I see people taking photos and videos with their iPhones all the time and goodness knows I've tried to squeeze good stuff out of my telecommunications gear as well. The problem for me is that there's no good way to hold a naked phone. I always end up with my elbows in some weird position while my pinkies seem to stick out at awkward angles like a 1950's caricature of a proper Englishman having a cup of tea. As a result I spend way too much time thinking about how to hold the phone still and way too little time actually doing so.
I bought a device from Manfrotto that attaches to my phone with spring loaded pressure and then allows me, via a tripod socket, to mount the assemblage on a tripod, or in this case, a handy gripping surface. It's called, Manfrotto Universal Smartphone Clamp, Pro Version, and it set me back $20 USD.
I was going to buy a handgrip of some sort but while lounging lackadaisically in front of my computer I happened to look around the office and spy not one, but two Leica ball heads. These were the original tripod heads for the fabulous Leica table top tripods and they are well built (did you expect anything less?) and it dawned on me that not only would one of these provide a dandy gripping surface but would also allow, via its bullhead, the ability to adjust the angle of the camera and it's mounting piece to suit whatever need rears its creative head. You could use just about anything as a grip so long as it has a quarter 20 screw thread for attachment.
The advantage of the Leica ball head is that you could put it on a monopod or a tripod if you were so inclined. But we've got a lot of tripod heads around that work just fine so I purposed the Leica head solely for handheld iPhone use. There is no red "Leica" logo dot on the head but there is a very lovely and discreet "Leitz" logo engraved on one part of the body of the tripod head so I guess if I need to impress someone I could ask then to put on their reading glasses and take a gander.
Here are a couple of shots of this heavy machinery in action. Don't try this without attending some sort of "best practices" workshop or spending hours on YouTube getting some expert advice on clever techniques.... I stabilize with my other hand but that's more habit than necessity.
A darker and more "authentic" look at the rig in action. I was just about to hit the slow motion video recording option and call for the fog machine when I took this photo. Just out of the scene; six feet or more from my left, was the obligatory iPhone-tography super model practicing her pout and trying to decide just how much cleavage to show while pretending to embrace a rather large cactus plant.... while jutting out her derrière.
I tried for a "viewer's perspective of this mission critical tool set but I was hampered by not having my usual entourage of photography attendants and hangers-on. My entourage. Because of social distancing I thought it easiest if I just shot this stuff myself. Tragically, a few of my compositions are a bit off. I will not be winning any PPofA Master Craftsman awards for this piece but I felt the time pressure to get the more vital information to Mike as quickly as possible (but after coffee/made at home/from a jar of instant).
Seriously though, the handle is at its best when you are attempting to hold the camera steady for video clips. If you can lean your arm on something like a table or a railing it's even better. The Leica head works because it has a tall, thin body structure that seems made for medium sized hands like mine.
The Manfrotto device depends on a spring to provide a grip and little friction pads to keep the phone from moving around. Since iPhones are very much a luxe product it's little wonder then that the discontinued Leitz ball head is the ONLY grip handle approved by Apple.....(as if).
This shot is not an example of a way in which I would use the rig but is included to show you the products in their entirety. What a superb hand model. I should do that for a living instead.
I'm just getting up to speed on the XR as a video tool. I need to plug in ear buds, complete with a microphone, and see how it is for narrator audio. I'd love to create small movies with the rig and a bit of audio stuff but if I have to attach the proverbial kitchen sink I've got other cameras that are just begging to be used.
I normally don't take blog requests but MikeR has been a very cool reader for a good long while and I wanted to reward his patience with my patented manic depressive writing style.
Hope this helps Mike. If you haven't tried the slo-mo on the phones it's pretty incredible. And you don't need to do it in 4K; 1080p is just fine.
Thanks! Fun stuff to play with as we shelter in place. Alternating between Xanax and red wine here. Alternate days. Depends on which day has a more depressing news cycle... (just kidding, self-medicating NOT recommended by VSL).
Any Netflix movie or documentaries you guys can recommend? I'm running out of good programming and considering getting the Russian surplus TV shows to tide me over. Melodramas from the collective, etc.
26 comments:
So I guess the "no wine while training for Masters in April" was canceled when the swim meet was canceled. And add my encouragement to find the next Studio Dog. The shelters are going to fill up and no one is adopting.
While I appreciate the results you and others are getting from phone photos, I could never use my iPhone for taking pictures of subjects that I photograph with a camera. Probably because I live in California where grab & run crime is as epidemic as the virus. For the same reason I never use my iPhone in crowds or place it on a cafe table, the thought of walking around with a possibly unlocked iPhone held out in front of me is scary. I can afford to lose a camera; I can't afford to lose my iPhone!
For a fun offbeat show for a person who likes good food, try "Samurai Gourmet" on Netflix. It is about a recent Japanese retiree who rediscovers his passion for food and life by getting in touch with his inner warrior and eating what he truly desires. You have to read the subtitles, but it is pretty funny as well as visually appealing.
Jon, that's just sad! I've never heard of that happening here. Maybe I'm living in a bubble...
Anonymous: Thanks! Samurai Gourmet is now on my list.
Jerry: Moderation in all things. Until the pools open back up. 😇
Thank you Kirk!
I have an idle ballhead (though not Leica) that would also welcome having a feeling of purpose. It's a weighty thing; I think the mass alone may add some "image stabilization."
And thank you for sharing your "trade secrets."
The Leica ball head, long and short versions, hasn't been discontinued. They are now available in silver or black. A New York photo emporium carries them, starting at $229 for the long black version. Short black costs more; the silver versions even more.
I've been using a long ball head like yours since 1977.
> ".. you guys can recommend?"
