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Are Moment lenses still worth it over today’s built-in stock smartphone lenses?

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There was a time when third-party smartphone lenses were the go-to for smartphone filmmakers who wanted to take their footage to the next level. And when it comes to third-party smartphone lenses, the biggest name amongst them is undoubtedly Moment, which offers a range of lenses to use with smartphones offering more capabilities than your standard built-in camera modules. Or do they?

That’s the question Brandon Lee attempts to answer in this video from Linus Tech Tips and the short answer is… “It’s complicated”. For the longer answer, you’ll have to watch the video, but it seems they aren’t always as beneficial as they once were – unless, perhaps, you’re shooting video.

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Xiaomi teases new Mi MIX – the world’s first smartphone with a liquid lens

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Xiaomi has teased their upcoming Mi MIX smartphone with a camera that contains a world’s first. It’s going to have a liquid lens that adjusts its focal length and focus distance through the use of an electrical charge. This isn’t the first liquid lens to exist, and they’re common for some industrial uses, but it’s the first time one will be getting put into a production smartphone.

Other than the lens, there aren’t really many details about the new device yet or even just its camera – although no paternership deals with Zeiss, Leica or Hasselblad have been announced. Oh wait, they did get into bed with Light a couple of years ago. And Xiaomi did put out a survey last year to see if they should team up with a big name camera manufacturer (and which one). So… maybe?

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OnePlus 9 Pro officially announced with Hasselblad camera capable of 8K video and 4K 120fps

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OnePlus has now officially announced their new OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro smartphones containing cameras co-engineered with Hasselblad. OnePlus says that the new OnePlus 9 series represents a “major leap forward” in their ability to deliver premium flagship cameras in smartphones.

They say that they’ve been working with Hasselblad through a close R&D collaboration to deliver “vastly improved camera systems” on the OnePlus 9 series and future OnePlus smartphones.

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OPPO’s new Find X3 Pro has TWO 10-Bit 50MP Sony cameras that see a billion colours

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OPPO has announced its new Find X3 Pro smartphone, and it comes with a pair of primary cameras with each featuring 50-megapixel Sony IMX 766 sensors covering both the wide and ultra-wide fields of view for “billion colour photos and videos”. The camera module also features a 60x microlens that lets you capture super close up detail.

Weighing in at 193g, the new flagship phone is IP68 rated, too, meaning it can withstand dist, dirt and stand and submersion in water up to depths of up to 1.5 metres for up to 30 minutes. Great for shooting in the rain or even in the pool! It also has a 120Hz QHD+ HDR10+ screen capable of displaying all those colours the cameras see, too.

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How to shoot cinematic Hollywood crane style camera moves with your smartphone

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Some of us only shoot video with our smartphones. And while many of us prefer to use “real cameras”, we often find ourselves somewhere really cool but our smartphone is all we have with us. That doesn’t mean you have to settle for crappy and jerky handheld footage, though. Oh no! Many of the techniques used to create epic footage with larger cameras can also work with your phone, too.

In this video, Steve at Learn Online Video shows us a bunch of different ways we can shoot some impressive looking cinematic camera moves using your smartphone, a gimbal and a light stand (but a monopod would work, too).

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DIYP’s ultimate smartphone vlogging gear guide

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Even before the whole global pandemic thing, vlogging was on the rise. This last year, though, seems to have caused a significant boost in the number of vloggers out there and many have taken to doing it on their smartphones.

We’re on lockdown again here in Scotland and getting out with a bunch of camera gear to shoot videos isn’t exactly possible right now. So, I’ve been testing out some smartphone vlogging gear over the last few weeks during my daily exercise to see how well they hold up.

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Rode has released a new range of Vlogger Kits for mobile filmmakers

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Rode has launched a new range of Vlogger Kits aimed at vloggers and smartphone filmmakers. The kit comes in three flavours. There’s a Lightning-equipped iPhone kit, a Type-C USB based Android kit, or a universal kit that works with both (although you’ll need your headphone jack adapter cable).

Each kit includes a mini tripod, a phone bracket, microphone, windshield, light, lighting gels, and all the extra cables and bits you need to get up and running quickly. As mentioned, though, if you get the universal kit, you’ll need your Lightning or Type C USB to TRRS headphone jack cable. While you might prefer to go with a kit specific to your device, the universal one is handy if you use different types of phone (or camera) and want to be able to switch between them.

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How to shoot cinematic footage with your smartphone without buying a whole bunch of accessories

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We’ve all seen the “Shot on iPhone” campaigns. Apple takes some Hollywood filmmaker, shoves some iPhones in their hand and lets them go create something epic. But as we’ve seen from the behind the scenes footage, they’re often using an entire production crew to help them make it, along with a lot of the same tools they use with “real cameras”.

But there’s a lot that you can do without having a couple of dozen people helping (handy, given the pandemic n’ all) and without having to buy a whole bunch of extra toys and tools to bolt onto your phone. In this video, Steve Write from Learn Online Video looks at using just a naked iPhone without any other devices to shoot your smartphone videos.

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Auto white balance in phone cameras kills real color in wildfire photos

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Massive wildfires are currently raging in the US West Coast. The skies have been colored orange and red, but you might not be able to accurately capture it with your phone camera. Many people have noticed that auto white balance on phone cameras is severely affecting orange and red hues. This makes this whole tragedy look way less dramatic and alarming than it is.

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Zhiyun shrinks their smartphone gimbal even further with the new Smooth XS

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Zhiyun has announced their new Smooth XS gimbal. Like the Smooth X launched earlier in the year, it’s a 2-axis gimbal designed for smartphones, although the Smooth XS is actually even smaller while seemingly offering the same feature set.

The Smooth X offers up to five and a half hours of battery life from its internal battery that charges in three hours. It provides 290° in the pan access and 268° in roll with a payload of up to around 200g. Oh, and there’s an over-the-top launch video that very much signifies who the target market is.

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