mounting phone to camera

R

rob norton

Veteran
I occasionally need to look at a phone while shooting and am going to buy a mount which will let me attach it to a camera - for example, looking at a reference frame or asking someone else's questions if you're forced to work solo.

RRS is probably the frontrunner (I wish these had anti twist holes rather than single 1/4 20 threads) - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...tail_jaw_mobile_phone_clamp_with.html/reviews

These look OK:

- https://www.hypop.com.au/products/g...-eFtxd9j3XxLAzrbsnBudaVbE8jWC-lIaAgXZEALw_wcB

- https://sunwayfoto.com.au/product/s...ne-clamp-with-tripod-mount-and-arca-dovetail/

- https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...twistgrip_twistgrip_tripod_adapter_clamp.html

Just seeing if there's anything else out there..
 
For livestreams during the pandemic, I tried a few different brands of smartphone clamps, though often to attach phones to light stands and such. At the time, there were some surprisingly bad clamps. Anyway, the Manfrotto ones seem to strike a good balance of flexibility, reasonable construction/design, and cost. Just 1/4-20 doesn't seem like a big drawback to me, since the weights are so minimal.

https://www.manfrotto.com/us-en/products/smartphones-action-cameras-drones/smartphone-accessories/

The US$12 Universal model is fine, and has a 1/4-20 receiver. The more-expensive PIXI model might offer a few more mounting options.
 
Rob,
I have this - that I use for gimbal work with tablet for wireless monitor - on quick r&g style shoots - which I like & really like the easy adjustable clamp:
https://www.amazon.com/Spinning-Bik...0302628&sprefix=lamicall+clamp,aps,113&sr=8-9

(but maybe if you're literally clamping to the camera without some type of cage, etc. - it might not be great... but certainly works for tripods & many other cam accessories)

And here's same brand for cell phone:
https://www.amazon.com/Lamicall-Bik...28&sprefix=lamicall+clamp,aps,113&sr=8-3&th=1
 
Thanks for the replies. The tilta one looks interesting Mitch, cool how it’s on a diagonal in one of the photos to work with their camera cage, I might pick one up regardless.

I ordered the sunway foto, we’ll see how it goes. Don’t hate me manfrotto people! Just a few too many upset people in the reviews. If the sunway doesn’t work I might come crawling back. Ideally the camera LCD screen would let us access our emails but probably won’t happen.
 
I like my Smallrig phone cage, Use it on a monopod, Also have one rigged to a ball head with a stud mount adapter on a C-stand with arm for shooting video of art demonstrations. Phone slides into one end and the frame as rubber shock cushioning in the track to protect the phone. Very good quality and more secure than most clamp type mounts. They have universal options, but the dedicated fitted cage for iPhone pros is the best if that is what you have.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/searc...7%3Acamera-rig

They make a matching hot shoe ball head to go with: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...oe.html?sts=pi
 
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CharlesPapert said:
I use this on my Phonemitter product (zgrents.com/phonemitter) and they have done everything I need them to do at a fractional price.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1
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Thanks Charles, that one looks good too.

The phonemitter looks so cool, having the Rx stand mounted and with the ability to use mains power, rather than to a monitor would make it extremely simple for rentals. I love the "carefully" and "very carefully" notes when working with the Tx.
 
rob norton said:
The phonemitter looks so cool, having the Rx stand mounted and with the ability to use mains power, rather than to a monitor would make it extremely simple for rentals. I love the "carefully" and "very carefully" notes when working with the Tx.
Click to expand...

Thanks! It was interesting putting that product together. I almost got there entirely with off-the-shelf parts--couldn't find exactly the right height project box so I had the baseplates on the transmitter module 3D printed. It took me a minute to figure out what the "carefully" reference was, I hadn't watched the instructional video in a while! Bill Totolo came over to help me with that shoot, he was the hand model for that instruction clip. It was the height of Covid and we kept it lean (hence me re-using the actress in two roles!), I think we shot both videos in 4 hours. Definitely brought me back to my days shooting corporate video in the 90's.
 
That lamicall product looks great for a tripod handle.

Here's the sunwayfoto CPC-02. The feet can make it flat, not that size is an issue. Overall I'm glad I didn't go down the RRS path.

Nice bonus there's no spring but instaed a long screw. The downside is there' no in-product orientation adjustment, you have to get there with your own hardware.

I tried the phone on the same side as the camera monitor but there was just too much happening. Next step is probably to get some type of friction mount like I have for the monitor.

