Over the years I’ve used various apps for all kinds of photography and cinematography-related purposes. Some have stayed, others have been abandoned or replaced.
With the right apps, an iPhone can become a powerful tool for creating stunning visuals. In this post, I’ll break down what makes these apps stand out and how they can elevate your filmmaking process.
1. Mavis Pro Camera
I’ve been using Mavis Pro Camera as my go-to app for almost a decade now. Even though there are other apps out there, most of which I’ve tried, Mavis still rocks.
Mavis Pro Camera is a cinematography app that offers complete manual control for focus, exposure, and white balance. You also get incredible pro-level monitoring tools like false color, zebras, vectorscope and a waveform.
One of the standout features of Mavis is its support for shooting in log, allowing you to maximize your dynamic range and maintain flexibility in post-production. Additionally, the app enables 10-bit HDR recording, ensuring exceptional color depth and quality.
For audio, Mavis supports external audio inputs and provides monitoring tools like gain control and live audio metering.
There are some cons though:
- While Mavis pushes the iPhone’s camera to its limits, some features rely heavily on your device’s capabilities, which may vary by model.
- Maximum bit rate is 100 MB/s in 4K.
- It’s IOS (Apple) only, no Android.
- Intensive features can drain your battery quickly, especially during long shoots.
- The interface can be intimidating for first-time users unfamiliar with professional cameras.
- It sticks to horizontal mode during operation, and is not easy to switch between other apps.
- It’s not free. But it’s only $5.99 one-time for an app that only gets better as the Iphone advances in features.
Whether you’re shooting a short film, a commercial, or a passion project, Mavis is a powerful ally in your creative toolkit.
If I were to ever shoot a movie with my IPhone, I’d pick Mavis hands down.
2. [Your Camera’s Official] App
Every camera company has an app nowadays. I’ve owned or worked with cameras from most companies, and I’ve tried their apps over the long term.
I’d recommend all of them! These are apps that typically allow you to do three things:
- Control the camera exposure and settings
- Trigger recording on or off
- Wireless monitoring of the video feed
Some of them are cumbersome to set up wirelessly and pair, but they get the job done when you need them in a pinch. Today, I only own Canon cameras, so I use the Canon Camera Connect App (Android, IOS).
Some apps from other camera manufacturers:
- Panasonic Image
- Nikon Snapbridge
- Sony PlayMemories
- GoPro Quik
- Blackmagic Camera
- Red Control Pro
- Arri Camera Companion
3 Arri Photometrics
The ARRI Photometrics app is an essential tool for cinematographers, offering detailed information about the lighting output and beam spread of ARRI’s lighting fixtures. It’s available for both Android and IOS.
With this app, I can quickly determine the optimal placement and intensity of lights for a scene. By inputting distance and desired beam angle, the app calculates lux levels. It helps in planning setups during pre-production, saving time on set by providing accurate data for creating the perfect lighting environment.
The downside (if you can call it that) is it only has access to Arri lighting fixtures, but you can always find the ‘closest match’ to estimate what other lights will do. If you’re not using Arri lighting fixtures predominantly, it might not be that useful. I always use Arri fixtures, so this app is indispensible.
4. Sun Seeker
The Sun Seeker app is sort of a standard in the cinematography space. It’s available for both Android and IOS.
Sun Seeker tracks the sun’s movement across the sky. Using augmented reality and a flat compass view, the app shows the sun’s current position, its trajectory throughout the day, and crucial details like golden hour and noon.
It helps me anticipate sunlight conditions at any location on Earth.
Sun Seeker is especially useful during pre-production and on-location shoots. By mapping the sun’s path, or by showing me golden hour timing, I can take full advantage of the available light.
Additionally, its Augmented Reality view helps identify potential shadows or light obstructions caused by nearby structures or landscapes.
Another app you can try, that I used earlier, was Sun & Moon (Android and IOS). I haven’t kept up with the updates, but if you need to keep track of the moon as well, it could be a great alternative.
5. Rode Reporter
The Rode Reporter app has been an indispensable recording app for any audio recording I need to do in a pinch.
I use an 3.5mm to iPhone adapter to pair a Rode microphone, but you can pair almost anything.
The app has rarely crashed in all these years. It can record in pro-level 24-bit, 48 KHz.
The UI is intuitive with a simple input meter, allowing you to monitor and adjust audio levels with precision. There are times when you simply don’t have a professional audio recorder, or you need one when one isn’t available in a pinch. This should be your go-to app. I don’t think the day is far off when an IPhone can record true 32-bit audio.
6. NIOSH App
The NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) app isn’t really cinematography-specific, but I’ve found it really useful with the internal microphone on my IPhone.
