A MagSafe grip for higher pictures and movies

Fashionable flagship digital camera telephones just like the Pixel 7 Professional, Galaxy S23 Extremely, and iPhone 14 Professional are edging nearer and nearer to the images expertise of a correct standalone digital camera. Placing apart the physics of small lenses and sensors, there’s no denying that having a superb digital camera in your pocket is superior, however what in the event you wished the “really feel” of an actual digital camera too? Properly, let’s take MagSafe equipment, images, and a Pixel 7 Professional — three of my favourite matters to speak about — and blend them collectively. What we get is the ShiftCam SnapGrip, a MagSafe grip that attaches magnetically to your telephone and offers it DSLR-like ergonomics.

My Pixel 7 Professional usually sits in a Second (M) Drive case, which opens up a whole world of MagSafe equipment to me, just like the SnapGrip. Even when I didn’t have this case, ShiftCam supplies a metallic adapter for any telephone. You simply stick it in your telephone or case and also you’re good to go. My iPhone doesn’t want an adapter to make use of the grip, however a MagSafe iPhone case helps strengthen the magnetic bond whereas defending the telephone.

Any time I need to use the grip, I simply get it near the again of my Pixel or iPhone and the MagSafe magnets will snap it in place. Easy and straightforward. Higher but, it doesn’t block any port or button on the telephones, in contrast to different grips that clasp to the edges and find yourself turning off the display or messing with the quantity.

The grip itself appears to be like prefer it obtained reduce off of a DSLR or mirrorless digital camera. It has a big protrusion that your hand suits snugly round with a pure place on your index finger to relaxation on, letting no less than two or three different fingers wrap across the again. It’s very ergonomic to carry for lengthy intervals of time — far more than clutching a skinny smartphone slab will ever be.

I’ve tremendous regular images palms (years of taking clear 2MP pics of drugs leaflets to review at house helped me develop that), however nonetheless, I like the liberty of not having to fret about balancing my telephone whereas tapping the on-screen shutter button. As a substitute, I can simply bodily press the shutter button under my index on the SnapGrip and snap, photograph! You may’t argue with that form of tactile suggestions.

My essential gripe? Every time I used the digital camera grip, I wanted it had zoom buttons. Given how wonderful the Pixel 7 Professional‘s telescopic lens is, I depend on its zoom to raised body most of my pictures. Switching to the touchscreen to regulate that after which going again to the grip feels unintuitive and disruptive. Tactile zoom in/out buttons would make this rather a lot higher for the Android zoom champions of the world — much less so for the iPhone.

In my assessments, I cherished how stable your entire setup felt, although the grip and telephone are two separate entities held collectively by MagSafe magnets. I wouldn’t belief the grip with my Pixel 7 Professional over a bridge, a physique of shifting water, or any harmful void, however I did use it in on a regular basis images. Streets, tourism, parks, expos, enjoyable occasions; it may be nice for all of them. When you’ve got pets or youngsters and also you’re operating after them, this may be preferrred; you simply must pair it as soon as over Bluetooth and it’ll robotically join every time you flip it on.

However the grip does extra than simply offer you a greater grasp of your telephone. It may be an excellent vertical or horizontal stand. It additionally homes a 3,200mAh energy financial institution that may cost the telephone wirelessly whereas it’s connected. LED lights point out the remaining battery.

Charging is proscribed to 5W, however that was sufficient to maintain my Pixel operating whereas I walked round and snapped pics. Once more, 10W or extra could be higher right here, however the concept is to keep away from draining the battery too quick as a substitute of utterly charging your telephone.

When you go for the Creator Package, you’ll get three extra equipment with the ShiftCam SnapGrip. All of them can be utilized alone or collectively in any form of combo for max versatility. Once more, the wonder and ease of magnets.

My favourite is a spherical MagSafe LED gentle and mirror that opens up, permitting you to level it again at whoever you’re taking a photograph of, flip it up in direction of you for a selfie, or snap it onto any metallic floor or tripod to offer an extra supply of sunshine. It simply has a USB-C port for charging and a button to modify the LED’s brightness between 5 totally different ranges.

The mirror is a minor however genius addition to assist folks body and examine themselves earlier than you’re taking a pic of them. One other bonus: You get a case to hold each the grip and light-weight with you.

There’s additionally a small plastic desk tripod, which does the job on comparatively flat surfaces however that I wouldn’t use in unstable environments, plus a MagSafe tripod holder that permits you to snap your telephone, gentle, or each. I discovered this excellent for evening and astrophotography as a result of regardless of how regular my palms are, they’re not as steady as a telephone tripod for lengthy publicity photographs.

The flexibleness of all these components is what makes this setup attention-grabbing, particularly as a result of all it’s a must to do is snap them collectively. No plugs, clasps, screws, or something time-consuming. This places them among the many finest smartphone images equipment for me.

I’ve used the SnapGrip alone with my telephone at instances and with the sunshine at different instances; I’ve used the tripod holder to prop up my telephone with and with out the sunshine; and I’ve used the sunshine on the tripod to brighten a scene I used to be capturing with my telephone on the grip. Add the flip-ability of the sunshine for selfies and common pictures, then the stand and wi-fi charging, and you’ve got a flexible setup that helps with lots of on-the-go artistic images and videography from streets to folks, nature, and astro.

My two greatest issues with the ShiftCam SnapGrip are worth and spontaneity. You both must plan forward and carry this MagSafe grip with you when you’ll be doing lots of images, or it’s a must to hold it with you always. Once we begin including this many equipment to our telephones, we might as nicely carry a mirrorless digital camera as a substitute, proper?

Pricing additionally feels prohibitively costly for what that is at its core: a wi-fi energy financial institution in a grip form with a round magnetic component and a Bluetooth shutter button. $70 for that and $120 for the Creator Package with the sunshine, tripod, and pouch appears like a stretch. The Apple tax could be very actual, however hey, you’re getting a number of merchandise in a single, which might help justify the funding.