- This is the complete round up of
the best camera apps for
iPhone right now in 2020.
And after testing them all out,
I'll share my top recommendation,
the number one app that I'm
using on iOS right now and why.
Hey, it's Justin Brown
here from Primal Video
where we help you amplify your business
and brand with video.
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and everything we mention in this video
you can find linked in
the description box below.
So let's jump into it.
Now these days with a quick app install,
you can instantly unlock a
ton of advanced functionality
to take your results even further
when you're creating
videos with your iPhone.
There are a lot of apps out
there to choose from though
and they certainly aren't made equal.
So in this video, we're
gonna take a look at
each of the best camera apps right now
and then get to my choice
for the number one app
after putting them all
through their paces.
And as we're going through, scroll down
and let me know in the comments
what camera app are you using right now
and what is your favorite feature.
Now there are lots of options.
Some of them are great and
some of them are not so great
and not worth your time at all.
So we're gonna skip the ones
that aren't worth your time
and jump straight to our
short list of the top options.
Now each of them has
advantages and disadvantages,
including different features,
different level of complexity,
and different pricing models,
so make sure you stick around
as we run through each one
to make sure that you get the one
that is the best fit for you.
Now I just wanna say at this point
that all of these apps will let you unlock
DSLR like settings or
pro camera like settings
from your iPhone.
Unlocking features like
your ISO, your shutter speed
different frame rates,
different resolutions,
different bitrates, all to give you access
to get the most out of your iPhone camera.
Also, to give you the ability
to lock everything down
and to set everything up
the way that you want it.
So, that ability or
those features are going
to be consistent across all of the apps
that we are mentioning.
The first one on the
short list is MoviePro.
Now, this is on that we've
been using and recommending
for quite some time now, and
this app really packs a punch.
But, in regards to the
overall layout and look
of the interface, I would say it seems,
or feels less professional than
some of the other interfaces
that we're gonna show you really soon.
But that, definitely, shouldn't take away
from all the pro features in here,
just the interface
probably feels more fun.
It's a really clean interface,
but it makes it really
quick to be able to access
different things like
the manual settings down
in the left hand corner or
to be able to quickly see
your audio bars and audio
levels on the left hand side.
There's also quick access to
things like focus peaking,
like Histograms, like your scopes,
right down the bottom as well.
So, if you are someone that's more
on the professional side of things,
then you've got all of this
included in the app as well.
The whole menu layout is
really simple as well.
It's literally just one scrolling menu
so you don't have to jump
into a heap of sub-menus
and menus upon menus to find things.
It's literally just one page
that you scroll through.
This app also supports
direct uploading to Dropbox,
so if you do want to create your files
and have that automatic backup happening
that's, maybe, not going
just to iCloud or iPhotos,
then yeah, that's a pretty cool feature.
You also have hardware support in here
for things like anamorphic
lenses or 35 mil lenses
directly from within the app too.
And there's also a remote control
that you can enable with this app as well.
So, if you do have a second iOS device,
you can install the MoviePro remote app,
enable it on here, and
you can remotely control
and monitor your recording
from a separate device.
This is a feature that
one of the other apps
that we're about to mention has as well,
this remote control and remote monitoring,
but that app charges an additional fee
to be able to use the remote.
So you purchase once for the camera app
and again for the remote.
With this one, there is no additional cost
for the remote app.
Now, as for the downsides, I do think
that the exposure
control, while it's good,
and while you can lock everything down,
I don't think it's as good as you get
in the next apps that
we are going to cover.
So, it's definitely not a deal breaker
and there's really nothing wrong with it,
but the implementation
of the exposure control
is not as good as it is
in the next two apps.
Now, in regards to pricing, then,
MoviePro sells in the app
store for $9.99 currently.
This is a one time purchase, $9.99,
Not a subscription or anything.
And, obviously, as I mentioned earlier,
you can also then use that
remote for free as well.
That's not an additional purchase.
So, I would say MoviePro
is going to be great
for anyone at that beginner
level right through to advanced
because of how intuitive
and how fun and how easy
the interface is, but it still packs a lot
of the advanced features and
the advanced functionality
in there to service a more
advanced user as well.
So, the next one on or short
list is then is FiLMiC Pro.
Now, this is really the OG
of third part or aftermarket
camera apps-professional
camera apps- on smartphones.
This ones been around
since almost day one and,
for a lot of people is the
go-to or the industry standard
when it comes to these sorts of apps.
There's been lots of people
who have used FiLMiC Pro
to create documentaries
and even feature films.
So, in regards to the overall interface,
it's actually pretty easy to use.
It's pretty easy to get up to speed,
to find everything, to
either use full auto modes,
or to lock everything down into manual.
I personally think it's
a cleaner interface
with a lot less clutter than MoviePro,
but at the same time, you can't access
as many things from the
dashboard or the main screen
as you can in MoviePro without diving
into some of the menus.
What I like about FiLMic
Pro is how easy it is
to lock down your exposure and your focus.
Just moving the circle and the
square around on the screen
is the simplest way to lock those down.
Or, if you wanna dive
into the manual settings
and get more granular control,
then you can take that a step further
by long pressing on them and bringing
up the advanced controls.
Just like MoviePro, you
do have quick access
from the front screen here to things like
focus peaking, to zebra
lines, to the histograms,
to the scopes.
Again, all from a quick button
press on this main screen.
The setting area, for the most part,
is broken up into logical areas.
Obviously, if you want
to adjust your resolution
or your frame rate or your audio,
you're going to dive
straight into those areas.
So, it is easy enough to find most things,
but I don't think its
as quick to go through
all the settings as
something like MoviePro,
where you're literally just
scrolling through one big list.
In here, you are diving in and out
of these separate categories
to find where everything is.
Now, jumping into the hardware support,
this is where FiLMiC
Pro really stands out.
It has the most amount of hardware support
out of any of the apps on iOS,
with support for things
like Gimbal Stabilizers,
like the DJI OSMO Mobile,
or the Zhiyun Smooth 4.
And you've got anamorphic
lenses and 35mm lens support
in there as well.
In FiLMiC Pro, you also have the ability
to overlay different aspect
ratio, different masks,
or black bars into your footage.
And you can also crop your videos
to change the aspect ratios you
are creating your videos at.
So, if you wanna create
something in super wide screen,
2.2:1 or 2.39:1, you've
go those options in here.
One thing to note, though, is
that the app doesn't tell you
the exact bitrate that are recording at.
When you're looking at the bitrate
or the quality settings of
the videos you're recording,
you're options are really
economy, apple standard,
so whatever you get in the
standard built in camera app,
FiLMiC quality, which is
higher than what you get
in the built in camera
app, and FiLMiC Extreme,
but nowhere does it
say that FiLMiC Extreme
is equivalent to 100 megabits per second
or 200 megabits per second.
And, again, that's not a deal breaker,
it's just something to be aware of,
especially if you are
someone who's looking
to dial in a specific bitrate to keep
to keep the recording quality consistent
with, maybe, some other cameras.
The other thing that I
really like about FiLMiC Pro
is the level of control
that you get over the color
or the look of the videos
that you are creating.
You're not just limited to
adjusting the white balance
or the color temperature, they
also have an in app purchase
for what they call a cinematographer kit.
And that unlocks additional color profiles
and looks with a log mode in
there that you can enable,
but also full customization
to really dial everything
in to get that look that you are after.
You can even get as granular
as adjusting the RGB,
or red, green, blue
values to make the look
that you would like directly in the app.
And as we mentioned earlier,
that MoviePro has a remote app as well.
FiLMiC Pro has a FiLMiC Pro remote app,
but it is an additional purchase.
But, this will give you
the ability, once again,
to use an additional iOS device to be able
to monitor and control a primary device
that you are using to create your videos.
So, in regards to pricing then,
FiLMiC Pro sells for $14.99.
It is an additional expense to grab
that cinematographer kit,
which is an additional $13.99.
But, really considering
what you're getting,
it's an absolute no brainer if you want
that level of control when
you're creating your videos.
And, for the FiLMiC
Remote app, that is, again
an additional purchase
for $9.99 currently.
But, again, you're only
gonna need that one
if you've got an additional iOS device
and you wanna be able to remotely control
or monitor FiLMiC Pro
from a separate device.
So, I think FiLMiC Pro would be perfect
for someone at that intermediate level
through to advanced user.
It's easy enough for you to jump in,
for you to find everything
and get up and running,
but, I really think the
people that are going
to get the most out of this
are the advanced users.
Now, this isn't to say
that an absolute beginner
couldn't jump in here and do
everything that they need to
in here, it would definitely
be enough for that as well,
but I would say that if
you aren't interested
in a lot of these advanced
features and things,
I wouldn't want you to get overwhelmed
with the interface and
with all of those features
that something like MoviePro
may be a better option for you.
So that brings us to the
third one on the short list,
which is Mavis, or Mae-vis.