What does it do? The NIOSH is a sound level meter app that measures and evaluates location sound levels in real-time. It provides accurate, research-backed data on sound exposure, but has been useful to me in these situations:
- When I location-scout, I can check if the location is quiet enough for clean audio recordings.
- When I’m in a mixing room or studio, I can see what the sound level is at the sweet-spot.
- I’ve used it to comparatively evaluate sound levels in cinema halls and preview theaters during the QC process of my feature film Gin Ke Dus.
- I even use it at home to set my home theater sound levels!
Unfortunately, it’s IOS only, and you’re dependent on the quality of the microphone on your phone.
7. Red Tools App
The Red Tools App is a free and handy app that gives some useful information:
- Flicker-free video mode: If you’re filming in both 50 and 60 Hz and need to find the right shutter speed or shutter angle to avoid flicker, use this app.
- Depth of Field: Even though it has only red cameras, you can estimate most cameras with it.
- Panning Speed: To avoid judder while panning, which is a problem when filming at 24 fps.
There are other features as well, but these are what I’ve found the most useful generically.
8. Adobe Photoshop Express
The Adobe Photoshop Express is the best photo editing app I have. It’s extremely powerful, fast and gets me great results when paired with my iPhone.
Today, it has cutting-edge tools like AI-powered filters, content-aware editing, precision retouching, and one-tap enhancements to transform your photos effortlessly. And which cinematographer doesn’t need photos?
9. Apple iMovie
Apple iMovie is a great tool for editing quick videos. I use it to edit scenes and put clips together fast. You can add music, text, and effects to show ideas to the client or crew, or making slideshows.
I’ve tried other apps, but somehow they don’t work with footage, especially HDR, etc., and with some codecs. iMovie is easy to use and works well on Apple devices. It hardly crashes, so you don’t look like a fool on set. The other advantage of iMovie is you can use it on an iPad, too, and it’s faster.
10. Artemis Pro
Artemis Pro is a director’s viewfinder app designed to help filmmakers plan and frame their shots. I can simulate various lenses, camera formats, and aspect ratios.
You can also record videos, trim them, and add custom title cards. It also supports creating custom frame-lines for unique shapes and aspect ratios, along with built-in “looks” for pre-visualizing color grading.
The downside is it’s pretty expensive and I’ve grown out of it.
While Artemis Pro is (or was) useful, I eventually stopped using it because I no longer needed a framing artifice in my work. As my cinematography evolved, I found myself relying more on instinct and experience to frame and visualize shots without the aid of external tools.
However, for filmmakers in earlier stages or those working with complex visual setups, Artemis Pro might be an excellent tool for pre-production. That’s why it’s number ten on my list.
Hey, what about light meter apps?
I don’t recommend light meter apps because they lack the accuracy and reliability needed for professional cinematography. This has been my experience.
In contrast, Sekonic light meters are purpose-built tools, offering consistent and precise readings for incident and reflected light. For serious filmmakers and cinematographers, investing in a Sekonic light meter ensures accuracy and consistency, which apps simply can’t match. Here’s more info:
What apps did I use back in 2018?
Note: Obviously, features might have changed and some things are not relevant anymore. But it’s interesting to see how the apps (and my preferences) have changed.
Here are the list of apps I use on my iPhone as of 2018:
Reasons I’ve shifted from the list of Apps I used earlier:
- VSCO: Can’t beat Adobe Photoshop, period.
- Field Monitor: It’s limited for certain cameras only.
- Focus Chart: Barely use them, but could be useful for chroma keys, etc.
- LEE DIffusion: I still have this app, but you can only learn so much from an app. After a point you have to test and find how diffusion works for you.
If you know of any cool apps let me know in the comments below!
1. I can wholeheartedly recommend the CinemaP3 app by Tom Blackburn. It’s a one-time purchase and the developer is very responsive and adds features all the time. Check it out, there’s a time-limited fully functional demo.
4. While both Sun Seeker and Sun Surveyor are pretty costly, the latter has a Lite version that is free and may be enough for many users.
Regarding light meters, I use the Cine Meter II by Adam Wilt. I compared it to a Sekonic and a Minolta, and they don’t disagree more among them than the Cine Meter does. In low light, the Sekonic is even less precise.
Remember, the best light meter is the one you’ve got with you.
CinemaP3 looks like a full featured app. Thanks for sharing.
It has one nice detail I didn’t see anywhere else: you can record time-lapse with image integration over time, generating motion blur on moving objects.
Yes, it seems to be the most comprehensive app I’ve come across. If I get time one of these days I’ll take it for a spin.
While I am not a pro, I strongly posit that the Black Magic phone app (at least iPhone) is the best.
It is fully-featured (i.e., Pro) and has most of the 4K/6K/6KPro tools.
Thanks for sharing!