Are iPhone Camera Lenses OBSOLETE? An HONEST review of Sandmarc Lens for 15 Pro Max + Test Media

Has advanced cellphone technology made external mobile phone camera lenses completely obsolete?
Pick up Sandmarc lenses here: www.sandmarc.com/
Several years ago it seemed external smartphone lenses were EVERYWHERE. everyone had attached camera lenses to capture higher quality media on their iPhone or Android camera. So what's changed? Well, cellphones improved - and so did their camera tech. We don't have 2MP cameras on our iPhones anymore - some smartphones even have 100+ Megapixel image sensors and a wide selection of lenses to choose from.
Download Free iPhone video LUT here: www.buymeacoffee.com/calincha...
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Sign up for Couples Vacation Photography Workshop waitlist here:
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Favourite Camera: amzn.to/3UJoa4O
Favourite Mobile Phone Video Rig: amzn.to/4bFKlyK
Favourite Budget Video Lens: amzn.to/4by8tnf
Favourite Microphone (Compatable with 15 Pro): amzn.to/4bCF0bG
So where do companies like Moment or Sandmarc find themselves now? Is there still a place for them in Mobile photography and videography? Or has the advancement of iPhone photo & video tech made what they offer unneeded?
Well in this video, I'll talk about:
1. What is the BIG problem with the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max?
2. How does Sandmarc (in partnership with a certain mobile photography app) help solve that BIG issue?
3. What kind of quality can you expect out of the videography on the iPhone 15 Pro Max when using a Sandmarc Lens?
4. What is the difference between the images taken on Sandmarc lenses attached to the iPhone 15 Pro's primary 48mp camera and those taken on the telephoto and wide angle 12MP cameras.
5. What is the difference between photography captured on the iPhone 15 Pro Max's primary 48MP camera with and without the Sandmarc Lens attached.
6. What are the Problems with the Sandmarc products.
Photo/Video Gear I use: www.amazon.ca/shop/calin.charles
Sony A7IV x 2
iPhone 15 Pro Max Smartphone
Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM Lens
Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 Lens
Sony SEL FE 50mm f/2.5 G Lens
Sony SEL FE 85mm f/1.8 Lens
Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN ART Lens
Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD Lens
DJI RS3 Pro Gimbal
DJI RS3 Mini
Atomos Ninja V
DJI Mini 4 Pro Drone
Freewell Variable ND Filters
Sony 256GB SF-M Tough Series UHS-II SDXC card
Lexar Professional 2000x SD UHS-II Card
Nanuk 935 Hard Case
WANDRD PRVKE 21L
Preferred Camera Store to shop at:
thecamerastore.com/
Follow Me on Social Media:
IG: calin.charles
YT: @calincharles
Video Contents:
00:00 Introduction to the BIG iPhone 15 Pro Max Problem.
00:21 the 3 issues with the iPhone 15 Pro Max photo & video capabilities
01:10 Fix Number 1: the Telephoto & Wide Angle Lens + Sandmarc
01:35 Fix Number 2: The limitations of the iPhone native camera App
02:03 Fix Number 3: Changing the recording Codec in Black Magic Camera
03:08 Important info on what's next
03:15 Test video footage shot on the iPhone 15 Pro Max in various lighting conditions with sandmarc lenses.
05:21 Pixel Peeping and photo comparison of the different lenses and cameras
07:45 Does adding the Sandmarc Lens improve primary lens too?
09:43 The Problems with Sandmarc and their smartphone photography products
15:03 Final thoughts on the Sandmarc iPhone 15 Pro Max Lenses, ND filters, and case
DISCLAIMER
This video may contain affiliate links - this does not change the price or the way that you make a purchase; however, I may make a small commission which helps support our content. Thank You!

[@davey_gravy]

So in depth! I loved everything about this video

[@kshitijmehra6067]

Great review! For video with the lens on, do stabilisation settings in the stock camera app help in any way or inside the Blackmagic Camera app? If not, then will a gimbal help in stabilising the video shots? I reckon the Brandon-li cage with external lens would make videos jittery/ shaky! I am trying to create a setup like this and wanted to use an external lens, but this review is making me think twice about making those investments.

[@Christellezphoto]

great video dude… I feel like I have a hard time really getting excited about using my phone in general, let along for photos. How have you gotten yourself more excited about using a camera phone?

[@calincharles]

Black magic cam app lol.
Shooting and grading log footage. Things like variable ND filters for phones.
Basically anything I can do to make my phone feel like a camera haha

[@AntonellaFrancesca]

How can you test sharpness in those lenses with 1/30 second exposures?

[@coach_yo]

I agree with you cons. They used to make the case with the bottom lip cut out however it didn’t really protect the bottom of the phone enough so I think they over corrected by adding that bottom protection, I will agree that not being able to properly plug in my SSD was a bit annoying. I too noticed that the threads were WAY shorter than the previous iPhone cases where I felt the lens was mounted securely, now it’s almost as though any knock will loosen the lens and fall off or over tightening can running the thread or damage your phone lens.
Either way I do genuinely appreciate #sadmarc products I think this feels a bit rushed to market and there needs to be some updating.
Great video, thank you for sharing.

