Let’s give you a bit of background details before we move onto this new product, shall we?
The word “professional” gets thrown around way too much in the mobile industry. A plethora of manufacturers keep saying their smartphone cameras and accessories are meant for professionals, but I have always said that’s pure madness and bad marketing. Not only because they are abusing the word’s vague definition, but because features like an f/1.8 aperture, a high amount of megapixels or a “blurry background” don’t make a mobile camera a pro tool.
Yes, mobile devices can be pretty damn awesome at taking photos and video, and a good artist can make amazing content with it, but the truth is that at the end of the day size does matter. More specifically, hardware matters; and hardware quality is often at the mercy of size. For example, a larger good quality sensor will always perform much better than a good quality sensor on a smartphne (which would obviously be small).
Glass and stability also matter a lot in a camera, factors which are also impacted by size. Will there ever be a product that really allows for a mobile phone to become a professional camera? I can’t promise that just yet, but the closest I have ever seen a smartphone becoming a “professional” camera is with the IndieVice.
The IndieVice team has taken it to Kickstarter to try and fund their project. What is this IndieVice thing, though? Well, it’s pretty much a case and set of tools that give your smartphone the hardware it needs to become a more suitable professional tool. It has a dark viewfinder that allows you to look at the feed with no light pollution. There’s also a handle on top for adapting to complicated shooting positions.
Not pro enough? Throw in the ability to switch lenses, use an adapter for other SLR lenses, mount a GoPro camera and attach all sorts of professional accessories (lighting, microphones, etc.) to your smartphone. Now we got a winner. And the wireless zoom control adds a touch of simplicity we simply haven’t seen on mobile yet.
To be honest, this is the first time in a long time I am actually excited about a photography/videography product on Kickstarter. And early bird specials start at only $125 for the IndieVice Pro model with Bluetooth remote. By the way, this product is “universal” and is said to work with most phones, regardless of manufacturer, model or OS.
IndieVice has reached about half of its goal, which is set at $40,583. The important factor here is that the project still has 29 days to go! The only bad news is they won’t be shipping these until March 2016, so it will be a waiting game. I am definitely signing up with my next paycheck. Are you?
- Visit the IndieVice page on Kickstarter
