SnapGrip Kit
NOTE: We received pre-production devices and some of the details may differ from the production items. We did experience a small design issue with one of the magnetic/metal rings pulling away from the SnapGrip. It is held on with adhesive and can be reapplied. The pricing seems fair based on the quality of the product and the function of the devices really do add to the experience of taking photos with your iPhone.
- DESIGN
- EASE OF USE
- PRICE
SnapGrip Kit is a compact, yet powerful accessory that makes your iPhone feel more like a DSLR.
I’ve been shooting videos and photos from my iPhone for many years and while I feel that I do a pretty decent job, I appreciate the different accessories that have been created to help iPhoneographers get the job done. After all, it can be hard to take great video with your iPhone if you don’t have the right tools.
ShiftCam, a company dedicated to creating a seamless transition between the smartphone and the professional camera system, has created the world’s first mobile gear that ‘snaps.’ The SnapGrip, SnapLight, and SnapPod accessories are currently available through a Kickstarter campaign (through July 30, 2022) and all three items are designed to work together as MagSafe-compatible products.
The kit is available in several colors – Midnight, Abyss Blue, Blue Jay, Chalk Pink, and Pink Pomelo.
SnapGrip
The SnapGrip is a magnetic snap-on camera grip and battery. It’s designed to work with all phones (except flip phones) through MagSafe connectors or a Universal Magnetic Adapter. It features a wireless shutter, ergonomic grip, and wireless charging. The SnapGrip comes with a USB-C to USB-A cable for charging, a reset pin, and a magnetic sticker. Out of the box, the battery does have some charge to it. It’s a Qi Wireless charger that is MagSafe compatible.
SnapLight
The SnapLight is a small LED light ring that magnetically attaches to your phone and/or the SnapGrip system. The light has four brightness levels that a user can access by pressing the power button. It is shipped with a magnetic sticker and USB-C to USB-C charging cable. There is a small mirror in the center of the light that can help when you are using a phone as your primary camera. The SnapLight is ‘flippable’ so you can use it with different angles. It does provide continuous light so it’s good for video as well as still photos.
SnapPod
The SnapPod is a magnetic tripod for the SnapGrip system. It can work with the phone on its own or with the SnapGrip and SnapLight. It’s considered a quick-release handle and tripod. You can switch back and forth between tripod mode and grip mode simply by closing the legs on the tripod. You can also tilt the camera easily by rotating it on the magnetic grip. A magnetic sticker is also included with the SnapPod, too.
User Experience
Because the SnapGrip Kit is currently being funded through Kickstarted, we were provided pre-production releases of the products. So some of the experiences we had may not affect the final product.
Getting started with the SnapGrip Kit is pretty easy. It’s sort of as easy as snapping all the pieces together in a stack and then just using your phone’s camera as usual. I started with the SnapGrip and then added the SnapLight. The SnapGrip is fantastic. It really does add the weight and feel of a DSLR. The shutter is in the perfect spot and it’s super easy to pair to your phone. It was much easier to take photos with my iPhone with the SnapGrip attached.
The light provides some nice fill light. It’s not powerful enough to light up an entire room, but if you are taking photos of a product on a tabletop or maybe a single human subject. I tried to use it to light up the entire space of my desk and it didn’t have enough power to overtake the available lights on my desk.
The third piece of the kit — the SnapPod — was the last part I added to the assembly. I found it actually works best if you attach the SnapPod to the SnapGrip and then the SnapLight as the cherry on top. The SnapPod’s base is a standard miniature tripod. The SnapPod attachment screws onto the tripod base.
It’s a standard 1/4-20 screw mount so you could technically use the SnapPod attachment with any tripod that has that mount size. I would have liked to see this attachment be able to fold over father than it does. For example, if it could fold over close to 90 degrees, then you could use this as a tabletop over-the-head camera.
I did run into a problem with the ring on the SnapGrip that attaches to the SnapPod or SnapLight. The magnetic connection between the two devices was so strong that when I pulled them apart from each other, the ring pulled away from the SnapGrip. There was enough adhesive to stick it back on the SnapGrip, but it did fall off again — a couple of times.
If this is a design flaw, then it would be good to include a second ring with the SnapGrip (if possible) on the chance this happens again. I can see the adhesive slowly deteriorating over time if it keeps coming off the body of the SnapGrip. Since I was testing preproduction units, this could have been fixed with the production models.
Final Thoughts
Since I take photos with my iPhone daily and the camera systems keep getting better and better with the iPhone releases, I am really excited about the SnapGrip kit. Aside from that one issue, I was actually very impressed with the products and their functions. The SnapGrip is probably the device I will use the most. It makes it really easy to handle the iPhone while using it as a camera.
For more information, visit shiftcam.com, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.