iPhone DSLR: the next generation (video)
By Donald Melanson 
posted July 17th 2010 4:11PM
posted July 17th 2010 4:11PM
Everything you know about awkwardly attaching SLR lenses to iPhones is wrong. This is how you do it. What started out as a quick and less-than-perfect mod of OWLE's Bubo iPhone mount by one Jeremy Salvador (pictured above) has turned into a collaboration between production company Vid-Atlantic and OWLE itself on a more finely tuned, iPhone 4-friendly prototype that delivers some truly impressive results. Sadly, the actual iPhone 4 version of the rig won't be available for a while yet, but you can get an idea of what will be possible with it after the break.
dat grain
@xKNGx
This video is horrid
data grain artifacts and nonexistent focus
@xKNGx
Exactly... I fail to see how this would actually be a satisfactory alternative to buying a dedicated, good quality, video or photo device...
@DefPoet I can't believe you paid attention to the grain instead of the video. It wasn't apparent to me at all. I guess I pay more attention to the big picture/video then the small details.
or my eyes have an automagical blur feature without my glasses. I like to think of it as the former.
not impressed, they added film look and grain to a camera phone sensor
adding depth of field does not make up for the original smaller than an inch lens and even smaller ccd... dont kid yourself into thinking throwing a 35mm lens onto your iphones makes you both creative and broadcast quality
@DefPoet Maybe he is holding it wrong?
@xKNGx
I think it's funny when people critique innovation so harshly. I'm sure there may be many things that could be improved on what he's done with this, but I always see innovation as a good thing...but, hey, maybe that's where I'm off base. Long live destructive criticism!!
@xKNGx Grain doesn't bother me, what does is how desaturated the colors are. My iPhone4 takes excellent quality video and this is very muted and desaturated. Either the lens was tinted or they did some post-production work?
Commenters, start your downranking engines!
The autofocus on iPhone doesn't work very well
@Keanedi
I suspect that manual focus (on the lens) was being used.
@Zhuzhu
Quite right, that's why it featured so strongly in the video.
It's a huge advantage of using the SLR lens.
That commenter is just proving his ignorance.
@Keanedi
That was a joke. Right?
@LethalLax1
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Still not as good as a proper SLR and no doubt nearly as expensive as an entry level one. It only exists because anything involving the iphone gets hits.
@1
No.
It exists because there are geeks willing to do this kind of stuff.
@1
It's $119, so nowhere near an entry level lens-less slr.
@Spaceshipped You obviously forgot to mention the price of the lens...
@MiniG
and the iPhone. And the contract. And the cost of data per gb. and the, sorry, I'm rambling now.
@MiniG The Canon 50/1.8 is like 80 bucks. But since you're going to manual focus, you can pick up an old MF lens for $30 and get the same or even better DoF control than this.
@1 Not even fucking close to a real SLR.
The one who made this doesn't know the first thing about cameras, as is obvious by calling it the iPhone DSLR. Adding an interchangeable lens does NOT make a camera a DSLR.
Adding extra lenses to a camera does not improve picture quality, it degrades the quality.
I don't see a manual aperture controller on this either, meaning the pictures are going to be even worse yet with the aperture all the way closed.
@1
Wouldn't an Apple 30 pin connector given it a better performance? I mean...like using the phone as the CPU but the lens and sensor as an attachment.
@MiniG
Are you serious? Many base level slr's come without a lens, you'd need to buy a lens whether you bought this or a real slr, it's an independent.
Obviously I didn't mention the price of the phone as this product is for people who already own an iPhone, and most people that buy the iPhone buy it without the expectation of using it as a professional camera.
@Spaceshipped : I don't know where you are from but in where I live, almost all base slr comes with lens(I avoid saying all just to err on the side of caution). Those one that don't come with lens are mid to high-end.
@YuriTenshi No one called it an "iPhone DLSR." You don't know what they know about cameras. In fact there's a nice shot of several lenses and a camera in the thing, leading me to believe it's just a camera geek tweaking out on lens/iPhone combinations.
And furthermore, why does this bother you? Has it kept you from finishing your masterpiece of a film? Of course not. Unless by watching this, and writing that scathing piece of a comment kept you from getting outside to shoot during the magic hour, thus missing your chance for greatness.
@hey buddy Its says iphonedslr.com right at the top
@gargle
I leave mine on idle.
I have to say, the results are very impressive indeed! I'm just a afraid that the adapter is going to cost as much as a dslr body but if they can make it affordable it could actually be pretty useful.
@Dadu
grainy and out of focus = impressive ?
@DefPoet
Out of focus?
Please stop.
@DefPoet
I don't see what your problem is, can any other phone shoot video this good?
@DefPoet
I agree... That looked like a drunk trying to light candles.
@tobsmonster2
Sony Ericsson Vivaz Pro is one of the top of my head
also the N8
@DefPoet
N8 at 24 fps?
Sorry you fail.
@hill60
You do know that 25fps is the PAL/SECAM standard, don't you?
And that most movies are recorded in 24fps.
You clearly think that just because 30fps is larger it automatically means it's better.
@HeySteveJobsFuckYou
Come on man, he's just a guy who markets products that you can chose not to buy.
This is why we can't have nice things.
@SolidSnake
The apple gestapo comment police are out it seems
although f**kyou part was uncalledfor
@DefPoet
And that's why it was deleted.
I love logic.
@LethalLax1
Seriously though:
It seems like a lot of trouble to work with just the iPhone. A rig this big could be easily designed to target *all* phones with cameras, which would increase their market dramatically.
Very interesting, though! A cool add-on for iPhone photogs.
@LethalLax1
The rubber case!
@Engadget
Nice Star Trek reference.
@SolidSnake
actually he acts like a asshole
The whole bunch of executives at apple act like assholes
It's a cool project, but no one would ever buy a DSLR lens without already owning a proper DSLR.
@indyraider
Or, if you had an iPhone, and thought this would be a neat way to improve your shots without having another device?
Provided of cse you can bear to carry the attachment - if they could make the case part somehow fold or collapse to being not much bigger than the lens, that'd be superb.
I'd seriously consider this, if it ever comes to market.
@FORDY
iphone shots are about 1/1000 the quality of a dlsr
@DefPoet
And the iPhone is 1/1000 of a DSLR in size.
We both exaggerated, but my stat is more important for 90% of people.
@SolidSnake
your a dumbass if you think the iphone comes close to a Canon EOS Rebel T1i
@FORDY "Or, if you had an iPhone, and thought this would be a neat way to improve your shots without having another device?"
You think adding more glass is going to improve the shots?
Maybe you should make a filter thread adapter so you can link an unlimited number of lenses together to get a picture so awesome your mind cannot comprehend the amount of detail.
@DefPoet
No, I said it was MORE PORTABLE.
Do you want to be the dumbass (see, I used your word) that takes a DSLR to a school prom and gets it broken/ covered in "punch"?
My point is in the real world, the iPhone is a phone (although that is coming into question) that can also take acceptable pictures.
If you can't understand that, I can't help you.
@DefPoet
"your a dumbass if you think the iphone comes close to a Canon EOS Rebel T1i "
Please help me out here.. where on earth did he say that? No, he didnt say that did he... go back down your T1i hole.