Filming an iPhone X Unboxing Video with another iPhone X

The iPhone X features one of the greatest cameras ever put in a smartphone. Well, two of the greatest cameras since it actually features two sensors. One with a wide angle (28mm, f1.8) lens and the other with a “telephoto” (56mm, f2.4) lens. These shoot 12mp photos, but more importantly for the mobile filmmakers out there, they are capable of capturing video at 4k/60fps & 1080p/240fps using either lens, PLUS with optical image stabilization.

With this in mind, I know I had to put it to the test ASAP. How soon you ask? Before I even got it out of the box. Due to the sheer impossibility of this, I asked my friend and fellow YouTuber Stetson Doggett to come help and bring along his recently unboxed iPhone X so I could fulfill my iPhone-ception desires. It was hard at times to resist just filming the unboxing with my Sony A7Sii, but armed with just the iPhone X, a DJI Osmo Mobile, and tripod adapter — we set out to film an unboxing video that would make J.J. Abrams jealous. Let me know what you think.

Overall I personally was very impressed with the quality of footage I was able to shoot with the iPhone X. I’m someone who loves super long lenses and lots of bokeh, so setting out to shoot an unboxing with only a 24mm & 58mm available was definitely daunting. With a little practice though (and some over the top lens flares) I found that capturing the gorgeous looking shots I was imagining was entirely possible.

However, that’s not to say shooting this video was easy. A lot of people seem to think that smartphones can replace traditional cameras but I still don’t believe we are even close. This is especially the case due to smartphones’ inherent lack of physical controls and decreased dynamic range. Throughout the unboxing shoot with the iPhone X it was a struggle to change settings back and forth quickly. Granted, this is somewhat dependant on the app you use (we were shooting with Filmic Pro), but there is no doubt that having physical controls for things like focus, exposure and white balance would make life easier. Also, having a greater dynamic range would be helpful especially since most times people aren’t shooting with any lighting other than the sun and what happens to be on the room.

It’s amazing just how far we’ve come with smartphone video capabilities. They are not only for capturing selfies with your friends, but also making movies. And while I’ll certainly be the first to tell you that they can’t replace traditional cameras, don’t think you can’t make amazing video with any flagship smartphone on the market.