ShiftCam SnapGrip review: I turned my iPhone into a DSLR - Digital Trends

If you person an iPhone oregon immoderate smartphone, chances are precocious that you instrumentality a batch of pictures with it — I cognize I surely bash with my iPhone 14 Pro with 1TB of storage. But 1 happening I’ve noticed, particularly arsenic phones got larger successful size, is that the ergonomics person gotten worse, particularly if you’re trying to instrumentality photos with 1 manus oregon adjacent conscionable a selfie. I personally request to usage a PopSocket to adjacent comfortably clasp my instrumentality passim the day. And though you could property the measurement up fastener connected an iPhone to drawback a pic alternatively of the virtual shutter button, this tin beryllium hard to bash with a lawsuit on.

Then I stumbled connected ShiftCam’s SnapGrip. This merchandise is simply a magnetic ergonomic telephone grip that makes it overmuch much comfy to clasp your MagSafe-compatible iPhone for snapping photos, and it besides has a wireless carnal shutter fastener that connects via Bluetooth. And not lone that, but it besides doubles arsenic a wireless powerfulness slope with 3,200mAh, truthful you tin widen your shooting time.

Though determination are galore MagSafe accessories retired there, the ShiftCam SnapGrip is becoming a caller favorite.

ShiftCam SnapGrip strategy and design

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Though the ShiftCam SnapGrip is designed for iPhones with MagSafe (iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 lineups), it tin really enactment with immoderate iPhone — and adjacent Android phones. When you acquisition a SnapGrip, it comes with a magnetic sticker that you tin connect to immoderate instrumentality that doesn’t already person MagSafe, making it universally compatible. The large drawback is that you lone get 1 magnetic sticker with the SnapGrip, and determination doesn’t look to beryllium a mode to acquisition more. If you alteration cases often, you’ll person to beryllium precise selective. Of course, if you person a MagSafe iPhone oregon MagSafe-compatible telephone case, past you tin easy swap the SnapGrip arsenic you desire.

The ShiftCam SnapGrip comes successful 5 colors to suit your tastes: Midnight (black), Abyss Blue (navy), Blue Jay (a somewhat lighter blue), Chalk Pink (pale pink), oregon Pink Pomelo (a affluent coral pink). I chose Pink Pomelo due to the fact that it’s a gorgeous shadiness of pinkish and stands out.

The SnapGrip magnets are rather beardown (though my PopSockets MagSafe PopGrip is inactive the strongest magnets I’ve ever used), and connect to my iPhone 14 Pro with a Mous iridescent Clarity 2.0 lawsuit with ease. It doesn’t instrumentality excessively overmuch unit similar the MagSafe PopGrip to remove, but it should clasp good capable erstwhile you’re shooting photos. ShiftCam’s SnapGrip works successful some representation and scenery orientations, letting you seizure photos arsenic you please. And if you truly privation to, the ShiftCam SnapGrip besides works arsenic a stand.

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The ShiftCam SnapGrip feels precise comfy to clasp successful your manus — overmuch much ergonomic than conscionable holding up a slab of solid and metal. The grip is mostly a creaseless and matte rubberized material, with a pebbly texture connected the portion wherever your fingers spell for further grip. It’s reminiscent of holding an existent DSLR camera, and the shutter fastener is successful a spot that conscionable feels natural. Holding your telephone one-handed with the SnapGrip is overmuch much dependable than if you were conscionable holding the telephone itself, but utilizing it with 2 hands is inactive the best.

The smaller fastener adjacent to the ample shutter fastener volition crook connected (and off) the wireless artillery battalion erstwhile double-pressed. At the bottommost of the grip is the USB-C charging port, arsenic good arsenic a tiny pin-sized hole, which allows you to reset the Bluetooth transportation if request be. However, there’s nary mode to manually disconnect the SnapGrip from your device, but it volition automatically crook disconnected aft a play of non-activity to conserve artillery power.

Unfortunately, the ShiftCam SnapGrip is designed for right-handers only. If you are left-handed, past this is decidedly thing you’ll person to instrumentality into information earlier purchasing.

ShiftCam SnapGrip ecosystem

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The SnapGrip is conscionable 1 large portion of ShiftCam’s SnapGrip ecosystem. ShiftCam besides has the SnapPod and SnapLight, which is simply a magnetic tripod and grip equine and a LED ring, respectively. You tin usage these products individually, oregon they each enactment unneurotic to make a magnetic mini workplace connected the go.

The SnapPod is simply a large summation to my setup, arsenic it lets maine easy bash hands-free timed shots. However, erstwhile you get the SnapPod, it fundamentally comes successful 2 abstracted pieces: the tripod grip and the mount. You person to screw successful the equine to the handle, truthful that means you can’t fold it down for portable transportation — instead, you’ll request to transportation some pieces separately if the container is excessively small. This is simply a small annoying, but it inactive has a comparatively tiny footprint, truthful it’s not excessively bad. The equine tin beryllium adjusted by tilting it up oregon down to acceptable your needs.

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The SnapLight tin beryllium extended to supply airy for your selfies, which is large erstwhile you’re trying to instrumentality them astatine night. It provides overmuch amended lighting than the iPhone’s Retina flash, and if you don’t widen it, the SnapLight tin adhd much airy to your taxable erstwhile shooting with the rear cameras.

I did notice, though, that the much items you usage astatine the aforesaid clip with the SnapGrip, it feels similar the magnetic clasp becomes weaker. It’s not too worrying, but conscionable beryllium cautious if things conscionable go a small excessively dense connected the apical and it’s not perfectly balanced. My iPhone 14 Pro with the SnapGrip did topple disconnected the SnapPod erstwhile I pressed the fastener excessively hard.

ShiftCam SnapGrip makes taking photos truthful overmuch easier

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

As idiosyncratic who does not ain a standalone integer camera, I solely trust connected my iPhone 14 Pro and different smartphones for taking pictures, adjacent for work. Camera exertion connected mobile devices has gotten beauteous advanced, and for astir people, it’s enough. But arsenic phones get larger, I find it hard to adjacent instrumentality selfies comfortably with my stature.

ShiftCam’s SnapGrip is simply a large accessory that changes that. I get self-conscious astir my quality rather a bit, but I effort to alteration that and instrumentality selfies, particularly erstwhile I’m astatine Disneyland. Without the SnapGrip, I often conflict with getting the close space and inactive being capable to scope the on-screen shutter fastener (short arms and petite hands are not a large combo). The SnapGrip lets maine comfortably clasp my iPhone 14 Pro for a selfie successful representation orientation, and the shutter fastener is truthful overmuch easier for maine to property than trying to scope for the on-screen fastener with my thumb. I cognize you tin usage the measurement up fastener to bash a capture, but that causes immoderate flimsy question owed to the unit needed to propulsion the button, which besides is affected by immoderate lawsuit I’m using.

The SnapGrip is besides large for taking photos with the rear cameras arsenic well. Though the iPhone 14 Pro has sensor-shift optical representation stabilization, I cognize my hands aren’t the steadiest, and sometimes it’s conscionable hard for maine to get a bully changeable without parts looking blurry due to the fact that of flimsy movement. Because the SnapGrip gives maine an ergonomic and comfy grip, I find it easier to clasp the instrumentality steady, particularly with 2 hands.

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

I besides find the carnal shutter fastener not lone makes things easier, but it besides feels amended than conscionable tapping connected the surface to seizure a photograph oregon commencement signaling a video. It makes the iPhone consciousness similar an existent point-and-shoot camera, which is not a atrocious happening astatine all. But I conscionable similar the convenience of my iPhone 14 Pro, and you cognize what they say: the champion camera is the 1 that’s with you.

For the astir part, my iPhone 14 Pro lasts each time with my emblematic use. However, if I’m retired shooting a batch of photos and videos, which I’d beryllium doing with the SnapGrip, past it volition drain faster. Fortunately, the SnapGrip doubles arsenic an outer artillery pack, which is simply a bully touch. It whitethorn not person a immense capableness astatine lone 3,200mAh, but it is capable to get maine done a shooting league if my instrumentality is moving low. However, if you are utilizing a magnetic sticker to marque it compatible with a non-MagSafe device, past the wireless charging with the SnapGrip whitethorn not work.

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

I’ve mostly been conscionable utilizing the SnapGrip itself. But I got the SnapGrip Creator Kit, which includes the SnapPod and SnapLight, on with a carrying lawsuit for the SnapGrip. The SnapPod has travel successful useful erstwhile I request to bash immoderate hands-free shots by myself oregon erstwhile I request a spot much region betwixt maine and the camera for selfies.

I don’t typically instrumentality a batch of selfies successful low-light environments, but the SnapLight decidedly makes those selfies look not terrible. There is simply a tiny reflector successful the mediate of the LED ringing though, which is adjuvant for those selfies. I deliberation that the SnapLight whitethorn really beryllium much utile for maine erstwhile I instrumentality photos of my nutrient successful dimly lit restaurants (ambiance and each that jazz). But overall, the SnapLight easy attaches to the SnapGrip oregon SnapPod arsenic an hold to springiness you that other spot of airy — and each small spot helps.

ShiftCam SnapGrip terms and availability

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You tin get ShiftCam’s SnapGrip straight connected ShiftCam’s website, oregon adjacent connected Amazon. However, beryllium alert that Amazon lone has the SnapGrip, on with SnapPod and SnapLight, each sold separately. Amazon besides lone carries the Midnight achromatic colour too. On Amazon, the SnapGrip itself is $70, and the SnapLight and SnapPod are some $40 each, respectively.

If you opt for ShiftCam’s website, the SnapGrip is besides $70, with the SnapLight and SnapPod astatine $40 each arsenic well, each of which travel successful 5 antithetic colors. However, connected ShiftCam’s website, you tin acquisition bundles, which assistance you prevention a small spot of wealth if you were readying connected picking up the full setup. There’s besides the Creator Kit Plus and Creator Kit Max, some of which person further accessories for an other cost.

ShiftCam SnapGrip is simply a amusive accessory for immoderate mobile photographer

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

Though the ShiftCam SnapGrip doesn’t adhd immoderate extra features to your phone’s camera itself, it surely makes it easier to usage erstwhile shooting photos and selfies. I emotion taking pictures with my phone, but I hatred however unergonomic it feels — particularly erstwhile I’m attempting a selfie.

The ShiftCam SnapGrip provides that much-needed ergonomic grip that makes your smartphone consciousness similar an existent camera successful the hand, and the wireless shutter fastener adds a bully furniture of convenience arsenic well. I besides bask that the SnapGrip works successful some representation and scenery orientation, and adjacent doubles arsenic a stand. Plus, with 3,200mAh of power, you don’t adjacent request to interest astir moving retired of artillery if you’re successful a agelong shooting session.

Though I’ve mostly conscionable been utilizing the SnapGrip by itself, having the other accessories successful the SnapGrip ecosystem conscionable gives it much versatility for everyone’s needs. The SnapPod gives maine a small spot of other scope for definite situations, similar radical selfies (perfect for the upcoming holidays) oregon erstwhile I request hands-free shots. And the SnapLight decidedly brightens up immoderate changeable amended than the Retina flash mounting for selfies, to accidental the least.

It whitethorn look a small bulky, but if you’re readying to spell retired for a photograph sprout with your iPhone 14 Pro oregon different smartphone, past ShiftCam’s SnapGrip is simply a fantastic accessory.

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