Smartphones cinematography

C

Carlos_E._Martinez

New member
Sorry if I put this question here, but the forum does not seem to have a specific sector where to discuss cinematography, particularly lenses and such, when shooting with smartphones.

Can or should we talk about that here?
 
carlmart said:
Sorry if I put this question here, but the forum does not seem to have a specific sector where to discuss cinematography, particularly lenses and such, when shooting with smartphones.

Can or should we talk about that here?
Click to expand...

smart phones and computational image capture are coming.

Cellphones certainly have been on the outskirts, and we only just got good mirroless cameras finally.

But would be nice to have something cellphone specific.
 
I've got a Sony Xperia Pro-I coming that I'm hoping will replace (for me) my current smartphone and go pro, for an "everyday carry" that will work better with the FX6 footage.
 
jmone said:
I've got a Sony Xperia Pro-I coming that I'm hoping will replace (for me) my current smartphone and go pro, for an "everyday carry" that will work better with the FX6 footage.
Click to expand...

looking forward to that!
 
OK, let's ask some questions.

The first question is how to get a "normal" perspective from a smartphone. Some say using a 2X add on lens over the phone wide angle lens will get you there, or close to it.

The second is what to use, if it already exists, as graduated or polarizer filters, and how to hold them up front.

I have some questions about audio handling, which is limited when using Android cameras, but that should be asked in the audio section, shouldn't it?

I'm planning to shoot small shorts in my neighborhood, which is a Rio de Janeiro beach, so I will also investigate how to protect the whole smartphone from wind and sand.

A screen shade seems also essential to me, and it seems unrealistic to me how smartphones are usually shown in sometimes expensive gimbals without a good sunshade protecting the screen from the sun, considering most screens do not have anti-reflection protection.
 
OK, the next task was to look for a pola screen that can be used or designed for a smartphone.

Now we are entering into a more sophisticated area, because you may want to use this add-on directly over the camera lens or to filter a lens add-on.

So you either select the pola filter for the lenses you have or buy a lens kit you already know the pola screen can be used with. This one is one case:

https://www.amazon.com/bitplay-Advance-Circular-Polarizer-Smartphones/dp/B01NCQ5M87
 
Can anyone recommend a sub-$500 smartphone that has decent video? By that I mean some manual image control and decent DR. It can be Android or IOS. I currently have an Iphone 7 which is a low light dog. My main use would be for impromptu shooting and having a decent device in venues where professional cameras aren't permitted (for example I'm shooting an NBA documentary and pro cams aren't allowed in MSG). Thanks
 
buy a used iPhone from XS on up.

They go used and refurbished for under $500 easily
 
I currently have an XS, and while i think the iPhone 13 is a marked improvement, i find myself currently ok with the XS. i might wait for the 14 or 15 to upgrade, since the 13 was their first real big “Cine” push. Like they are taking themselves seriously, albeit overhyped.

The X and XS, i’ve not compared directly, i don’t think either will replace a dedicated video camera, but both are noticeably better than the 7 and 8, IMHO.

For finer comparison, might have to see some online reviews, which are always a mixed bag. I personally prefer a fellow dvxuser’s opinion as well.


if you dm me, i can try to send you some test clips from my phone.
 
Thought you guys might like seeing this device I came up with to help when shooting with phones on bigger sets when monitoring is expected. There's always some moment when we do that to simulate Facetime or someone shooting a clip for social media.

 
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:thumbup: Good on you Charles. You are becoming quite the entrepreneur. And I wouldn't be surprised to see this trickle down to smaller sets - to those youngsters using phones as A cams.
 
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