Mount — Reggie's Blog — Cozy Productions

Now, this is the fun part. I've done a lot of research into what attachments I can get in order to be able to viably use the iPhone 7 as a quasi-pro-level video-making machine. Out of that research (and some jerry-rigging), I have assembled this:

This is a collection of multiple attachments and grips. Starting from the bottom, We have this hand grip from Fantaseal

This has helped me get the best shots possible and reducing fatigue (yes, even with something this small and light, I still get hand fatigue, sue me). Next is a smartphone holder with a cold shoe mount, from Ulanzi:

To finish off the ghettopod, I have also bought a ball head (also from Ulanzi) l head, which allows for a lot of options for how you want to position your phone for optimal angles. Combined with the hand grip, it makes for a killer combo. If you need Some more length (like a selfie stick), You can buy an attachment to put on the bottom of the holder. The smartphone holder I bought happened to come with such an extension:

In the future, I will ditch this and move strictly to a gimbal setup, but I'm poor, so that may be awhile. (Do note that If you attempt to emulate what I do, DO NOT BUY A SMARTPHONE GIMBAL. They cannot handle the weight of the iPhone 7, let alone the 7 Plus with all sorts of crap attached to the back of it. You must buy a DSLR level gimbal that can hold at least 1000+ grams In order to make that work).

Another great addition is the Microphone,from Boya. I would recommend getting an adapter for both lightning and headphone cables so you are not stuck with just one or the other (and perhaps you might want to attach it to the back of the phone, perhaps)? UPDATE: This microphone is straight garbage and I have since returned it prior to publishing this article. I will purchase a better one in the future. Ideally, you should try to go for a microphone that will give you options to control the sensitivity and other options as you will not really be able to control any settings on the phone itself.

Gotta have a tripod, too (I reused the holder from the monopod in order to mount it as well as raise the phone up a couple inches):

If you don’t have a high capacity iPhone already, perhaps investing a lightning to SD card reader would be worthwhile for holding your footage cheaply. I will go more into detail about the storage workflow that I use in part 4, As I am still working out the kinks of transferring content off of my phone in an efficient manner.

Lastly, We have the Moment camera case, which I talked more in depth about in part 2. It allows me to attach many different types of lenses to the back to extend the functionality of the already pretty versatile dual camera setup of the iPhone 7 Plus.

If you want to use any of the items listed, please consider buying them using the Amazon links in the post. In the next and final part of this series, I will go over my experiences using this new setup compared to my trusty NEX-7.

Cozy Productions is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Use the link below the next time you need camera equipment: http://amzn.to/2F4Pn83

Anyone can use lights, microphones, and other camera equipment on a smartphone. But to have a versatile camera setup on your phone without a mess of cables and adaptors, you may need to improvise. On that note, I introduce the Cozy Productions Scenari-Mount™ system, version 2:

Yes, This is just Velcro on the back of your smartphone. Yes, this has been done before. The purpose of the system is to allow you to use specific attachments to extend the usefulness of the phone. For the purposes of this project, I have added velcro to a small a LED light (not shown because my original light broke). In the future I hope to add a adapter to allow me to use a microphone in order to use a microphone AND charge my phone at the same time (since you know, no headphone jack).

The whole point of the system is to provide you options for putting stuff on the back of your phone. Even the most professional of handheld monopods or gimbals will become a mess of adaptors and cables if they are left to the fate of gravity. by mounting every adaptor or device to the back of the phone, you can buy shorter, more specialized cables to clean things up. But I did not stop there. I wanted to make my phone as versatile as a creative device as I possibly could, even more than what Scenari-Mount gives me the options to do. Which leads me to the case I have slapped Velcro on the back of:

This is the Moment photographer case. While it looks like a normal soft touch phone case at first glance, It actually has a important function for my project. The case supports a variety of lenses made by Moment that range from telephoto lenses (redundant for me since I already have one built into the 7 Plus) to fisheye and wide angle lenses. Even though I do not have the lenses at the moment, having the option to upgrade to use these lenses in the future is always a plus. I also feel as if it gives me back the flexibility of having specific lenses in different situations, which is what I loved about the NEX-7 while being even lighter than the NEX-7.

The versatility of Scenari-Mount doesn't end with creators. You can also attach more practical, everyday items such as lighters:

Or headphone cases:

Or high capacity battery packs for unlimited battery life (at the expense of obtaining a 1980's era cell phone):

Or…you get the point. The possibilities are endless. I will be offering this system as a service for your smartphone case and accessories. Over time I hope to make it more refined and able to fit a variety of cases and (once I am able to precision cut it) directly on the back of phones. If you are interested in this service, please email cozy@cozy.productions. On the next post, I will show the traditional camera equipment I use in conjunction with this system to turn this phone into a video making machine. If you like the Moment Photographer case, please consider using this link to buy it on amazon