And, I would say this one definitely has
the most professional looking interface.
This is definitely going
to scare some people
if you're an absolute beginner.
But, if you're a pro,
you're gonna love it.
Just like FiLMiC Pro, you've got control
over pretty much everything in this app.
I definitely think it is more complicated
and less intuitive to use than FiLMiC Pro,
or than MoviePro, but, again,
once you get your head around this
and work out where everything is,
you will be able to use this
app really quickly as well.
So with the interface
you've got quick access
to a lot of features in here,
but they are far more detailed,
or far more advanced than the other apps.
So, just bringing up the
exposure setting for example,
you're able to switch between manual,
you're able to use the
shutter slider down the bottom
to brighten to darken or shot,
or to adjust your shutter speed,
or you can kick it over to target
which is where you've
got to place that target
somewhere on the screen,
just like you could
on FiLMiC Pro, and MoviePro,
to adjust the exposure
for that given point.
And you can also set it back to auto
or press the padlock
there, to lock it down.
So, you can see it's
the same functionality
that we've seen in the other apps,
but it is a totally different way
of accessing these settings.
And it's probably, actually,
a little bit more complicated
than doing that in those other apps.
If that interface is too full on for you
and you want to free up some
of your screen real estate,
you want to see more of
what it is you're recording,
you can press the button down
the bottom left hand corner
to get a much more minimalist interface.
And you still, then, get access to a lot
of that core functionality on the side.
The settings menu, or
settings area on here
really isn't overwhelming.
Pretty much just one main page,
but there are certain
areas that you can jump
in to a sub menu depending
on what it is you select.
But, still, it's easy enough to navigate
and to find what you're looking for.
Now, unlike FiLMiC Pro, in this app,
you can manually specify the bitrate
that you want your recording at,
anything from 10 megabit per second
up to 100 megabit per
second, but, obviously,
that's going to be dependent
on your device, as well.
There's also a cool little feature in here
to be able to create your own button,
your own function button, then assign
what that button does.
So, if there's something you
are using over and over again
that's in one of the menus,
you want quick access
to that, just like how you can
with a professional camera,
you can set up your own
function button in this as well.
There is also some hardware
support for the Zhiyun Gimbal.
So, not as much hardware
support as we've seen
in the other two apps, but
it is cool that they've
got that in there as well.
But, what I would say is
probably the biggest difference
with this app, besides the
interface, is the pricing model
or pricing structure.
The app itself if actually free.
And then you can just pay
to unlock certain elements
inside of the app depending
on what you need to do.
So you can unlock the viewfinder options,
which is going to give you
focus peaking, false color,
expanded focus and more.
You can unlock extra recording formats
or higher bitrates.
You can unlock the Pro
Tools, so the white balance,
audio controls, the function
button, and presets.
And there's also timecode unlocking
and unlocking for Gimbal support as well.
So, here, you're only paying
for what you're gonna use
and you're not paying for
everything in its entirety
if you're not gonna use it.
Each one of those packs really ranges from
around $2.99 to $5.99, so even
just to get the free version
and unlock one of two of those things,
it's gonna be pretty cheap.
But what they also have is the
ability to unlock everything
for a one time fee of $17.99.
So, again, crazy cheap for
what you're getting access to.
So, I'd say Mavis, or Mae-vis,
is going to be perfect
for someone who is definitely
at that intermediate level
through to advance level.
I really think a beginner
is just going to get lost
and overwhelmed in here,
but for someone at that
intermediate to advanced,
there is an amazing feature
set, a lot of control,
and, again, a lot of those pro features
that you would see on
professional video cameras
in this app.
So, out of those short listed apps,
if I had to pick just
one, one over all winner,
it is gonna go to FiLMiC Pro.
I really do think that it
is the best bang for buck.
I love that cinematographer kit
and having access to that
extra color control in there.
I, personally, don't
use the FiLMiC Remote,
but FiLMiC Pro is my go to for any video
that I'm recording where I want
to lock stuff down,
where I want to make sure
that it is looking the
best and isn't just a
point and shoot shot or something
where I'm quickly trying to
capture something on my phone.
For those shots, I'm just
using the build in camera
on my phone, but for everything else,
where I want it to look great,
I'm gonna be able to spend that time
to lock everything down,
it's FiLMiC Pro, hands down.
So, now that you've got
your camera apps sorted,
check out the video linked on screen,
taking you through step by step
how you can create amazing
videos on your iOS device.
And I'll see you in the next video.