It's funny every few years you get to use these redrock micro spuds/90 degree adapters. I'm not a fan of tall builds but this was a lot better than reaching in the pocket (sometimes even mid-shot!).
 

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You are right about the Redrock right angle widgets! Mine are close to 15 yrs old and yes, very handy for all sorts of funky rigs over the years. This was coincidentally the earliest version of the Phonemitter concept I cobbled together, wielded by Ryan Hansen (Party Down). A veritable riot of Redrock!

IMG_4642 copy Large.jpeg
 
Haha that's great, Redrock madness. Was the 15mm rod system developed with the lighting baby pin diameter in mind? I can't remember but I thought they were compatible. Not that too many camera accessories need to be used this way but I'm hoping the redrock can also be used on the (pointy) end of a c-stand arm.
 
The 15mm rod standard is 100% from the camera department. That was the worldwide standard for front rods & bridgeplate systems for decades. Later on ARRI recognized the need to bef things up and introduced 19mm sliding bridgeplate systems, at which point LA rental houses Otto Nemenz and Clairmont Camera said, "We have millions of dollars invested in gear based on the 15mm rod standard. No way we are switching!" And then we had two standards moving forward.

Standards are great. There's so many of them.
 
Thanks Mitch, I knew it'd be either you or Charles with the history. Interesting about the pushback from Otto Nemenz and Clairmont Camera. I know the so many standards to choose is an old engineering joke making fun of not actually having a standard, but in this case I'm glad the 15mm size survived.
 
One thing I haven't seen in years (that I can remember, anyway) is the 15mm studio rod configuration. That was always a bit funky, being offset to the right from from lens center. Feels like 19mm took over that end of things, alongside the 15mm lightweight system.
 
CharlesPapert said:
One thing I haven't seen in years (that I can remember, anyway) is the 15mm studio rod configuration. That was always a bit funky, being offset to the right from from lens center. Feels like 19mm took over that end of things, alongside the 15mm lightweight system.
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I brought this up to one of my sales reps when I was looking at an A35, because the production sets come in two configs for the base plate/shoulder mount: 19mm with 15 LWS and 15 Studio with 15 LWS. I said I never see 15 Studio, it's either 19 or 15 LWS and I was told that 15 studio is actually popular on the east cost. I found it odd, as I'm on the east coast and I have literally never seen it in the wild.

Maybe Mitch can give us the backstory on 15 Studio, as well.
 
The paradigm that makes the most sense to me is that the 15mm studio config was designed by Arri in the 35BL era, and intended to reflect the offset weight of that and other film cameras where the motor was side-mounted. So rather than reflect the optical center, it was based off the center of gravity. 19mm (centered under the lens) came in later, and my recollection is that it really got popularized by RED. At that time I was mostly working with Panavision gear which had its own system (side mounted vertical sets of 5/8" rods), so I kind of missed the how and when of 19mm coming up.

I'm 25+ years gone from the east coast, but back then it was all either 15mm studio or 15mm lightweight, the latter mostly appearing on video or 16mm cameras.

One encouraging thing is that when looking this up, I only saw these being referred to as "rods", the traditional term, vs that "rails" thing that got popular on message boards 10 or 15 years ago. Not a fan of having industry standard terms subverted for no good reason (unless they have troubling origins and need to be updated). Still not sure why I'm seeing this trend to swap out "DP" with "DoP"--I know that's the European version, but why the newer American cinematographers feel the need to buck a long-established abbreviation is a little baffling to me.
 
I think RED is going to the Panavision vertical orientation. I thought I saw some new stuff recently from GDU (Jarred/RED's side accessory company) and one of the matte boxes had vertical rod attachments.

Having a broadcast 2/3" cam background, it was always 15 LWS in my world. I didn't really start shooting s35 cams until the original C300 and then I only ever saw 15 LWS or 19mm with big zooms.

Something that has always struck me as odd, with so much of the 15 LWS stuff, is just how little the mounts on the camera side actually grabbed of the rods. The majority are only biting maybe a 1/4". With my Amira, they slide in probably an inch or two and on my original RedRock Shoulder mount for my C300, they were in deep, but all of the Zacuto stuff I've ever owned, both for my 2/3" cams and s35, they are only maybe a 1/4" Same with Chrosziel. Looking back, it's absolutely amazing that I never had an accident "throwing" my cameras around by the grips attached to the rods only being held onto by about 1/4". I was constantly tossing my F55/17-120 combo off my right shoulder over my head and onto my left shoulder for relief and then back again, using only the grips on the rods. That could have ended so, so very badly...
 
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