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iPhone 17 Pro: Cinema Camera Killer?
6 Feb
Summary
- iPhone 17 Pro video quality rivals expensive cinema cameras.
- Phone's small size enabled unique shots impossible for larger cameras.
- Pro cinema lenses offer superior bokeh and visual sophistication.
A recent video production pitted the $1,000 iPhone 17 Pro against a $3,300 BlackMagic Pyxis 6K cinema camera rig. The iPhone demonstrated impressive video quality, with ProRes raw codecs enabling advanced color grading comparable to footage from the professional camera.
Despite the iPhone's strong performance in image quality, professional cinema lenses offered advantages like superior bokeh and depth of field. These lenses, along with specialized equipment like a probe lens, provided visual sophistication challenging for the iPhone to replicate.
However, the iPhone's compact form factor proved to be its unique strength. This allowed the production team to capture innovative shots, such as rigging the phone inside a cooling machine, which would have been impossible with the larger cinema camera.
Ultimately, the iPhone 17 Pro is not yet a complete replacement for professional cinema cameras. It excels as a complementary tool, augmenting video productions with unique perspectives and creative freedom, making it an accessible starting point for aspiring filmmakers.
