The jaws don't just allow the ShiftCam ProGrip to attach to the iPhone; it also has a pivot that allows for an easy switch between horizontal and portrait use. The pivot is a nice touch, although the functionality feels much more natural when in landscape mode. Moments like these are when it would be nice to have Face ID available horizontally on iPhone, but that's an issue only Apple can remedy. Tamron – Need lightweight, compact mirrorless lenses? Tamron has you covered, with superior optics perfect for any situation. With weather sealing and advanced image stabilization, you’ll open up your creative possibilities. Many companies have been tried to elevate the smartphone camera user experience with various grip add-ons. To be honest, nobody has nailed it yet. I was recently offered a chance to try the new ShiftCam ProGrip. Could the ShiftCam ProGrip be the accessory that finally takes smartphone photography up a level? Let’s find out.

The 1.33x Anamorphic lens was the most fun to use during our test. This lens captures a cinematic widescreen aspect ratio by stretching the frame vertically. In an anamorphic clip, people look very thin and tall so you need to ‘de-squeeze’ the clip by scaling itto 75% in the y-axis using an app such as Final Cut Pro. I’ll come right off the bat and will say I am not entirely sold on the build quality of the ShiftCam ProGrip. The device is a plastic fantastic, which isn’t bad in itself, but I do have concerns. The main body of the ProGrip is solid. There’s no flex or play anywhere and it feels as tough as plastic can get. The grip is also beefy and well made. All of the buttons feel great as well. The part that concerns me is the spring-loaded phone grip. Shiftcam is a maker of smartphone imaging accessories best known for its 6-in-1 lens slider cases and 'Pro' line of accessory lenses which were all launched via successful crowdfunding campaigns.

Extend your smartphone’s shooting abilities with a range of third-party professional lenses and filters

My iPhone (like many other phones) has a built-in video stabilizer, so it’s possible to pair the ShiftCam ProGrip with some lighting to create professional-looking videos with minimal equipment. Specifically, I’ve been using the ShiftCam ProGrip in tandem with the Profoto A2 and Clic Softbox Octa with great results. It makes the entire rig feel more professional and easier to use.

By using fluorite crystals in the lens construction the next generation of ShiftCam lenses have a reduction in artifacts such as color fringing. They are satisfyingly heavy too, with the 60mm Telephoto weighing in at 109g. (Image credit: George Cairns / Digital Camera World) Build & Handling If you still find wireless charging pretty uncanny in itself, the ProGrip will amaze you even further. You have to align your phone’s charging pad with its counterpart on the ProGrip and there are instructions and an alignment template for this – though our iPhone 13 Pro Max is so large that it doesn’t really offer any scope for movement; the pads nevertheless line up fine. On the left we have the results of the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s 77mm Telephoto camera. On the right we have the same subject from there LensUltra 60mm Telephoto. The iPhone’s native camera reveals more subtle textural detail than the LensUltra 60mm telephoto. (Image credit: George Cairns / Digital Camera World) Battery life has increasingly become less of a problem with iPhones, although it's always nice when you add some juice on the fly. The ShiftCam ProGrip provides 15-watt wireless charging, which you can turn on/off with ease. Use the 20-watt USB-C port to recharge the device or add battery life to AirPods and other connected accessories. As needed, there's also parallel charging for both the ShiftCam ProGrip and the accessory. Inside is a 6400mAh powerbank.

The ShiftCam Progrip takes smartphone camera grips to a new level, adding security, ergonomics and even battery power

On the left we have the result from the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s Main 24mm camera. On the right we can see the distinctive barrel distortion of the LensUltra 200º Fisheye lens. (Image credit: George Cairns / Digital Camera World) ShiftCam’s latest release of an innovative ergonomic battery grip will take mobile photography to the next level. Transforming Your Mobile Device into a Professional Camera in Seconds Radiant Photo– Radiant Photo superior quality finished photos with perfect color rendition, delivered in record time.Your photos — simply RADIANT.The way they are meant to be. Beyond this, the ProGrip's hand strap is well made and easy to resize using the built-in velcro. Use it to secure your iPhone during shots better. The Bluetooth shutter (at the front top right) is well positioned and makes it feel like you're using a traditional camera.

