I won’t lie, a year ago, I never would’ve recommended people go out and produce professional content with their phones… especially content that you were planning to charge money for.
But all of that has changed. I have seen a new light…
A month ago, I bought the new iPhone 11 Pro Max 256gb. The camera on this thing absolutely blows my mind. Seriously!
Aside from doing high-end client work, this camera has essentially replaced my $3000 Sony A7iii.
Here’s Why It’s Replacing my $3000 Camera?
- The quality is just as good (it can shoot 4K and slow-mo like a pro).
- It is so much easier and more convenient to set-up and shoot with.
- The production process is amazingly simple. I can shoot and upload my clips straight to a Google Drive folder for my editor during production. No need for memory cards and all that jazz…
- I don’t need anyone else to work the camera, I can do it on my own. Whereas with my old gimbal and gear it was harder to do solo work.
- With the gear I’m about to recommend, I am set-up for spontaneous, professional quality shoots in a matter of minutes.
The Ultimate Smart Phone Gear List
I did a ton of research on what gear to buy to go with your new smart phones and narrowed it down to the following. If you have other recommendations that work for you, feel free to post them down below.
The purpose of this gear list is to inspire creativity, enable convenience so that you can have an idea and take immediate action on it and to uplevel your production quality without spending thousands of dollars (like we did last year).
iPhone 11 Pro Max 256gb
This phone is all most of you will need to produce high quality, professional media, as well as take professional quality photos for your website, blog or Insta. If you’re not an iPhone person, then the Googel Pixel or Huawei will work too.
Rode SC7 3.5mm TRS to TRRS Patch Cable
If using an iPhone, this little cord connects your mic and your iPhone adapter piece that hooks into your phone.
Without this, your microphone won’t work.
3.5mm iPhone Headphone Jack Adapter
You need this little thing to hook into your iPhone so your Rode SC7 cable (listed above) can connect into your mic.
Zhiyun Smooth 4 Gimbal for Smart Phones
This little baby will inspire you with so many creative ideas for filming magical shots like a professional with effective smoothness. Watch a Youtube video on all that the Smooth 4 can do. It is epic!
Joby GripTight GorillaPod PRO 2
If shooting alone, have no fear. This little tripod can get tied to trees, doors or just stand on its’ own on top of a surface.
It’s small, so it’s easy to travel with.
Rode VideoMicro Compact On-Camera Mic
This little mini shotgun mic is awesome for close range shooting, capturing the ambience of your background and Vlogging.
It’s less awesome if there’s a lot of background noise, but the next mic in this list will help with that.
Rode Wireless GO with Rode Lavalier GO Mic
This is an amazing wireless microphone set-up made by Rode. The quality is amazing and this kit includes the actual lavalier mic.
Great for indoor & outdoor shooting, as well as recording webinars from your computer.
Waterproof Endurax Canvas Camera Backpack
Not only is it cool looking, but all of the gear listed above (including my laptop & $3000 Sony Camera) fit into this pack.
I’m now set-up to simply grab my bag and go shoot whenever I’m feeling inspired. I love this bag and new gear set-up!
There you have it!
There were more pieces I ordered, but for the sake of simplicity and only giving your he essentials that you need to shoot high-quality media with your new Smart Phone, this is the best list I could come up with.
There’s no time like a Global Pandemic Lockdown to fine-tune your production skills and serve your tribe online… so order this gear and get to work!
I highly recommend watching Youtube tutorials for a couple hours once you get your gear so you can learn how to use it best.
Then play and have fun!
