15 Pro Max. The Saramonic appears to be similar. My acquaintance uses the Blackmagic Camera app and the iRig is working fine for him. The iRig is quite popular and you can check it out on B&H’s site or on YouTube.

Thanks for that - I did look at your other posts and actually own the original USBPre and use it on a PC, but it's too old to be recognized by the current iPhones/IOS and the new Sound Devices units, while very impressive are much more costly than the iRig, so I wanted some assurance that it would work. Thanks again.

[See the post two down for Moment’s reaction to this analysis.]

Earlier today, Moment launched a Kickstarter campaign for a “cage" that has an integrated USB-C hub. As discussed below, I don’t think that this is a cage, but rather a fancy phone clamp.

Price is US$130 to $490, less 25% via Kickstarter. Shipping Dec/Jan.

This is the Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mo ... -by-moment

This is Moment’s accompanying YouTube video:

I would be cautious about this product. See this screen capture from the Kickstarter page. I’ve added the green border:

moment.jpeg (112.68 KiB) Viewed 12458 times

It looks like the security of your phone depends on a standard spring-loaded phone clamp with two points of contact. It’s basically the world’s most expensive phone clamp, and inherently insecure.

Danny Boyle’s New Zombie Flick Was Shot on an iPhone 15

Just leaving this image here for anyone assuming that this was a small or technically simple production. The iPhone is probably the cheapest thing on that rig.

Further to my post two above...

Earlier today, Moment launched a Kickstarter campaign for a product that it calls a “Super Cage”. Above, I suggested that in fact it’s a phone clamp, and inherently insecure.

I said the same in comments on Moment’s YouTube video. Here is my comment and the response from Eric Riley, who is Moment’s head of hardware products/engineering:

Moment exchange.jpg (137.52 KiB) Viewed 12375 times

And it doesn’t take a fall to the ground for a phone to come out of a phone clamp.

Hi Rob Edge:

Concerning "security", what do you think of the current design of the "Glif" smartphone mount?
https://www.studioneat.com/products/glif

I haven't used one myself. I wonder if its quick release lever feature is something to be concerned about. If the lever gets accidentally caught on a cable or shirtsleeve, it might pop open. But maybe that's not an issue. I think I'd mount it so the lever has to be pulled up to open, not down.

Something like this Neewer cage looks more secure:
https://neewer.com/products/neewer-pa07 ... ro-pro-max

Thanks for related product info you discover. Cheers.

Hi Rob Edge:

Concerning "security", what do you think of the current design of the "Glif" smartphone mount?
https://www.studioneat.com/products/glif

I haven't used one myself. I wonder if its quick release lever feature is something to be concerned about. If the lever gets accidentally caught on a cable or shirtsleeve, it might pop open. But maybe that's not an issue. I think I'd mount it so the lever has to be pulled up to open, not down.

Something like this Neewer cage looks more secure:
https://neewer.com/products/neewer-pa07 ... ro-pro-max

Thanks for related product info you discover. Cheers.

Studio Neat, which makes the Glif, says that it’s on backorder. They’ll send you an e-mail when it becomes available.

I haven’t heard of the Glif before. It started as a Kickstarter campaign in 2010. It looks like it may have been the first tripod mount and kickstand for phones. In 2020, one of the developers wrote a series of posts on X/Twitter that recounts the history. I enjoyed reading it: https://x.com/danprovost/status/1312402235083681793

The current design, from about 2016, makes the Glif spring-loaded and adds the locking lever you mention. With an optional handle, this turns the Glif into what we now call a basic phone clamp. It can be used to handhold a phone for still photography and video.

Of the phone clamps I’ve tried, I like Beastgrip’s Beastclamp. In the videos below, the red knob replaces the Glif lever. The silicon pad reduces slippage. The Beastclamp is the most secure phone clamp I've used, but I still keep an eye on it when I use it:

CONTINUED in the next post...

CONTINUED from previous post...

