In traditional production, even the best cameras on the market are not some sort of all-in-one machine that makes everything they capture look big-screen ready. A sometimes unfathomable amount of resources are spent on auxiliary equipment and accessories that complement the camera and maximize the look of the footage. Lights, mics, mounts, grips, etc., are used to an incredible extent to achieve desired results and that is unlikely to change. 

Now, look at your iPhone. Pretty sweet right? 4K camera, variable exposure, focus lock and so on all deserve credit for making current smartphone cameras as advanced as they are. But, just like a camera with a price tag that’s 5 digits long, it can always be complemented by basic accessories that make up for inherent limitations so your smartphone-captured footage looks as goose-bump inducing as possible, whether you’re an influencer, a full-on film maker, or a participant in a Cinebody project. 

Stabilization 

Sandmarc Compact Edition Tripod 

If Inspector gadget ever made an iPhone tripod, it would probably look something like the Sandmarc Compact Edition Tripod. This industrial-strength, weather-resistant, aluminum tripod might be one of the most versatile mobile tripods to date. It’s got a spring-loaded, adjustable claw grip that makes it compatible with every iPhone model since the iPhone 4, and is fitted with a cold shoe mount for lighting or audio accessories. So far, it probably sounds like a slightly elevated version of every other mobile tripod on Amazon. Hold that thought.

The real versatility of this bad boy is in the legs. Three 25 inch retractable legs can be condensed to as little as 8.5 inches in length, about two inches longer than most iPhones themselves. The compact size allows the tripod to fit comfortably on a desk or small surface and makes it easy to store in something as small as a drink compartment on a backpack. What’s more, is that the legs can be completely inverted to create an underslung configuration in which the phone is suspended from the base plate so you can get low-angle or macro shots to diversify the look of your content without throwing your back out or getting your phone dirty. That along with the adjustable, lockable swivel makes this Sandmarc Compact Edition Tripod well-suited for some serious experimentation and may elicit more than one “no way that’s an iPhone” moment from audiences.

Audio 

Shure MV88 Portable iOS Microphone

The iPhone camera has seen a crazy rate of improvement over the last decade, but the quality of the microphone configuration has remained more-or-less the same. I’m sure it's not easy to innovate something that’s the size of a grain of rice. But that means mobile filmmakers have had to disrupt the nimbleness of filming with an iPhone by attaching large and cumbersome audio accessories like full-sized shotgun mics, most of which need to be mounted with expensive casing. Shure’s MV88 Portable iOS Microphone has put that issue to bed.

This pinky-finger-sized MV88 mic is specifically designed for smartphone videography and fits right into an iPhone’s Lightning port where it also gets its battery. The mic itself has a hinged, rotating design that allows you to flip and tilt based on the direction of your audio source. Unlike similar mini shotgun mics such as the Rode VideoMic Me (which is still great), the MV88 has a full-metal design, making it durable and giving it a sturdy feel when attached. And the audio? Indistinguishable from professionally captured audio, seriously. It’s unbelievable and we’re praying that Apple is taking notes. But for the meticulous mobile filmmaker, the MV88 can also be manually controlled by the free Shure Motiv app so you can make fine adjustments to things like gain, stereo width, channel balance, and so on to get exactly the audio you’re looking for. 

If you are consistently creating video content with your iPhone, don’t rely on the native mic forever, The MV88 is a sure-fire way to give your content the audible polish that’s so often neglected.    

Lighting 

LITTIL Selfie One 

Ring lights are all the rage today. What started as an accessory for beauty influencers has become the standard way for any content creator to light iPhone footage, especially for selfie-oriented clips. But there are two drawbacks to pretty much every consumer-grade ring light ever. They’re too big, and they need an industry standard tripod to stay upright. Not to mention, you’ll still need a mechanism to support the actual device you’re filming with as well. This means no run-and-gun for ring-lit footage which, for most of us, is a huge annoyance.

But, LITTIL, a company that develops accessories specifically for influencer content, had the ingenious idea of creating the Selfie One, a 3.5 inch right light that clips directly onto your device around either the selfie camera or rear-facing camera configuration. This gives you the aesthetic benefit of a ring light without reducing mobility. It’s got some real power, too, offering 4 brightness settings and 3 lighting tones so you can fine-tune its configuration of 20+ LED lights to get the exact lighting you need on the fly. In a nutshell, the LITTIL Selfie One is a mobile influencer’s dream. But it’s the versatility offered by variable brightness and color temperature makes it useful for any application where lighting is of any importance.