Your iPhone is a great camera trapped in the body of a smartphone.
Shuttercase restores the ergonomic sensibility of your ancient DSLR to the iPhone with a grip and mechanical shutter button for quicker, reactive shooting.
The iPhone eliminated a number of barriers to photography, among them size and weight. Nothing to shoulder or put around your neck. Just stick the iPhone in your pocket and a camera is with you at all times.
Shuttercase makes the case for how a camera should feel
But as a serious camera, the size – or lack thereof – presents challenges. The iPhone always feels precariously perched in the hands while taking pictures. It doesn’t take much sweat or pedestrian bustle to send the iPhone flying.
Even more awkward is the location of the shutter button. You have to bend your right index finger down just so to hit the shutter button on the screen.
Shuttercase turns the critical right hand into a stable platform for iPhone shooting. The case’s shutter sits where it should – on the top edge just to the left of the grip, easily accessible to the index finger. There is also a thumb rest for added comfort.
There are two more features to the Shuttercase that make it an asset for mobile shooters.
Embedded in the grip is a 3000mAh battery to extend battery and shooting. It also slides off when you are done shooting to provide a slimmer case profile.
On the opposite end from the grip is a mount for lenses made by Moment, a top brand in smartphone lens attachments.
Photo: Shuttercase
Shuttercase co-founder and designer Felix Fan arrived at the idea when he became a father, finding the iPhone easier to carry around two kids than his old film camera.
“I turned to digital and found iPhone to be my best pal,” Fan writes on the Shuttercase website. “But I hated the inconvenience of a modern smartphone as shooting tool with both hands and fingers pressing around on the touch screen. Just so unnatural. I wanted to hold it and shoot it like my good old Richoh GR.”
Fan and some engineer friends began designing Shuttercase in 2016. They went through eight different prototypes and, at one point, shelved the project. But it was the iPhone X that inspired the company to find a design that would work.
Shuttercase is available for iPhones 7 Plus, 8 Plus, X, XS and XS Max. The case runs $78.99 with the Moment lens mount plate and an extra battery handle can be had for $28. Shuttercase’s online shop also sells the 18mm lens from Moment for $119.99.
