Moment makes some of the best gear to improve the photos and videos that can be shot on your iPhone, and its new MagSafe Mobile Filmmaker Cage might be one of the best yet. Pairing your iPhone 13 with a modular aluminum cage that can house everything from lights to tripods and more, our latest Tested with 9to5Toys review is putting the accessory to the test.
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Hands-on with the Moment MagSafe Mobile Filmmaker Cage
Moment launched its latest batch of MagSafe accessories geared towards iPhone 12 and 13 series owners earlier this month. Amongst a series of new mounts was the Mobile Filmmaker Cage, which arrives as a new way to supplement your iPhoneography kit. Crafted from high-grade aluminum, the accessory has a MagSafe mount right in the center and is surrounded by a variety of ways to click or screw in other gear.
In total there are 28 places to connect in a standard ¼”-20 thread, which means you can hook up everything from tripods and other mounts to GoPro cameras and the like. That’s alongside some additional threaded inserts and the pair of cold shoe mounts that allow for heavier add-ons like lights, microphones, and more.
All of that means you’re looking at quite the versatile way to improve your iPhone-centered photography or videography setup. But is its $99 price tag actually worth adding into your setup? Let’s take a closer look.
Here’s a closer look at the spec sheet:
- Works with an iPhone 12 or 13 phone or with Cases for MagSafe
- Proprietary (M)Force magnet array and grip pad for ultra-strong connection
- (M)Force landscape tripod (short) custom for this product – no cold shoe or ¼-20 on back of tripod and tripod arm has a flat surface to lock it to the cage
- Compatible with traditional Phone Clamps via ¼”-20 thread
- Easy to grip body with options to attach top and side handles
9to5Toys’ Take:
It’s no secret that I am a big fan of what Moment brings to the table for improved iPhone photography. Time and time again I’ve waxed poetic about its gear, and so I was quite excited to get to see what this new debut has in store. Not to spoil too much, but the brand’s latest release certainly continues that trend but also steps up the video side in conjunction with Moment’s existing lineup of lenses and iPhone cases.
Right out of the box, Moment has certainly delivered a solid build that lives up to its “high-grade aluminum” claim. Everything is tightly fit together where there are seams in the construction and the entire unit really does feel sturdy in hand.
At the center of the new MagSafe Mobile Filmmaker Cage is one of Moment’s (M)Force series mounts. This lets you quickly attach an iPhone 13 without having to worry about clamps or other kinds of mounts and makes it as simple as you’ll find. The magnet holding force is also quite strong this time, so you can swing the cage around a fair bit without having to worry about your device coming loose.
Over the past few months I have been getting more and more into making content for TikTok, and having the Moment MagSafe Mobile Filmmaker Cage at the center of my kit had been a huge help. I’ve used smartphone gimbal stabilizers from time to time in the past, but the simplicity of this analog setup has made it a go-to since I’ve started shooting with it. I am a big fan of the multiple places you can grip the cage, which makes it suitable for both vertical and horizontal filmmakers.
Then there’s the major selling point of all the different ways to can add in photography gear. My needs are hardly as in-depth as other iPhone owners may have to capturing photos and videos, but just having the option to configure things in a variety of buildouts has certainly come in handy. The ¼”-20 thread inserts make it compatible with pretty much any piece of gear you can imagine and means I was able to get something rigged up right out of the box.
So far I have mainly been using the mount to keep one of these Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro in place for some better lighting in my shoots. Then I had the idea of setting up a multi-camera rig with a GoPro HERO10 Black, which was easy to secure in place with a ¼”-20 thread adapter. I’ve even hooked up tripods for stabilizing the entire package.
The final verdict is that not everyone is going to need or find much value in a $99 add-on to your iPhone setup. But for those who do shoot a lot of video on their smartphone, the Moment MagSafe Mobile Filmmaker Cage is going to be an easy recommendation.
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