Smartphone News

Shutterbug readers tend to be a gear-happy lot, with a variety of cameras for different purposes. In addition to a DSLR or mirrorless camera (or both) with an arsenal of lenses, there may be a pocket-size compact with a large sensor, a lightweight super-zoom model, and perhaps a film camera or two. Despite all this equipment, we all shoot with our smartphones on occasion (whether we admit it or not).

It’s inevitable: Sooner or later you’ll come upon an interesting scene, and the only camera you have on hand is your phone. Sure, it’s possible to make impressive images with the latest phones, but what if the photo you envision requires a long exposure?

Vanguard has unveiled the competitively priced VEO ED 8420M Digiscoping Kit that makes it easier than ever to capture sharp close-up photos and videos of distant subjects with a smartphone.

Tired of taking the same old photos with your smartphone or camera? The clever folks from COOPH have put out a new video with fun “creative combinations” to help you shoot head-turning images that will go viral.

Easy-to-carry travel tripods are more popular than ever, as photographers have turned to mirrorless cameras and correspondingly small lenses to lighten their load. The challenge is finding an appropriately robust model that doesn’t sacrifice stability, quality and features—just to be small.

Despite the preponderance of accessories available for smartphone photographers, it’s rare we stumble upon something unique that stands out from the crowd. But that’s exactly what we discovered after receiving the Magnetic Phone Mount Kit from eXplorer Photo & Video.

Is Instagram still a good place to share your photography or has it been taken over by annoying short-form videos, aka "reels," much like one of its main rivals, TikTok? Or to put it more bluntly, is Instagram dead as a platform for serious photographers?