Fluid Head for Smart Phones

[Michael Erlewine]

I an getting more interested in video with the iPhone 11 Pro Max. I have many fluid heads, but for larger tripods. Does anyone know of a fluid head that is small, works well, and preferably has an arca clamp?

[paulears]

What has happened to video? I'm really sorry, but until you can put quality glass on a larger sensor, the quality of images means surely that iPhones, even the 11 pro max is a convenience camera? Hand held? Yes. On a stabiliser? Yes discrete or covert? Yes - but frankly a fluid head on a proper tripod? Nope - just a crazy mismatch. If you have a decent fluid head, engineered to cope with weight, and bring it's Centre of Mass into the right place for hands off no movement smooth action, you'd stick a heavier camera on it and a decent lens and get really good images from it?

I use a phone as a convenience tool, and nobody has suggested iPhone 11's actually compete with proper cameras in optical or electronic specification.

I doubt any 'real' fluid head that is more than a compression fitting with greasy gunge will appear for these things - stick them on a gimbal and attach that to any old tripod.

I can't take them seriously as a camera, and comments from serious camera users so far are high on convenience and gizmos and low on actual picture quality and specs on a real camera resolution card.

[Michael Erlewine]

Old news. I may put a little extra weight and use the iPhone Pro Max, which I am taking seriously and have large cameras 4K (FS5, etc.) and scores of lenses; so for media-level work, I am taking it seriously.

[Greg_E]

Benro S4 is a maybe, no drag adjustments but for a phone this might be fine. S6 would be next up the chain but might be a little overkill for a phone. I don't think I would go smaller than the S4 head and probably one of the extra compact travel tripods that they sell.

I'd suggest BeastGrip Pro or Beast Cage and maybe if you can find them, some of the Zeiss lenses that fit in front of the phone lens. https://beastgrip.com/ I have the Pro for my phone, and it makes hand held MUCH more stable, as well as giving a place to mount to a tripod with 1/4-20 screw and maybe stick a shotgun on top. If you need a cheap wireless mic (for phones and hybrid cameras), send me a PM, my review went missing so I'll not post it again.

I also recommend Filmic Pro, even if all the features of the new phone haven't yet been implemented, I've seen two or three updates in the last few days on Android, I expect the same for the iOS build. Buy now and in the very near future all those features they displayed with Apple will be available.

[Michael Erlewine]

Benro S4 is a maybe, no drag adjustments but for a phone this might be fine. S6 would be next up the chain but might be a little overkill for a phone. I don't think I would go smaller than the S4 head and probably one of the extra compact travel tripods that they sell.

I'd suggest BeastGrip Pro or Beast Cage and maybe if you can find them, some of the Zeiss lenses that fit in front of the phone lens. https://beastgrip.com/ I have the Pro for my phone, and it makes hand held MUCH more stable, as well as giving a place to mount to a tripod with 1/4-20 screw and maybe stick a shotgun on top. If you need a cheap wireless mic (for phones and hybrid cameras), send me a PM, my review went missing so I'll not post it again.

I also recommend Filmic Pro, even if all the features of the new phone haven't yet been implemented, I've seen two or three updates in the last few days on Android, I expect the same for the iOS build. Buy now and in the very near future all those features they displayed with Apple will be available.

I am using Filmic Pro and liking it.

[Run&Gun]

I would laugh out loud if I didn't already have a NETWORK client that has been doing it for several years. Now I just want to cry. Not just for myself, but the industry as a whole.

IMG_4764 copy.jpg
Not me, but a friend of mine. And it isn't even the shooters phone. They have whole "flight kits" with the phones, tripods and adapters so you can plug a mic in.

[Greg_E]

The phone clamp is on backwards! It's blocking the screen.

[Run&Gun]

The phone clamp is on backwards! It's blocking the screen.

Lol... Yeah. That's the only thing wrong with that set-up...

[Greg_E]

No, there's lots wrong there, but that was the first thing I noticed. I think there is a place for stuff shot on a phone, and some of that could be a professional (as in getting paid) area. Just not the average way of working, it should stay out along the edges for a lot of reasons. But I also might change my mind if I had a phone that had really good camera(s) and ability to use fast SD cards for higher bit rates and log gamma (cinema plug in pack).

[laverdir]

The phone clamp is on backwards! It's blocking the screen.

No, that's the setup with guidelines for quadratic Instagram video.