I generally use my Beastclamp with Beastgrip’s side handle:

side handle 1.jpg (232.9 KiB) Viewed 12203 times

side handle 2.jpg (180.4 KiB) Viewed 12203 times

This video shows how to add the side handle to the Beastclamp:

CONTINUED in the next post...

CONTINUED from the previous post...

Re your comment about the Neewer cage...

I believe that a cage that has points of contact with the front, back and sides of a phone is inherently more secure than a phone clamp.

A number of companies will be releasing iPhone 16 cages between now and December. A cage comes into its own if you want to use third party lenses, neutral density filters or a polariser. However, some cages only take proprietary filters. Personally, I'm not prepared to purchase an additional set of filters that only works with one cage/case manufacturer’s product. The Neewer cages will work with standard screw-in filters and, if needed, a step-up ring.

Links to Beastgrip products referred to above:

Beastclamp, Beastclamp Plus and Beastclamp Rig: https://beastgrip.com/products/beastclamp

Beastgrip Side Handle: https://beastgrip.com/products/side-handle

Beastgrip’s basic Beastclamp handle, the CH-50, is well-made. Judging from customer reviews, some people love this handle and its weight. I find it a bit heavy. I’m a big fan of the side handle.

[EDIT: See Kerry Sanders’s post about Final Cut Multicam four posts down]

Producer Dan Beckman and correspondent Kerry Sanders have posted a film shot with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Final Cut Camera and Apple Multicam. NBC Nightly News aired a shorter version of the film about a week ago.

Beckman, formerly with NBC News, manages a collective called Backpack Storytelling: https://danbeckmann.com/about.html The collective has been using iPhones in its productions going back to 2019’s iPhone 11.

Sanders directed, wrote, filmed and narrated this film. He’s also an NBC News alumnae, having retired last year:

Kerry Sanders retires from NBC: TODAY looks back at his career

The film is about volunteers building a home for Kentucky nurse Cindy Mullins, who lost all four limbs due to sepsis.

Backpack Storytelling - Kentucky House Build

The film’s credits are at 8:09. Beckman’s YouTube and Vimeo channels, as well as his website, have previous Backpack Storytelling films.

Danny Boyle’s New Zombie Flick Was Shot on an iPhone 15

Just leaving this image here for anyone assuming that this was a small or technically simple production. The iPhone is probably the cheapest thing on that rig.

I’d be more impressed if they shot the sequel on a Canon XL1. There’s literally one reason Wired cares and it’s exactly why the iPhone was chosen. DOF adapters in 2024??? Some folks are just trying too hard. Hopefully it’s a better film than the actual sequel to 28 Days Later.

Good Luck

I’d be more impressed if they shot the sequel on a Canon XL1. There’s literally one reason Wired cares and it’s exactly why the iPhone was chosen. DOF adapters in 2024??? Some folks are just trying too hard. Hopefully it’s a better film than the actual sequel to 28 Days Later.

Cool that you know how camera decisions were made and have seen some of the footage. Can’t wait for you to tell us the details, and about your experience with Vadym Chalenko’s DOF Adapter.

Just leaving this image here for anyone assuming that this was a small or technically simple production. The iPhone is probably the cheapest thing on that rig.

What I'd like to see is a $75 million feature on Pixelvision. That $100 camera at least produced uniquely suggestive images, unlike cell phones where the main characteristic of the image is its obvious inferiority to an actual cinema camera.

Of course, for the "28 Days Later" product line, a consumer camera is essential to the marketing. And needless to say, the same marketing program doesn't work for would-be filmmakers who can only afford a camera or a phone with a camera. Stlill, shooting no-budget on an iphone is great because you can get actor and crew cancellation texts on the one piece of equipment.

Further to the post four up, Kerry Sanders has posted the following on Facebook:

This was a real world test of the Final Cut Cam/multi cam system. Worked flawlessly. Each multi cam interview in KY was sent over the internet and edited in Hawaii with no interruptions in the work flow. Audio also seamlessly integrated to lock in best mics despite angle selected.