What about a good read?
"The Long Ships" (Röde Orm) by Frans G. Bengtsson,
a Swedish classic, one of the few always in print...
[ Adventures of the viking Orm, a good story, well set in actual history and well told in a sparse and lively language.]
( For some time Orm was a galley slave, and later mentions that "the worst way of trimming his beard was when it never grew past his oar"...)
I bought the Adonit PhotoGrip Qi. It has a proper shutter button, a comfortable grip and it will also charge the battery of later iPhones. Works like a charm and allows me to feel I'm still using a traditional camera. I have the iPhone 11 Pro max. It also mounts well on a tripod. I use my iPhone regularly now. I've made some prints with the files up to 8x8 and they look good. The files are certainly good for traditional 4x6 or 5x7 photo album prints. 4k video on the new iPhone is terrific and I'm very happy with it. I imagine the airdropped files are greatly reduced in resolution because the transfer happens so fast, they must be.
I totally agree with the lens choices. The bag that goes with me all the time has only three lenses. The Pentax K1 camera and a Carl Zeiss 25 Distagon, Pentax 43 Limited, and the Pentax 77 Limited. These three handle almost anything that I encounter. Unless I leave with a specific task that requires another focal length . Stay safe! All will be well again, it just may take a while.
To pass your idle hours I recommend the following on NetFlix/Hulu in no particular order:
1. Ugly Delicious
2. Justified (begs to be binge watched)
Netflix .... "Dirty Money"
Thanks for your great writing and thoughts!
Just a brief note to second “Justified”. One of the best series TV productions ever.
TV suggestions:
I'll third "Justified" - one of the best of the 2010s (previously on Amazon Prime, but now on Hulu)
If you like fairly "realistic" space sci-fi, there are few shows better than "The Expanse" (Amazon Prime)
If alternate realities are more your thing (and/or you're a J.K. Simmons fan, and who isn't?), try "Counterpart" (from Starz, but now on Amazon Prime)
If you want to feel better about the world, binge "Parks and Recreation" (Netflix, for now; NBC's Peacock later this year)
If you want something relaxing and offbeat, try "Midnight Diner - Tokyo Stories" on Netflix
If you want a western without the idealization but with shakespearean dialog, "Deadwood" is astonishing to this day (HBO)
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
20 Feet from Stardom
If you do not have (or can pay for) the Leica tripod, there are some little Manfrotto ones that would pair with the phone holder. The 709B or the newer PIXI both work well when closed as a handgrip, and you have the tripod there in your hand if you need it.
Another vote here for the simple old Manfrotto 709B. I keep current in-use camera sitting on one so that I can get at the card and the battery, and frequently leave it on for short excursions, with the legs folded in. It tends to encourage having the left arm tucked in tight or braced for stability. The Leica ballhead has always seemed, well, large to me. The PIXI has a rather jiggly ball head, so i don't recommend it.
I also use the Manfrotto 709B,
and with the Novoflex "Ball 19" ballhead,
h=56mm, diam.=30mm,
i.e. same diameter as the 709B!
The Ball 19 works smoothly and I find both the 709B and the Ball 19 sturdy and dependable.
At Novoflex it is (only) $33.
Novoflex claims it supports up to 3kg.
https://www.novoflex.de/en/products-637/camera-support-systems/ball-heads/misc-ball-heads/ball-19.html
[ There is a higher version with an additional panorama function:
https://www.novoflex.de/en/products-637/camera-support-systems/ball-heads/misc-ball-heads/ball-19-p-kopie.html
]
I have a Manfrotto Pixi table tripod. Nice shape, built in ball with button release, and the styling matches your phone holder. Only catch is that the legs do not stay closed -- I wrap a hair tie around them.
And I have fond memories of the QL-17. Mine was black, so no need for the tape. A friend referred to his as his "surrogate Leica." I thought of mine as a nice little semi-wide lens that came with a free camera attached. Wish I'd hung on to it.
Addendum :
Sorry, *without* ballhead the Manfrotto 709B is called 209 !
This is the rig for serious iPhone filmmakers:https://www.indievice.com/
@Kristian Wannebo: Yes “Røde Orm” is the best non-alcoholic medicine, that doesn’t solve you problems, but lets you forget Them, while you read. The best thing is, that it’s one of those rare books, that you can read on successive nights without missing a beat.
I read it during the oil crisis in the seventies (car less Sundays), During the market crash in ‘87, during the dot-com bubble in 2k (boy was that costly - learned A LOT;-), the crash in 200x, and when I’m finished with my current book one of these days, “Røde Orm” will be my bedtime lecture once more. It doesn’t solve any problems, but you fall a sleep with a smile on your lups.
Regards
@ Kurt Friis Hansen,
Indeed! :-)
( I've no idea how many times I've read it, or parts of it.)
Hell on Wheels is another very good series, about the building of the transcontinental railroad.
I was stationed in Japan for a while and I second both Samurai Gourmet and Midnight Diner, Tokyo stories. Not as popular as the mainstream shows on Netflix, but both make you feel better after watching. Swapping continents, the British "The IT Crowd" is hilarious.
......Mind Hunters......Killing Eve.....Rivers......Scott and Baily.....Marchella.....Criminal...( all of the various versions of Criminal are really good..except for the dubbing)........a so funny coming of age series The Derry Girls....Messiah....Fleabag (British sex comedy that annoyed me so much ...but I could not stop watching it.....)..... The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel....if you want to pretend you are witnessing the beginning of Comedy revolution in NYC in the late 50's........Mad Men....took me awhile...but once it gets you it gets you....of course if you haven't seen Breaking Bad...or The Americans....you have a great treat coming up...
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