Conventional cameras may now be outnumbered by smartphone snappers by an enormous margin, however there’s nothing fairly like having bodily controls underneath your thumb and fingers. The Leica Lux Grip lets iPhone house owners commerce touchscreen tapping for precise buttons that mimic the texture of the agency’s high-end heroes – solely for lots much less money. And after attempting one out, I had masses extra enjoyable with cellphone pictures than I ever did with the iPhone 16’s Digital camera Management button.
Smartphone digicam grips are nothing new; final 12 months’s Xiaomi 14 Extremely had an official Images equipment add-on, and iPhone house owners have lengthy had third-party choices like Shiftcam’s SnapGrip – however none come near matching the Lux Grip’s genuine aluminium construct.
In addition to providing you with one thing substantial to carry on when framing photographs or filming movies, the Magsafe-friendly accent provides you a two-stage shutter launch, two customisable buttons for swapping capturing modes or toggling digicam features, and a management dial for adjusting zoom, aperture, or publicity compensation through Bluetooth.
A built-in battery pack then offers sufficient juice for as much as 1000 photographs – although that’s just for the grip itself, there’s no Magsafe charging on your linked cellphone. That’s a disgrace, given Belkin has a rival that prices significantly much less, but additionally finds room inside for a beefier battery that may maintain your cellphone going for longer too. That stated, it does imply this accent is surprisingly gentle given it’s hewn from steel, so received’t crush your bag.
These controls are customisable by way of the Leica LUX companion app, which additionally permits you to mimic the bokeh blur of Leica’s famend Summilux-M and Noctilux-M glass, or apply Leica Appears to be like to duplicate the Crimson Dot’s iconic model of images utilizing your iPhone’s rear shooters. Choose up a Leica LUX Grip and also you’ll get a 12 months of Professional membership to the app thrown in.
The assorted filters and lenses have a correctly filmic look that I like, with simultaneous RAW and HEIC saving for modifying later. The app itself works brilliantly with the grip, too; clicking within the management dial to alter operate and rotating it to make changes can be second nature to anybody extra used to a mirrorless digicam than a cellphone touchscreen.
The Lux Grip is the most recent cease on Leica’s anniversary tour, marking 100 years because the 35mm Leica 1 digicam went into mass manufacturing. It’ll set you again considerably lower than any of the agency’s cameras, both new or basic, however at £260/€300 it’s nonetheless for severe pictures buffs solely.
Make certain to consider an additional £50 in order for you the matching leather-based case. You may want it, given the grip provides a lot bulk to your iPhone that it received’t slot in a trouser pocket.
The Leica LUX Grip is on sale now, straight from the Leica on-line store and the agency’s bricks-and-mortar shops.