While I am almost certainly the least-prolific videographer on the planet, I am finally starting a long-planned series of interviews on my fledgling YouTube channel. The first of these went live this week, and I’m aiming for roughly one a month from now on.
I use a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K rig as my primary video camera, but my iPhones have long been my camera of choice for B-roll footage …
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
For most of my life, I’ve been a Nikon guy when it comes to still cameras, through both film and digital eras. When the time came to switch from a rather unwieldy, pro-bodied Nikon DSLR, I opted for a much more compact Sony mirrorless setup.
It initially seemed logical to stick to Sony when I first started getting into video, but I very quickly discovered that the company’s user interfaces for video shooting are, to put it mildly, absolutely appalling. Groups of settings you would typically change together are found in completely separate menus, and some of them have very non-standard names.
Lots of Googling and video reviews finally brought me to the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K as offering a serious amount of camera for a reasonable sum of money – and with the best UI in the business. I honestly cannot tell you what a joy it is to use: it makes even Apple look like an amateur in the user interface game.
My iPhone as my B-roll camera
As delightful as the BMPCC 4K is, it does have some serious drawbacks when it comes to use outside of a home or studio. The complete rig is heavy, it attracts attention, and there is no autofocus (or, indeed, auto-anything). For that reason, it makes much more sense to have a far smaller and lighter camera for B-roll footage.
After initially experimenting with a couple of borrowed cameras, I found that using my iPhone was the best choice for several reasons.
First, as the old saying goes, the best camera is the one you have on you at the time. Although some of my B-roll footage is planned, I’ve also ended up using other footage that I’ve just shot casually whilst out for a walk or when traveling. My iPhone is always with me.
Second, an iPhone draws absolutely no attention. There are parts of London and other cities where using a full-on cinematography rig would soon have security guards heading in your direction, but nobody even glances at a guy using an iPhone.
Similarly, for my latest interview project, I wanted to shoot a little footage during a dance class. We needed the permission of the students for this, of course, and while I think some might have found it intimidating if I turned up with pro camera kit, everybody was relaxed about me shooting a few iPhone clips.
Third, it’s an incredibly flexible device. Everything on my Blackmagic rig has to be manually set. Exposure, white balance, focus, it all takes time. With the iPhone, I still have that level of control available to me if I want it by using the Blackmagic Camera app in conjunction with a neutral density filter. But if I don’t have that kind of time, I can just use the Final Cut Camera app with all of its automated features.
Finally, it’s one less expense. I mean, it is true that I choose Pro Max models for their camera capabilities, so I guess you could argue that I’m not quite getting those free of charge, and I did add a MagSafe SSD, but certainly the price differential is much less than the cost of a standalone camera and lens(es).
But even with unlimited budget, I still think the iPhone would end up being my primary B-roll camera for all of the other reasons I’ve outlined. Apple may not have sold me on an upgrade this year, but my iPhone 16 Pro Max is as valuable to me as it ever was.
Highlighted accessories
- MagSafe SSD for iPhone
- Official Apple Store on Amazon
- Apple 40W Dynamic Power Adapter for iPhone 17
- Official Apple iPhone Air cases and bumpers
- iPhone Air MagSafe Battery
- Official iPhone 17 cases
- Official iPhone 17 Pro cases and Pro Max cases
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments