Looking to get more professional looking photos and video from your phone, or just want to make sure you don’t run out of juice?
We’ve rounded up the best camera phone accessories for photography and video, including phone tripods, that can give your smartphone content an edge, and help you improve the quality of your photos and video.
Smartphone photography has not only become increasingly popular over the past decade; it’s become the predominant format for taking photos. Advancements in technology, the ease of social media and the size and convenience of phones has transformed the ubiquitous smartphone into the everyday camera for the masses.
According to a study by Statista, almost 80% of smartphone users around the world take pictures with their device and share them on social networks.
The widespread popularity of smartphone photography has, of course, also given rise to a new range of accessories you can use with your device to help you take better photos.
The best smartphone accessories for photography include lens filters, stabilizers, mini tripods and more, which can help improve the quality of your images without breaking the bank. As well as being affordable, many smartphone accessories for photography are small and lightweight, making them easy to transport and just as suited for ‘everyday photography’ as your device itself.
Check out this guide to find the best camera phones for photography, or if you don’t want to break the bank, check our list of the best budget camera phones.
Below, we’ll round up our picks for the best smartphone accessories for photography, but first, let’s take a look at the different types of accessories you can buy for your camera phone.
What are the best camera phone accessories for taking photos?
Smartphone camera lens add-ons
A smartphone camera lens is a small accessory that clips onto your phone’s camera and allows you to capture different types of photos. There are many types of smartphone camera lenses available, including wide-angle lenses, fisheye lenses, and telephoto lenses. A wide-angle lens is great for capturing landscapes or group shots, while a fisheye lens can create a fun, distorted effect. A telephoto lens is ideal for capturing close-up shots of distant subjects, such as wildlife.
Filters
Just like with your interchangeable lens camera, filters can help to enhance or alter the colours and tones in your photos, giving them a unique look. Some popular filters for smartphone photography include polarizing filters, which reduce reflections and improve the contrast and saturation of colours; neutral density filters, which reduce the amount of light entering the lens to allow for longer exposures; and gradient filters, which darken part of the frame while leaving the other part unchanged.
Tripods
A mini tripod is a small and portable phone tripod that, like regular tripods, can be used to stabilize your smartphone while taking photos or filming video. This is especially useful for shooting in low light or at slow shutter speeds, as it helps to reduce camera shake and blur. Some mini tripods also have flexible legs, which allow you to wrap them around objects or bend them into different positions for unique angles and shots.
Stabiliser (and Gimbals)
A stabiliser is a device that helps to steady your smartphone while filming video, providing smoother and more professional-looking footage. There are several types of stabilisers available, including gimbal stabilisers, which use motors and sensors to keep the camera level and stable, and handheld stabilisers, which are designed to be held in your hand and provide a stable base for your smartphone.
- For more support options have a look at our guide to the best phone tripods.
Lighting (sometimes called external flash)
An external flash is a small, portable flash unit that can be attached to your smartphone to provide additional light for low-light situations. This can be especially useful for taking portraits or capturing detail in shadowed areas. Most external flashes, are actually continuous LED lighting, which gives you adjustable brightness levels, and some also let you adjust the colour temperature settings, which allow you to customize the light output to suit your needs. Continuous lighting can come in various shapes and sizes, and may use older bulb technology, or more recently LED lighting has become the norm.
Remote shutter release
A remote shutter release is a small device that allows you to control the camera of your smartphone remotely, without touching the screen. This can be especially useful for taking self-portraits or group shots, as it allows you to position the camera at a distance and trigger the shutter remotely. Some remote shutter releases also have additional features, such as timer functions and burst mode capabilities.
Protective case
A protective case is a must-have accessory for anyone who wants to keep their smartphone in good condition while taking photos. A good protective case will provide protection against drops, bumps, and scratches, while also allowing easy access to the camera and other buttons. Some cases also have additional features, such as built-in filters or grips, which can enhance your photography experience.
While the most common place to keep your smartphone will probably be your pockets, a camera bag, case or crossbody smartphone bag can come in handy, especially if you’re out shooting video with a mini tripod, lenses and more.