[@calincharles]

Thanks for watching! Yeah they definitely provide a unique product for the market. Not a necessarily needed one, but the quality on photos definitely improves

[@levihalfprice]

I had no idea that the different lenses utilize different sensors. I'm always on the base models of iPhones because I can't take a good photo/video with a smartphone to save my life XD

[@calincharles]

Yeah it’s actually a pretty stupid move on their part. Was a big area of critique with this model.

[@stevewturnbull]

Very useful video, thanks Calin. I've read that h.265 begins to break up in post though?

[@ThomasBrunkard]

If you're doing any post processing in Resolve et al you really need ProRes as it's much smoother. You can reconvert it back to ProRes in many editors but you do lose information. It's a trade off for sure. You can record ProRes Log with Blackmagic straight to the phone but getting it back off the phone is trickier. I had to buy iMazing to do this efficiently for big files.

[@calincharles]

I haven’t had any issues editing h.265 across several lighting conditions in post.
Obviously an iPhone isn’t a pro level video rig, but I noticed no difference and it’s worth saving the space in my mind.

[@halimrahman]

Have you tried the lens with Neewer iPhone Cage, I read that if a lens has 17mm thread, then it should fit into Neewers.
Back to iPhone's lens, I wish it has a 35mm native lens on the biggest sensor, sharing the place perhaps mechanically with 24mm.

[@calincharles]

The primary lens (24mm) can be used at 28mm, 35mm, and 48mm without losing quality. So technically you can go into camera settings and permanently make your primary lens a 35mm lens. You just tap on the primary lens button that says 1x (where you’ll see 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 5x) to change between the 24, 28, and 35mm focal length.
I haven’t tried it with the neewer cage. I know you can order a separate plate for my Brandon li cage by SmallRig that also fits the lenses.

[@halimrahman]

@@calincharles when using 35mm, it saves as 12MP instead of 48MP. But i could be wrong.

[@calincharles]

@@halimrahman they all seem to use something called pixel binning.
So regardless of what lens you use (24,28,35,48) on the primary camera, it all pixel bins it down to 24MP.
Which is why you can still use full quality on the 2x zoom as you can on the 1x.
I believe there are modes where you can utilize the full sensor, in which case you’re probably right, the 28,35, and 48 would be lower quality perhaps? But for the regular camera function, they all end up pixel binning down to 24mp

[@EvaJ976]

Hello - which would you recommend Sandmarc or Neewer for the telephoto external lenses ?

[@calincharles]

I haven’t tried the neewer model. I feel like typically Neewer provides budget alternatives to already established products and brands, but I’ve noticed with other items I’ve purchased from them, there’s often a slight drop in quality. Can’t speak to the quality of these lenses though.

[@EvaJ976]

@@calincharles OK , well my issue is , I heard that Sandmarc , had a very slow delivery , on their products . I can order Neewer , right now on Amazon . So I’m like , do I just get the Neewer , or order and wait for the Sandmarc ?

[@sahmadi6659]

Try Moment T-Series if you want to get closer to a DSLR quality

[@EvaJ976]

@@sahmadi6659 will do ! Thank you !

[@samarthdev4470]

Biggest mistake back in the days I made was when I sold Sony 6000 for iPhone thinking it would replace and bought all these stupid filters and lenses . Boi I was soo wrong about these smartphones never gave me the same satisfaction as pro camera, everything is over sharpened and never helped hone my skills in photography. I’m back with Sony a7iv never ever I’m using my phone.

[@calincharles]

Yeah I think they definitely fill different spaces in the creative world.
I felt like the photo comparisons at that wonderland head sculpture looked pretty solid with pro raw compared to the Sony raw files.
But I would never trade a camera for a phone.
I will say though, in the current creative climate, brands have hired me for over 6 figures of work over the last few years to make filmed-on-iPhone videos. So don’t discount iPhone media either..
But an iPhone isn’t a pro camera.

[@xisanadu1]

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
TYPICAL BONEHEAD IMPOTENT CAMERAMAN YA'RE ❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️👻👻👻🤪🤪🤪
We Have Never Heard of Such Complaints As YA Made Here from Serious True Renowned Pro Cameramen UNLIKE YA ❗️
What Did Lee Zavitz Reply to Same Bonehead Amateur Cameraman's Rant like YA ❓
Amateur Cameraman A : I think Apple should dial down the sharpness.
Lee Zavitz : I actually think it’s（i-Phone's Sharpness）perfect.
After reviewing so many phones this looks the most natural to me.
If I was to show you this next to the pixel 7 pro you would see what I’m talking about
I like sharpness!
Sony α7S III VS i-Phone 14 Pro Max by Lee Zavitz
th-cam.com/video/LYV44v0SVhI/w-d-xo.html Lee Zavitz Comparison with Sony α7S III
Another Prominent Emmy Award Winning Cameraman Tristan Pope's STUNNING BALLET DANCER'S PORTRAIT Shot on i-Phone 14 Pro Max
th-cam.com/video/CdIQYAhdQHo/w-d-xo.html Tristan Pope Ballet Shooting

[@cweb1988]

Now that phones have log its a huge leap forward. It’s the first time camera footage actually looks good/is usable.

[@austinphelps444]

'Promosm'

[@Not-A-Woke-Liberal]

The quality of the videos doesn’t look good

[@calincharles]

To each their own 🤷🏻‍♂️