- Apple filmed its "Let Loose" iPad event using an iPhone 15 Pro Max.
- It uses extremely beautiful Panavision lenses.
- You can get stunning cinematic videos with cheaper equipment.
Apple's latest iPad event was shot on an iPhone, but not just an iPhone - the iPhone is the centerpiece of a series of Hollywood-quality gear.
The iPhone's camera is great and its video shooting skills are exemplary. It captures stunning footage in near-dark environments and eliminates shakes and bumps so it feels like a fine Steadicam. But making a movie involves more than just a camera. It’s also about lenses, lighting, and how to put it all together. As we'll see, Apple used some very high-end equipment to film its "Let Loose" campaign, but the truth is, you can do something very similar for a fraction of the cost.
“Throughout my more than a dozen years of photography, I’ve come to realize that while the camera body sets certain technical limitations, it’s the lens and lighting that really transform the image. Apple’s Shot-on-iPhone campaign uses Panavision lenses , shows how premium optics can dramatically improve the capabilities of a smartphone camera," professional photographer Jodi Blodgett told Lifewire via email.
The camera is an important part of any film setup, but you also have to consider lenses, lighting, framing, and all the other little details. That's why professional cameras for movies and photos exist as part of the system. While Apple shot some parts of the event using iPhone's own lenses, it also equipped the iPhone with Panavision lenses, some of the best lenses for cinematography.
Why? Depth of field. One thing the iPhone's tiny sensor can't handle is background blur, causing the subject to stand out. Instead, it uses a special lens accessory called a lens relay system. It's a sensor-less camera and lens that creates an image that you can then capture using your iPhone's own camera. Imagine pushing your iPhone's camera up to one of the eyepieces of a pair of binoculars, and you'll get the idea.
“‘Let Loose’ was shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max, and Apple informed me in the background that for some shots that required a shallow depth of field, the Panavision lenses used something called the Lens Relay System developed by Panavision. The device is available for public rental today from Panavision, although it is not currently listed on their website,” veteran filmmaker Stu Maschwitz wrote on his Prolost blog.
You and I probably don't want to pay for Panavision rentals, but you can achieve a similar effect using a lens rig, focusing the image on a frosted glass plate, and then capturing the action with an iPhone. These depth-of-field adapters aren't cheap, but they're achievable and will make your iPhone movies look great.
Another cheaper option is to get an anamorphic lens for your iPhone. Anamorphic lenses can shoot in the wide-format mailbox-shaped format used in Hollywood movies. They do this by squeezing the image laterally to fit the film frame or, in our case, the phone's sensor. You can then use software to de-extrude it later. These lenses cost less than $100 on Amazon.
“There is still a clear gap in the control and output quality offered by dedicated professional cameras. However, the gap is indeed closing, and for many creators, especially those just starting out or on a very limited budget, the advanced capabilities of smartphones, such as The iPhone can be a powerful and easy-to-use tool for filmmaking and photography,” said Blodgett.
But another important part of shooting cinematic video is already built into iPhone Pro.
Cinematography is all about color grading. Here you can correct colors, match colors between shots and sequences, and use color creatively to give your movie a unique look.
To do this, you need to shoot the actual footage in the gentlest way possible. Professional cinematic video straight from the camera has low contrast, flat and dull colors. The idea is to record the maximum amount of picture information for maximum processing flexibility.
iPhone 15 Pro can capture in ProRes Log format, a format designed specifically for this purpose. Anyone can open it and use it. Editing all of this footage takes some skill, but that's true no matter which camera you use to shoot your movie.
In the end, the fact is that the iPhone Pro is an extremely capable camera, arguably better at shooting movies than still photos. Add a cheap anamorphic lens, pop the resulting footage into Apple's Final Cut Pro app, and you've got yourself some incredible movies.