The best camera phone accessories to buy for photos and video
Now that we’ve run through the different types of camera phone accessories available to mobile content creators, these are our picks for the best smartphone accessories that can take your work to the next level.
Power bank: Anker Power Bank (Compact, 10,000mAh)
Price: $20 / £22.99
First off, we’ll start with the very basics, assuming you’ve already got a cable and wall charger, the next thing you need is the essential phone accessory: the humble power bank. Without power, your phone is as good as useless.
For power banks, we recommend sticking to trusted brands, and here we’re recommending Anker, as I’ve used a number of products from Anker, all without any problems. You’ll want to make sure you get one with 10,000mAh or more, which should be good for a couple of charges for main phones. It also comes with an 18 month warranty.
Best case and grip: ShiftCam SnapGrip and Peak Design case (for iPhone)
Price: $70 / £69.99
A phone case is a must-buy for many phone users, but did you know you can also get a grip that makes your phone feel like a camera? That’s where the ShiftCam Snapgrip comes in, it’s a magnetic grip, that also includes a mini power bank. With its MagSafe connector, the SnapGrip fits directly onto most iPhones since the 12-series. It uses Bluetooth, meaning you can use the shutter button on the grip to take photos, and it works in portrait and horizontal orientation. It’s also compatible with premium cases like the cases from Peak Design.
Read our full ShiftCam Snapgrip review.
Best multi-purpose tripod for phones: Joby RangePod Smart Tripod
Price: $139 / £107
The Joby RangePod Smart Tripod is a well-made tripod that can be used with full-size cameras, as well as phones, thanks to the included high-quality phone holder. If you’re looking for a sturdy tripod, that doesn’t compromise on build and can be adjusted to a variety of different heights, then this is a great choice. It’s got a 360 head, so you can use it for panning for either panoramic shots, or smooth video pans.
Read our Joby RangePod Smart Tripod review.
Best continuous lighting: NEEWER 18inch Ring Light Kit
Price: $110 / £95.99
No guide to phone accessories would be complete without a ring light. Whether you’re taking selfies, recording videos, or taking product shots, additional lighting can be the difference between a great shot, or something that looks like the Blair Witch project.
The NEEWER Ring Light Kit, offers an 18inch (45cm) ring light that uses dimmable LED lighting, and comes with a stand, a phone holder, a carry bag, and can be adjusted from 5600K colour temperature to 3200K if needed.
Gimbal: DJI Osmo Mobile 6
Price: $159 / £165
DJI’s Osmo range of gimbal stabilisers revolutionised vlogging for the masses, and this latest iteration of the device adds a slew of new features to make content creation even easier. New to the Osmo Mobile 6 are a Quick Launch feature and improvements to DJI’s ActiveTrack technology. This enables users to track subjects even as they turn to the side or spin.
The 3-axis gimbal provides silky smooth footage despite its small 300g form factor, which can fit in your pocket. The Osmo Mobile 6 also adds a new status panel that lets you quickly switch between modes such as Tilt lock, FPV or SpinShot. Used in conjunction with DJI’s Memo app, you can also access modes such as Timelapse, DynamicZoom, Gesture Control, Panorama and Story Mode.
Pros:
- Solid build quality
- Comprehensive set of features
Cons:
- More expensive than its competition – but none can compete on quality
To see more, check out our picks of the best camera phone tripods and mounts.
Lens Filter: Sandmarc Hybrid ND / Polariser filter
Price: $129.99
Sandmarc’s polarised ND filters offer smartphone photographers control over shutter speed that one gets from an ND filter (due to limiting the amount of light reading the camera), along with the rich colours of a polariser filter (and reduced reflections). Weighing just 18g, the filters are made of anti-reflective glass mounted onto an aluminium frame. The filters are also coated to reduce flare.
Sandmarc’s hybrid filters are available for a wide range of Android devices and iPhone models up to the latest iPhones.
Pros:
- Super build and image quality
- Lightweight and versatile
Cons:
- Not much compatibility with mid-range and budget smartphones
Lens: Moment Tele 58mm lens
Price: $119.99
Moment manufactures a wide range of accessories for smartphone photography, and its popular 58mm lens will help you achieve 2x magnification when mounted over your smartphone’s wide-angle camera – or 4x magnification when mounted over a telephoto lens.
