It is a known fact that iPhone is pretty huge in the imaging department. You don’t need specs to tell you that; gazillions of images around the Internet already proven that. But as good as it is, can it be anymore professional? Well, what do you know? It actually can – if you suit it up with the Helium Core. So what exactly is the Helium Core? At a glance, it looks like a ridiculous clunky but no less attractive aluminum case, but it is actually a chassis designed to enable you to add accessories like lenses or filters, flashes, lights, microphones and whatnot, to your iPhone and thereby, turning it into a pro-level rig. Think of the Helium Core as the exo-frame suit in the cartoon series The Centurions where assortment of accessories can be added, as and when required.
Crafted from 6061-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum and anodized for aesthetics and durability, Helium Core features an integrated lens mount that will fit 37mm threaded lenses (or other lenses with adapters) and boasts a host of industry standard 1/4”-20 threaded mounts spread across all four sides of the chassis to accommodate whatever accessories you see fits (no pun intended). There’s no doubt that Helium Core will bulk up the sleek iPhone significantly, but the additional “meat” actually enhances your hold when filming or capturing stills, and while doing so, it also protects your device from knocks and bumps. Cutouts are strategically located to keep the weight of the chassis in check and the case also offers unhindered access to the display, switches, buttons, and ports.
Apart from the garden variety of accessories like flashes, lights and microphones, the standard threaded mounts also opens up your iPhone to a host of photography accessories like stabilizer, slider, tripod, jib and even micro-dolly to complete your pro-grade rig setup. So, if you are super serious about iPhonegraphy, you may want to give Helium Core a thought. Speaking of which, you can back the North Carolina-based company’s product on Kickstarter, where a pledge of $108 or more will secure yourself an unit. If all as planned, i.e. the campaign gets funded (which I think it will), then can you expect to see Helium Core at your doorstep sometime in July 2016.
A huge shout out to Elena Mikhaylova for the hat tip.