The footage was sent over the internet to Hawaii because that’s where producer/editor Dan Beckman is based. From there, it was sent to NBC News to be edited down for anchor Lester Holt and the NBC Nightly News.

Watch this if you’re interested in Beastgrip’s approach to design for the iPhone 16.

The first 18 minutes covers the company's design process and schedule for its iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max Beastcages, and its view on using its universal cage (the Beastgrip Pro) and phone clamp (Beastclamp) with the Camera Control button.

The last 8 minutes are about a new adapter that Beastgrip is developing for use with full-size lenses.

Vadym Chalenko, who started Beastgrip and shoots most of the company’s footage, is on the left. Oleg, on the right, is his business manager.

As with the iPhone 15 last year, there will be a second part to this video, but not right away.

iPhone 16 and Beastgrip gear. Part 1

... this Neewer cage looks secure:
https://neewer.com/products/neewer-pa07 ... ro-pro-max

I received the aluminum cage from Neewer yesterday for my new iPhone 16 Pro. Fits perfectly, and securely, and is easy to install/remove without tools. The cage includes a removable 67mm filter ring (shown here mounted with my 77mm vari-ND via a couple of step-up rings). The Kingston 2TB SSD I use with my Lumix S5iiX also appears to work perfectly with the iPhone 16 Pro and Blackmagic's Camera app.

My previous smartphone was an antique iPhone _6_. It worked reliably for me as a basic smartphone for 10 years (I had the battery replaced once). An upgrade was l-o-n-g overdue!

P1001814-AF2-PPro cc.jpg (789.05 KiB) Viewed 11317 times

P1001816-AF2-PPro cc.jpg (715.75 KiB) Viewed 11317 times

With new iPhones out, I am again on a quest of a 180 degree USB type c male to male adapter that supports 440MB/s. While there exist a few male to male adapters, all the ones I've found only support 480Mb/s, which is only about 60MB/s. There is plenty of male to female adapters that support 5 or even 10Gbps but those require another adapter or cable to be plugged into an SSD. So if anyone has found such a thing, I would be super grateful for a link.

Image of what I am roughly looking for:
either with an optional third female adapter to enable charging while connected to an SSD

or a simple male to male adapter

Some may recall that Joey Helms made a short film shortly after the iPhone 15 was released that got a lot of attention. He’s now released a short shot with an iPhone 16. Lots of people have been throwing cold water on the idea of iPhone aerials. Helms says that there will soon be a behind the scenes:

Adobe and Frame.io have announced a major re-write of Frame.io. iPhone and iPad users are among those invited to join the beta. Frame.io currently has 4 million users, and integrates with Avid, DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut as well as Premiere Pro. There’s a Frame.io app for the iPhone.

Details:

Frame.io Version 4 Beta is Here
https://blog.frame.io/2024/04/09/frame- ... ouncement/

See the heading “iPhone and iPad” in particular.

Video: Reimagining Frame.io from the ground up.
https://frame.io/v4-keynote

Scroll down to the video, which is 14m long.

Presenter of the video: Emery Wells, CEO/Co-founder of Frame.io

frame.jpg

Personnaly, post-production stuff is going in line with pre-production.
I was not taking this because it doesn't embed both side. If Resolve doesn't go both way, they'll not be as usefull as frame.io to me.

With new iPhones out, I am again on a quest of a 180 degree USB type c male to male adapter that supports 440MB/s.

Lexar is about to release a compact mini hub/ssd combo that solves most of the connectivity issues. The hub itself is advertised at 10 Gbit and the media is 1000MB.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/le ... oject_link

Good Luck

Beastgrip has posted a video on the iPhone 16 Beastcages. Preorder may start this week, with delivery in January.

They also show the prototype for a cage that can house a Beastcage, delivery in February/March. There's a lot of interest in this product. See 17:20 of the video below.

