5 Gadgets On Amazon That Can Make Your iPhone's Camera Even More Powerful

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In the iPhone's early days it was an upgrade over the cameras found in more traditional flip phones, but it was still incredibly limited relative to what it's capable of today. Several iPhone models are currently among the best phone cameras you can buy, and the camera upgrades in the iPhone 17 Pro make it one of the top smartphone cameras ever. In many ways the iPhone has inspired new ways of taking pictures and recording video entirely.

And while Apple has loaded the iPhone up with highly capable camera hardware and software for several generations now, an iPhone can be an even more powerful photography and filmmaking tool when paired with the right accessories. There are certainly some camera settings that can help you take better photos, but building upon the iPhone's existing hardware opens up doors to new ways of thinking about image capturing altogether.

We have years of hands-on experience with iPhone cameras, using them for both photography and videography. In that time we've come across numerous gadgets that can make the iPhone an even better storytelling device than it is right out of the box. Many such accessories are available to purchase at Amazon, so we've scoured the shelves and have handpicked the ones we feel are worth adding to your iPhone camera bag.

One thing that smartphones have never accounted for when it comes to using the camera is ergonomics. They're designed to be held vertically, and while vertical pictures and video have been popularized by mobile photographers over the years, the iPhone's form factor isn't always ideal when it comes to capturing images. But the Belkin Stage PowerGrip gives users a little more to hold onto, functioning as a grip, a shutter release, and a power bank.

The Stage PowerGrip gives the iPhone a more camera-like feel. It attaches magnetically to an iPhone using its MagSafe connection and instantly makes the device easier to position when taking pictures. It also comes with a Bluetooth-controlled shutter button that allows users to take pictures or hit record on a video without interacting with the iPhone's touchscreen.

As iPhone accessories go, the Belkin Stage PowerGrip is a little expensive for what it provides. It retails for $80 at Amazon, and even though it can also function as a power bank, some may not find the ergonomic gains worth the price. That said, Belkin is one of the few iPhone accessory brands that can compete with Apple, and the Stage PowerGrip's multi-purpose functionality can make iPhone photography feel more professional.

Several iPhone models are among the most popular smartphone cameras, and that's in large part because of the camera system Apple has designed. Depending on the model, it can feature high megapixel sensors and a number of lenses and focal lengths. One problem with mobile photography in general, however, is that the more capable cameras face outward on the phone, while the front-facing camera for self portraits and selfie videos is relatively mediocre.

SmallRig has figured out a way for users to film themselves with the outward-facing main camera system in the form of the SmallRig selfie monitor. It's a secondary display that can be positioned wherever it's most helpful, or be mounted right on the phone via MagSafe, allowing users to see what the camera sees when they have the main camera system pointed at themselves. It also comes with a remote to start and stop recording with.

The SmallRig selfie monitor is essentially a screen-mirroring tool, so it doesn't provide a touchscreen interface of its own. You'll need to choose the camera settings on the phone's screen before recording, though this doesn't pose too much complication. At $65, the SmallRig selfie monitor serves a lot of use cases, including as a secondary recording monitor or as a remote display for setups that force iPhone photographers away from the camera.

A gimbal is one of the coolest iPhone gadgets, and DJI makes a wide range of smartphone gimbals to choose from. The DJI Osmo Mobile 7P includes some very useful gimbal accessories, including a built-in tripod, a built-in extension rod, and a fill light that attaches magnetically to the gimbal. iPhone photographers and videographers with an Apple Watch can even use it as a remote control for the Osmo Mobile 7P.

While photographers can put the Osmo Mobile 7P to use as a tripod, a gadget like this is meant more for videographers and filmmakers. The iPhone's built-in optical image stabilization helps prevent shaky footage in many situations, but a gimbal like the Osmo Mobile 7P adds a completely different dimension to capturing video with an iPhone. Studio-level camera movements are in play, with the only limitation to capturing tracking shots being a matter of keeping up with your subject.

A gimbal is a somewhat specialized filmmaking tool, and at $99, it may cost more than the everyday iPhone user wants to spend on an accessory. But for those who are truly taking their iPhone camera seriously, the DJI Osmo Mobile 7P can contribute to high-quality videos and pictures in a number of different ways.

Modern iPhones are capable of recording video directly to an external SSD, connecting to professional audio equipment, and plugging into a power outlet while shooting. But the device's single USB-C port means that in order to do more than one of those things at a time, a little help is needed. The SmallRig 4-in-1 USB-C hub removes this bottleneck by providing three connection ports and a power-delivery port.

More specifically, the hub features two USB-C 2.0 ports that can be used for connecting devices like microphones or headphones. A USB-C 3.1 port offers 10Gbps data transfer speeds for recording high resolution ProRes video directly to an external solid state drive. The charging port supports up to 100W of power delivery, and a built-in USB-C cable is what allows users to connect it all to their iPhone.

While the SmallRig 4-in-1 USB-C hub greatly expands the number of devices that can connect to an iPhone, it can also create a bit of a mess when it comes to cables. This isn't necessarily a limitation of the hub itself, but just what comes with the territory of rigging up an iPhone for more professional camera use. This 4-in-1 USB-C hub is pretty affordable at $28, but you may want to pair it with some sort of iPhone cage that provides space for mounting USB-C accessories.

Part of what makes the iPhone so appealing is its excellent camera performance right out of the box. For those who don't want to complicate their iPhone camera setup, a gadget as simple as a portable power bank is an option. Such a device allows for far more picture-taking throughout the day and offers additional battery life for photographers who use a capable yet old iPhone.

The Anker Nano MagSafe portable charger is a 5,000mAh power bank that comes in a number of different color options and is designed for use with MagSafe-compatible iPhones. It also includes a USB-C port for faster wired charging when needed. The USB-C fast charging option can charge an iPhone 17 from 0% to 25% battery life in 31 minutes, and the power bank itself takes less than two hours to charge to full capacity.

The Anker Nano MagSafe charger is priced at $55, so there are more affordable power bank options out there. But this one is designed with iPhone ergonomics in mind, so it does not make the phone overly bulky and users can shoot for prolonged periods. It can stay attached to an iPhone indefinitely or be kept in a backpack or glove box for the times you've managed to photograph or film your iPhone's battery down to zero.

There are a lot of accessories made specifically for iPhone photographers and videographers. We've learned the hard way that much of it doesn't improve the iPhone camera or the way it can be used very much at all. But our years of experience taking pictures and capturing video with the iPhone have left us with a lot of knowledge on which products can be put to good use.

Amazon has a large selection of iPhone gadgets and add-ons on its shelves. We used our hands-on iPhone camera experience and knowledge of the accessory marketplace to choose some gadgets that offer a way to capture better photos and video. Each selection here expands upon the iPhone's out-of-box hardware in one way or another and is also a gadget we'd put in our own camera bag without hesitation.