The twist-and-lock lens is compatible with all recent iPhone models, as well as Android devices from Google, Samsung and OnePlus. Its f/1.8 aperture allows you to create nice bokeh and shallow depth of field effects, while its 58mm focal length is perfect for shooting portraiture with your smartphone.
Pros:
- Produces high-quality images with minimal vignetting or distortion
Cons:
- Expensive
Mini tripod setup: Joby GripTight ONE GP
Price: $25 / £25
Joby offer a range of portable, flexible tripods, with the GorillaPod being the most famous of them all. Here you get a compact, flexible GorillaPod, combined with a neat phone holder. You can push the legs together and use this as a video grip, or adjust the legs to attach to anything handy nearby. At just $25 / £25 this is excellent value for money, and makes a great gift, or budget tripod option for those that don’t want to spend too much.
Check out the best smartphones for video so you can pair this tripod with your video kit.
Shutter Release: CamKix Bluetooth Camera Shutter Remote Control
Price: $9.99 / £8.99
The CamKix Bluetooth remote control is a small dongle that you can slip into your pocket and use to trigger the shutter on your smartphone camera from up to 30 feet away. It’s ideal for taking large group shots or wider-angle selfies with more of an environmental context.
The remote control is compatible with a wide range of iOS and Android devices going back quite a way (iOS 6.0 and Android 4.2.2 up). It is powered by a 3V battery, which comes included in the price along with a lanyard and carabiner hook. The CamKix will fire your camera with a simple click of the button.
Pros:
- Small; inexpensive
- Operates from up to 30 feet
Cons:
- Some users say it can take a while to pair with your phone
Lighting: Joby Beamo Mini
Price: $59.99 / £64.46
In the age of streaming and endless video calls, the Joby Beamo Mini is perhaps the most useful smartphone accessory you will find on this list. This pocket-size LED light packs a powerful punch of 1000 lumens of light, which you can adjust continuously or across 5 steps using a dedicated button.
As well as being waterproof and rugged, the Beamo Mini has a magnetic back so it can be mounted onto many metal objects quickly. It also has two cold shoe mounts for attaching other accessories such as a second Beamo or a microphone.
The Beamo Mini offers a colour temperature of 5100 Kelvin, and charges via a USB port. Underneath is a standard 1/4-inch screw thread. Meaning you can mount it to any mini tripod, full-size tripod or stabilisers like the Manfrotto Twistgrip System mentioned above.
Pros:
- Superb lighting for streaming, vlogging and video calls
Cons:
- Battery life is just 40 minutes
Lighting: Sandmarc Prolight Collection
Price: from $69.99
Sandmarc’s Prolight Collection is an RGB and Bi-Color lighting system designed to mount on to your phone to provide a natural, constant light while filming video.
The pocket-size Prolight RGB provides 16 million hues of illumination and is the all-rounder in the Collection. Perfect for filming in indoor or outdoor settings thanks to its wide 1,000 to 10,000K colour temperature range and a colour rendering index of 96+.
The Prolight Bi-Color delivers a brightness of 1500 Lux and is designed to be used as a key or fill light. It also provides a colour temperature of 3,000 to 6,500K with a CRI of 95+.
Both lights can be bought individually or in a bundle for $149.99, saving you about $20. Both lights also mount to Sandmarc’s Sandmarc Pole – Film Edition and Film Rig, which is also worth investing in should you take your smartphone filmmaking seriously.
Check out the best smartphones for video that you can pair this tripod with to up your video kit.
Pros:
- Some of the best smartphone lighting you can buy
Cons:
- Some of the most expensive smartphone lighting you can buy
Related reading:
- How to take better smartphone photos
- How to take amazing portraits on a smartphone
- Using a smartphone for Street Photography
- Guide to black and white smartphone photography
- Find more phone supports in our guide to the best phone tripods
Want the chance to feature on our website and social media? All you have to do is share your camera phone photographs on social media with the tag #APSmartphonePicoftheWeek. You can also send in photographs to ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk with “Smartphone Pic of the Week” in the subject line.
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