There will also be a Black Friday sale.

In the video, owner/designer Vadym Chalenko is on the left, manager Oleg on the right.

Lexar is about to release a compact mini hub/ssd combo that solves most of the connectivity issues. The hub itself is advertised at 10 Gbit and the media is 1000MB.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/le ... oject_link

That product is already on the market. Note that the hub can’t be purchased by itself. One has to purchase one of the two SSDs to get the hub. The SSDs are expensive per GB.

B&H has it in stock:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... o_usb.html

Beastgrip has posted a video on the iPhone 16 Beastcages. Preorder may start this week, with delivery in January.

I preordered my 15 ProMax cage. If they follow the same process this year, the preorder price will include a discount. I also expect that they’ll ship based on preorder receipt. I ordered within hours of preorder opening, and I received delivery accordingly.

Beastgrip has opened its iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max Beastcages for preorder. Its website shows a price of $149.99. However, Beastgrip has also started its Black Friday sale, and the site-wide 25% discount applies to Beastcage preorders at checkout. During the sale, the actual preorder price is $112.49.

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From Apple, Final Cut Pro 11:

Final Cut Pro 11 begins a new chapter for video editing on Mac

Intelligent new features, timesaving tools, and new creative options come to Final Cut Pro across Mac, iPad, and iPhone, plus editing for spatial video

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/11/ ... ng-on-mac/

Steve Martin and Mark Spencer on the new features in Final Cut 11.

I have a question regarding the Black magic camera app. when I add a lut it looks like I'm filming with a heat camera. Anyone having the same problem I'm using Samsung 24

Earlier today, Apple posted the news release below on a number of films made for Apple Vision Pro. It invites people to see The Weeknd film by dropping by an Apple Store for a demo.

Apple debuts The Weeknd: Open Hearts, the first-of-its-kind immersive music experience for Apple Vision Pro

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/11/ ... ision-pro/

Major Kino Update...

https://www.shotwithkino.com/support/updates

Kino 1.2 — "Casablanca"
Kino 1.2 is a huge update to Kino. “Casablanca” gives Kino a new look, brings Kino to 10 new languages, packs in Camera Control support for iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro with several Adjustments, Grade organization tools, support for high frame rate recording (up to and including 4K 120 FPS on the latest devices) and more.
Kino 1.2 — "Casablanca"
Kino 1.2 is a huge update to Kino. “Casablanca” gives Kino a new look, brings Kino to 10 new languages, packs in Camera Control support for iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro with several Adjustments, Grade organization tools, support for high frame rate recording (up to and including 4K 120 FPS on the latest devices) and more.
Thanks for your feedback and love — we hope you love this big update.
Here’s what’s new:
A NEW LOOK
Wow, did you notice that new icon? Kino gets a new, friendlier face, along with support for iOS 18 icon customization like tinting and more. We think you'll reel-y like it.
‍
UPDATED IN SPEED
Kino supports high frame rate capture! That's right, you can capture graded footage at up to 120 frames per second — and that goes up to 4K 120FPS on iPhone 16 Pro! Note that some format options might require an external SSD at the highest quality settings.
‍
UPDATED FOR CONTROL
Speaking of the iPhone 16 Pro, we now have our first update our to support Camera Control. With a few swipes, you can adjust your exposure, tweak your focus, or quickly switch between grades. To prevent accidental swipes mid-recording, we also have a Lock option like in Kino’s sister app, Halide. Stay tuned — there’s even more cool features taking advantage of the Camera Control on iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro coming.
‍
Kino’s great for all sorts of iPhones, though. This is a bit of control many wanted: we know everyone has a different favorite grade, so we now let you reorganize them in our grade settings. Move your favorites to the top for easy access in the grade picker or Camera Control adjustment.
‍
UPDATED FOR YOU
Hallo! Bonjour! こんにちは! We've localized Kino into Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese.
‍
UPDATED IN DEPTH
Last but not least, we've polished the app's design. We've tweaked edged, rounded some circles, and we are adding more icons to [REDACTED] in the hidden [REDACTED]. ‍
‍
If you love this release, please leave us a review in the App Store! It really helps a lot and supports our continued development of the app.

