You can already see that camera sales worldwide are going down with the rise of smartphone popularity. Many smartphone cameras are good enough to achieve professional image quality. The iPhone models 8, X, XS, and 11 prove that many high-end camera features are implementable on a smartphone platform.
New iPhones can shoot 4K video at 60p, while cameras with this feature start from $2000. If you don’t need replaceable lenses and hyper-sensitive matrix for filming at night, the iPhone will be a great solution for all your video needs. Now, take a look at the useful recording tips by Freepps. They will let you record sleek cinematic videos!
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1. Stop Shooting Video Vertically
Although such apps as TikTok, Instagram, and many others utilize vertical video, you should consider that not all apps are designed for that. If they don’t, there will be black frames covering most of the screen in a landscape mode. The majority of cross-platform networks support full-screen horizontal video playback, so don’t forget to flip your phone to the landscape mode to make recordings for YouTube, Facebook, and other purposes.
2. Choose the Right Settings
While new iPhones can shoot amazingly smooth 4K video at 60p, you should mind that this feature has some limitations. The issue is that shooting at 60p requires 2 times higher shutter speed to make everything look smooth. That requires more light, so low-light scenes filmed in this mode will look too dark. To avoid such a situation and preserve the 4K quality, you can switch to 4K 30p. You won’t be able to use slow motion anymore, but the quality will be much better, and you’ll save up some storage space.
3. Select Lenses Properly
iPhone 10 was the first to introduce optical image stabilization on both cameras that provides much smoother footages that on iPhone 8. If you have the iPhone 8 Plus, you can use the wide-angle camera that also has a mechanical image stab and crop it later. All later models can film smooth enough from the box. Our video operator recommends using a longer lens to get less background compression and get footages that are closer cinema standards. That’s especially useful when you record people or objects that are close to you. On the other hand, if you’re shooting in low-light conditions or the background matters to you, always switch to the wide lens.
If you have iPhone 11 Pro, you can also use the ultra-wide lens. It’s an awesome camera, but you should know that it cannot be used for recording people and objects that are close to you. It’s a landscape-only cam that can shoot impressive full-frame-DSLR-quality landscapes and indoor sights with a lot of objects.
4. Buy a Stabilizer
Another way to make your recordings smoother is to get a mobile stabilizer. Tripods and monopods are good for static videos. However, at Freepps.top, we prefer mobile gimbals. A gimbal has electric drives that stabilize the image even better than iPhone’s lens stabilizers. Early gimbals used to cost thousands of dollars just a few years ago, but today you can buy a decent mobile gimbal for $200-$300. Some models can even charge your iPhone and let you control it while recording. With a bit of practice and correct settings, you can shoot excellent cinematic footage on any iPhone, starting from iPhone 7.
5. Get a Third-Party App
Apple’s default camera app is good enough for regular everyday shooting, but it has dynamic settings that are not acceptable for professional recordings. Using a third-party app like Pro Movie, you can control white balance, exposure, focus, and ISO. In addition, such apps let you tune the bitrate and achieve 4 times better footage quality.
Always Learn!
Using these 5 filming tips by Freepps.top experts, you can achieve much better quality from the start. However, you still have to learn cinema recording principles and tricks to record like your favorite movie makers. Eventually, you will see that making a beautiful video is possible without a multi-thousand-dollar professional setup.
