iPhone cases for photographers

LOS ANGELES — Lights. Camera. Action. Press record on your iPhone.

Today, we’re looking at different kinds of iPhone cases, ones designed not for protection, but for the filmmaker in all of us.

We're reviewing the Hitcase, mCAMLITE and iOgrapher for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

You’ve probably seen the “Shot on an iPhone” ad campaign, touting the great shots that iPhoneographers are getting with their digital devices.

The campaign recently added a new phase to focus on video, which makes sense, since there’s lots of activity there, too.

A new film, Tangerine, just out, was entirely shot on an iPhone, as was a recent ad campaign for Bentley cars.

But, let me fill you in on a secret. The filmmakers didn’t hand hold their iPhones for these projects. They used cases to mount the iPhone to a tripod, attach accessory lenses, and add on sound and lighting gear.

We begin with Hitcase, which has an interesting sales pitch: What if you could nab an iPhone case that was waterproof and shockproof, and it could be used for great filmmaking, too?

That’s the idea behind the Hitcase, which marries the "tough" case format  with an accessory lens for different fields of view during video and photo making.

Think the iPhone meets the GoPro, with a string of different accessories for mounting the phone to different objects, like bike helmets, surfboards and tripods.

The Hitcase is similar to many other waterproof cases out there by Otterbox, Vansky and Merit, but with a big difference. There’s a lens that sticks out and either improves your pictures, or makes a bulky case even wider and less unwieldy.

Because I’m a photographer and like to have the luxury of the accessory lens on the case, I didn’t mind. The Hitcase fit in my pocket without any problems and, yes folks, there are lens caps to protect your lens from rustling against keys and other things in your pocket.

Positioning the iPhone as a better actioncam than a GoPro may sound a little far-fetched — are you really willing to gamble with destroying your precious phone in an action setting? To take your iPhone 6, which starts at the subsidized price of $199 with a 2-year-contract, and dunk it in the water, hoping it doesn’t truly get wet?

If you destroy your GoPro camera, no problem. Just replace it and pick up another one. Your calendar, contacts, photos and the rest of your life aren’t in there.

But to use the iPhone for filmmaking instead of the GoPro does make sense. You’re out on a shoot, and you want to upload your footage right away. With the GoPro, you pull out the memory card, insert into the computer and wait until you get WiFi to start pushing it out there.

But with the Hitcase, your footage and images are on the phone and you can start uploading to social sites from wherever you are.

That’s the idea anyhow, and it’s a good one.

The Hitcase says it's shockproof and waterproof. We threw it on the ground with no problems, but had to try several times for a true waterproof seal before we finally got it right. Be careful when you try this out.

I found the case to be finicky in how you seal it up — and hard to open and close.

With the case closed, I found the touch-screen less responsive, but had no trouble talking on the phone or charging it up.

The Hitcase is a great idea, especially for someone like me. Hopefully in the next version they’ll get it right.

Next, let's look at two cases aimed at filmmakers, all the way. There's the sturdy, heavy duty mCAMLITE from Action Life Media, and the lighter iOgrapher case. Both are identical in every which way, except for heft.

The mCAMLITE  is made of aluminum steel and it's heavy — the good news is the build will help steady your hand if you’re hand holding, and if you drop it you’ll never have to worry. It’s safe.

The iOgrapher is a soft case, made of high grade polycarbonate, and it sells for $59.99. The MCAMLITE is $129.99, but also comes with an accessory wide-angle lens and external microphone.

Both cases have a slot for a 37 mm mount lens that screws in, and goes directly over the iPhone camera lens. And this is really cool.

Instead of the cheap, plastic lens on the Hitcase, photographers can use that mount to put on great lenses from many companies. These lenses are of a much higher quality than the accessory clip-on iPhone lenses available now, like the Olloclip, and are rather affordable.

B&H Photo has a big selection, starting at $19.99 and going up to $72.89 for a 4x telephoto.

Of the two cases, unless I was making a serious film and was worried about dropping the device in the midst of a grueling shoot, I’d go for the iOgrapher.

Here’s why.

The lighter case has every feature I’d want — lens mount, two slots for tripod and lighting, and to use it, you just slip the phone right in and you’re ready to go.

The mCAMLITE is great — I feel like when I use it, with its heft, I’m making films, but there’s one problem. To fit the iPhone into the mCAMLITE, you have to first put a silicon case around the device. It looks like the same black protective case for the iPhone I have now, and too many times I’ve been out in the field, and remembered to bring the mCAMLITE — but not the silicon case.

That’s a problem.

What’s your favorite case for filmmaking? Tell me about it on Twitter, where I’m @jeffersongraham, and stay tuned to my daily #TalkingTech audio reports on Stitcher and TuneIn.