The International Documentary Association ceremony for best 2024 documentaries is on December 5th. Two films shot with smartphones are on the shortlists. This post is about the short, Gaza Diaries. I’ll post shortly about the feature nominee, Motherboard.

BBC director Namak Khoshnaw made Gaza Diaries with the assistance of five Gaza residents. Last October, they filmed what was happening around them on mobile phones, and got their footage to Khoshnaw. The BBC broadcast the film in November.

The film is on the BBC World Service YouTube channel, so one needn’t be an IDA member to watch it online. However, the thumbnail below requires you to click through to YouTube to watch the film, where you’ll have to acknowledge that "the content may contain graphic or violent imagery".

This is the IDA description:

Using mobile phone footage filmed inside Gaza, five people share the reality of trying to survive Israel's retaliatory air strikes, following Hamas' attack on 7 October that killed at least 1,200 Israelis (revised down from 1,400) and saw 240 Israelis kidnapped and taken into Gaza.

Their experience reveals the unprecedented humanitarian crisis created during the first month of the war, during which over 10,000 Palestinians were killed. Raw and emotional testimonies illustrate the impossible choices they face, the losses they endure, and the lives they see destroyed.

Abdulhakim, a 23-year-old graduate in the Al Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, shows us the chaos following the bombing of his building and his heartbreak as he searches for survivors. Farida, an English teacher from Gaza City, journeys south in search of safety with her siblings and their young children, sleeping on the streets. Khalid, a medical aid supplier living in the heavily bombed neighbourhood of Jabalia, refuses to leave his home and stays behind to care for his young relatives. Adam, a youth worker sheltering in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, tries to find medical care for his seriously ill father in hospitals overcrowded with the wounded. And Salma, a dental student based in central Gaza, documents the terrifying experience of enduring night-time under bombardment, and the anxiety of whether she and her family will make it till morning.

The BBC also made an audio version for its World Service and a BBC podcast. It’s an unusual opportunity to see the same story presented as a film and as an audio piece. The latter has narration and interview content that aren’t in the film version:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct68w9

Further to the above post...

In 2010 the Arab Spring showed that Twitter could be used to organise large numbers of people for political purposes. That may sound obvious now, but it wasn’t at the time. The use of Twitter for political activism, and also for disaster management, became a story in itself. Initially, Twitter was used to “spread the word” via written Tweets. However, in September 2010, Twitter launched “New Twitter”, which made it possible to post photos. It also became possible to post video, but I imagine that people’s technical and skill capacity to do that with a phone was pretty limited.

In the last couple of weeks, the controversial news organisation Al Jazeera has published an article and video about teaching young Gazans to use phones to present, shoot and edit short films. The title is ‘Little Filmmaker’ initiative trains Palestinian kids during Gaza war: https://aje.io/h65vjg

Today’s New York Times says that older teenagers and young adults are already doing it on platforms like TikTok and Instagram:

Young Gazans Reach Global Audiences With Videos of Everyday Life in War
Displaced young Palestinians are chronicling their wartime routines on TikTok and Instagram, allowing their followers abroad to see a more personal side of the conflict.

I’m posting this link to the Times article as a “gift article” and don’t know how long the link will work: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/16/worl ... =url-share

I should add that there’s a Wikipedia entry about the young man who is the main subject of the Times piece.

Further to the post two up...

The International Documentary Association has also shortlisted Victoria Mapplebeck’s Motherboard for best documentary feature.

Mapplebeck was 38 and on her own when her son Jim was born. The film documents his upbringing and their relationship until he completed school about a year ago. Initially filmed with a DVCAM, the last ten years were shot with the iPhone 6 through 15.