As you tell by its stars rating in this review, there's little I don't like about the ShiftCam ProGrip. One criticism I have is being unable to store both the ShiftCam ProGrip and iPhone in the included case. Because the accessory works with different-sized smartphones, this limitation makes sense from an engineering perspective, although it's still a disappointment. The ShiftCam ProGrip achieves a lot, and it does so with great aesthetics and ergonomics as well as functionality. Holding the grip when shooting feels just right, and that seems largely because of the shape of the grip. There’s a groove at the rear for my thumb, and my shutter button finger stands farther above and extends from the other three fingers. The LensUltra series also features a VND and CPL filter that will help you capture better-looking smartphone shots, and we’ll explore these in detail later in this review.

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Over the last three years, the ShiftCam team has worked diligently to perfect their products. Their previous campaigns include the MultiLens cases for iPhones, as well as the ProLens Series which feature 6 distinct professional grade lenses that can be attached to mobile phones. Also, ShiftCam was notified as an honoree of the 2020 CES Innovation Awards. Prior to that, the company was honored as a recipient of the 2018 Red Dot Design Award winner and CES innovation Awards winner. ShiftCam has also been recognized by well-known media such as Mashable, CNET, Forbes, Tom’s Guide and D Preview etc. With the launch of ProGrip, ShiftCam will establish itself as one of the industry’s top players. On the left we see an unfiltered shot. On the right the CPL filter has reduced the reflective glare on the sea’s surface and slightly darkened the blue sky. There’s more noticeable green in the filtered version sea. (Image credit: George Cairns / Digital Camera World) Verdict Other camera-like features include a cold shoe mount that allows you to attach lighting accessories or external microphones, and a 1/4" tripod mount. The ProGrip also comes with a built-in battery and can charge your device wirelessly using the Qi standard. ShiftCam says the battery's 5200 mAh capacity roughly doubles your phone's battery life. Critics might say that although the LensUltra series may be of high quality,how can they produce better results if your smartphone’s lenses are inferior? Surely a LensUltra lens is only as good as the lens that it’s mounted over? This is true to a degree, but the LensUltra series also provides smartphone photographers with a wider range of compositional choices, such as allowing you to zoom closer with the 60mm Telephoto or capture cinematic lens flares with the 1.33 Anamorphic lens. You can also capture superior macro shots featuring a better bokeh using the 75mm Long Range Macro than you can via the iPhone’s Macro mode (which uses its Ultra-Wide 13mm lens for macro photography). The CPL (circular polariser/linear) Filter is designed to minimize reflections. You can rotate the filter to adjust the way it performs. We found that it was very effective, enabling us to reduce the cloud reflections in our test shot so we could see into a car’s interior. The CPL filter would be useful when you need to photograph exhibits that are behind glass in a museum or see through the reflective surface of a river or ocean. Traditionally CPL filters also darken blue skies which helps the clouds pop out more in contrast. We found that the LensUltra CPL filter produced a subtle darkening of the sky when we took it for a sunny coastal test shoot. Our test kit also included a VND (Variable Neutral Density) filter to enable us to capture more sky retinal in bright light, but we were unable to mount it on our supplied ShiftCam iPhone case.

Battery life has increasingly become less of a problem with iPhones, although it's always nice when you add some juice on the fly.The LensUltra Series is designed to enable smartphone photographers to capture closer views of distant subjects using the 60mm Telephoto Lens, magnify macro subjects courtesy of a 75mm Long Range Macro Lens or a 10x Traditional Macro Lens, capture a wider field of view with a 16mm Wide Angle lens or a 200º Fish Eye lens and even record cinematic footage courtesy of 1.33x and 1.55x Anamorphic Lenses. One criticism I have is being unable to store both the ShiftCam ProGrip and iPhone in the included case.