The tone of the film is fairly low key, even when Mapplebeck is treated for breast cancer and Jim, in his teens, tries to establish a relationship with his father and has to deal with depression, alcohol and drugs. I was beginning to wonder “where is this film going”, when Mapplebeck answered the question. The film comes into its own in the last 30 minutes.

The British Film Institute has a trailer on its YouTube channel, having shown Motherboard during the London Film Festival in September:

Mapplebeck has a good distributor and I expect that Motherboard will have a very successful streaming run. Until then, it isn’t available online, although there are interviews with her on YouTube. However, IDA members can watch Motherboard, the other 9 feature nominees, and the 10 nominees for short film, for free. Membership is US$50.

This link is to the film on the IDA website:

https://watch.documentary.org/awards-fe ... 003ab84609

This is the IDA description:

Motherboard is a feature documentary exploring motherhood, filmed over 20 years by BAFTA award-winning director Victoria Mapplebeck. At the age of 38, Victoria found herself single, pregnant and broke. Unable to combine motherhood with freelance directing, she was forced to abandon her career in TV, instead turning the camera on herself and her son, Jim.

Victoria first began documenting their lives with her old DVCAM before shooting almost daily on five generations of smartphones, from the iPhone 6 to the iPhone 15. She recorded hundreds of hours of footage, capturing each twist and turn in Jim’s life, from the thumbs-up he gave during her first scan, to his first day at college. Motherboard is proof that epic journeys can begin and end at home. Over two decades, Victoria charts the trials, traumas and occasional triumphs of single parenthood. We see the good times, the holidays, the birthdays, the bedtime routine, Jim’s love of singing and dancing.

But we also see the bad times, Victoria’s breast cancer treatment, the disappointments Jim felt when he met with his dad for the first time and in his late teens, his struggles with depression and binge drinking. Victoria captures a life where breast cancer, absent fathers and depression are part of the package, but where life still wins every time. Motherboard is the antidote to the judgmental and unrealistic expectations we have about motherhood, creating an honest, funny and relatable film for any mother who has wept tears of both joy and frustration.

New Blackmagic video on its Blackmagic Camera 2.1 update:

Marques Brownlee has had access to SORA for the last week. SORA lets users use words to generate images, including moving images. As Brownlee says, this is the first SORA review.

I’d like to know if SORA can manipulate apparent depth of field in an iPhone video.

Brownlee says that SORA will be released to “millions of people” imminently.

It’s become apparent that the iPhone 16 mikes are good enough that one can dispense with an external mike of the caliber of Røde/DJI/Hollyland “wireless" mikes if one is talking within a couple of feet of the phone. There are now many YouTube videos that demonstrate this.

This is significant because it can save the cost of external mikes for people who talk at a desk or vlog. Røde is aware of the threat. In a recent video, its first point was an attempt to argue that people still need its wireless system. Why? Because one might want to record several feet from the phone. This amounts to a concession, and it also isn’t true. There's a choice. One can buy a decent mike and run a cable to the phone, or to a pocket recorder, or one can pay Røde hundreds of dollars for its wireless and carry around the related paraphernalia.

I say hundreds of dollars because yesterday Røde announced Gen 3 of Røde Wireless Go. The basic package is US$300. A charging case is another $90. If you want Røde’s Lav II, they’re $90 each. The transmitters and receivers come in many new bright colours. It’s unknown whether Røde will charge a premium for these. What is known is that their main purpose is to be eye-catching advertisements for Røde, emblazoned as they are with the brand name.

Today, Apple released a video showcasing the iPhone 16 mikes. Everyone is likely to know who the main male and female voices are. Greg Wells is less well-known. He’s Bublé’s producer, and will soon be nominated for an Academy Award for Wicked.

From a marketing perspective, this is the end of the debate about sound quality:

There’s more to the Michael Bublé/Carly Pearce duet than is necessarily apparent from the video.

Via iOS 18.2, Apple has released a new feature in Voice Memo, but only for iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. The feature, called Layering, needs the new chip.

It’s possible to record an instrumental on Voice Memo, or transfer an instrumental to it, and then record vocals over top. The instrumental plays through the phone's speakers while the vocal is being recorded. That’s why the video talks about not needing headphones. The end product is an instrumental track and a separate vocal track.

Producer Greg Wells worked with Bublé and Carly Pearce to make the demonstration song, which is on Apple Music and presumably other music streaming platforms.

This may have interesting video applications.

Apple has a press release on this, and a number of online publications have picked up on the story.

Beastgrip has released a YouTube short that blesses using DJI's RS 4 with its Beastcages, in both horizontal and vertical mode.

I’m successfully using a DJI RS 3 Mini with a Beastcage and filter. However, I want to have a look at the RS 4 Mini when it’s released and will also consider the standard RS 4. A little more power is always alluring

In the video, note the placement of the lenses in the lower left. This makes a big difference to weight distribution.

https://youtube.com/shorts/HxMxUS_OWHw? ... bBpX3BDHEi

Simmod (Ron Sim) has sent an e-mail to customers saying that his current holiday sale will “end soon”. I recently purchased his variable neutral density filter, which I think offers excellent quality at a very attractive price. Note that Sim makes lens-related products for cinematography, and that his variable ND is only made in 77mm and 82mm.

This is a link to the 82mm, which includes a description and links to reviews: https://www.simmodlens.com/product-page ... ather-case


The link below is to B&H. Canadians may find that it makes sense to order directly from the Simmod website.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?q ... ter&sts=ma

The filter comes in a protective cloth case. I suggest adding the optional slip-on cap. It has a cut-out for the filter’s rotation lever: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... r_cap.html

The rotation lever, by the way, is a very cool, useful feature. You can watch the phone’s screen while using your left hand and the lever on the filter to set the degree of neutral density needed.

This is more about the Michael Bublé/Carly Pearce duet discussed 4 and 3 posts up.

Last week on Apple Music, Zane Lowe talked with Bublé and Pearce about recording the duet. Apparently Bublé inspired the Apple engineer who developed the technology. The segment runs 10 minutes, and begins with the duet itself. It’s pretty impressive that this was recorded on an iPhone 16, and the technology is remarkable. Who would believe that you can record vocals over a playing instrumental track and wind up with two clean, separate tracks?

From the 50:00 minute mark:

https://music.apple.com/us/station/mich ... 1782972590

Some of this video, which Blackmagic posted today, is applicable to the Blackmagic Camera app:

Marques Brownlee has VEO as well as SORA and briefly compares them in this new video:

Sound is half the picture, right?

In this new DPA interview, sound mixer Stéphane Boucher talks about working with Ridley Scott on Gladiator 2, Napoléon, House of Gucci and The Last Duel. Among other things, he has interesting things to say about differences between how French and Anglophone productions are run:

https://www.dpamicrophones.com/news/202 ... crophones/

Jibing nicely with the DPA interview, Simon Bysshe (URSA Straps) made this informative video with Boucher on the final day of prep for Napoléon:

As a result of the DPA interview, Bysshe may see an increase in the sale of URSA Plush Sleeves https://ursastraps.com/product/ursa-plush-sleeves/

From Kondor Blue, a 20 minute Christmas Eve video on how to spend a lot of money buying its gear, and related paraphernalia, to create the “ultimate rig” for your phone. Of course, Danny Boyle gets a shout out in the first 30 seconds. If you’re over 18, get a paycheque and haven’t outgrown LEGO, this video’s for you

I love the thumbnail’s subtle message: “BUILD THIS” The first thing that came to mind when the presenter showed THIS, aka the “ultimate rig”, was that it looks like a scarecrow. I wonder how much of a cut YouTuber Tyler Stalman gets.