How To Shoot Apple Log On a Non-Pro iPhone

If you skipped the iPhone Pro upgrade for the standard model but still want to shoot more cinematic Apple Log footage, you're in the right place. I'll show you how to take video from a regular iPhone and make it look more movie-like, less muddy, and similar to a mirrorless camera. It's surprisingly simple, and I'll walk you through it step-by-step. If you're a visual learner, check out the YouTube video above.

The Moment Pro Camera App

A good location matters only slightly. I filmed all of my test footage in the Lake District, UK, which is a stunning spot, but you don't need epic views to pull this off. You just need a regular iPhone, a couple of tools, and the right app.

The biggest secret to better footage immediately is downloading the Pro Camera App by Moment. I know apps might seem gimmicky or unnecessary, but they're quite the opposite for the phone. The native iPhone camera can only capture in auto mode, so opening the camera to manual exposure settings with a wider variety of visual and audio controls gives you way greater depth to shoot better-looking footage.

The app is a dedicated control lever for your iPhone's native settings. You can adjust ISO, shutter speed, and aperture, and you can access pro-level features seen on most mirrorless cameras, like zebra stripes, histograms, and audio levels. It's a hyper-specific mini rig in the palm of your hand, and it's genuinely the only way to maximize your iPhone camera, no matter the model or year you own.

Check out the full manual here if you want a full know-how guide.

Wait, Log On a Non-Pro iPhone?

Apple hides log video behind the Pro models, but the Pro Camera app knocks that wall down.

Log is a color profile that grants greater access to more data of the file to edit or color grade professionally. When using the app a the same time, you also keep complete manual control of shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and focus, plus the option to switch to standard Rec.709 or a flatter profile whenever you want.

Here’s how to tun on Log in the app:

• Fire up the app, slide to Video.
• Tap the little color-profile icon, and choose "Moment Log."
• And there you have it.

While shooting, your footage might look… dull, low contrast, gray and flat. But this is precisely how it should look before grading, just like footage from a real cinema camera.

Use a Display LUT

Staring at dull Log footage while you film can feel a little impossible.

The app fixes that with Display LUTs, which spices up the on-screen image without burning the look into your file. I like dropping in Sir's Apple Log-to-ARRI Rec.709 LUT from the Moment store; the minute it loads, colors snap back, the contrast looks right, and therefore judging exposure becomes easier.

The recorded clip stays in pure Log, ready for grading back at your desk, but on set, everything suddenly looks normal —and that makes the whole process way less guessy.

Use Motion Blur

Jittery motion is a dead giveaway that you're shooting on the phone, and it happens because the iPhone automatically checks up the shutter speed. Locking the shutter to double your frame rate fixes that in an instant.

I live in an area that uses the PAL (Phase Alternating Line) television and video standard. My geographical area dictates how television signals and video content are encoded and displayed. Given this, I shoot at 25fps and pin my shutter at 1/50, especially when I’m shooting near grassy fields for example (the kind of subject matter that looks extra choppy on the iPhone. If you know, you know).

In the Moment Pro Camera app, you tap the shutter value and lock it. Suddenly, the motion feels much more fluid — way less choppy and clinical.

Use a VND Filter

Of course, a slow shutter lets in a ton of light, so daylight shots blow out fast. I keep things in check by threading a Variable ND onto the front of the Moment Tele 58mm Lens. It lets me darken the scene without sacrificing that perfectly tuned shutter speed, which is designed to give that creamy-looking motion blur.

Before adding the ND, I slip on a 20% CineBloom diffusion filter; it smooths out the digital edge, adding a subtle, film-like glow. Together, the CineBloom softens highlights while the ND hands me precise exposure control, and the combo turns plain phone footage into something that feels appropriately filmic.

Moment

Variable ND Filters - 67mm / 2-5

$150

The Moment VND gives you more control with a clean, consistent look. Built with dual layers of precision-aligned cinema glass, it reduces light evenly without introducing color shift, vignetting, or cross-polarization. Each stop range is fixed and precisely machined, with ND positions aligned at exact angles to deliver accurate, repeatable exposure control. You get smooth motion blur, natural rolloff, and the ability to shoot wide open in bright conditions — all without sacrificing sharpness or contrast.

Designed for going places, the VND features our unique Viewfinder-Visible Stops, so you always know where you are in the range — no guesswork, no checking between shots. A subtle detent at the end of rotation gives tactile feedback when you've hit your limit. Housed in a lightweight, machined aluminum frame with built-in hard stops and a laser-etched Control Dial, the Moment red anodized ring stands out on your rig and holds up in the field. Available in 2–5 and 6–9 stop versions to cover every lighting condition.

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Color Grading

Shooting Log is only half the story — the real magic happens in the edit. I load up SERR’s FilmVision PowerGrade from the Moment store and fire away. It plays well with any camera, but it really hits its stride with Moment Log clips.

First, I drop on the Apple Log conversion LUT to pull the footage into a clean Rec.709 baseline. Then, I layer the FilmVision LUTs on top, nudging color, contrast, and saturation until the image pops with that polished, cinematic finish.

It’s the perfect touch.

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Emulated Film

FilmVision V2 Powergrade (Davinci Resolve)

$60

True film emulation for any digital footage.

If you’ve shot any motion picture film whether that be 8mm/16mm/35mm. Then this workflow is going to be very familiar to you. I convert your footage into a flat/log lab scan and you will manipulate the contrast and color temperature to achieve your desired look. 

1. Easy & fast In a matter of seconds, you can get a beautiful Kodak Vision3 500T/250D look. 2. Flexible You have full control over the look you're going for. This will also work with any camera log profile. 3. Accurate One of the most accurate film emulations on the market due to the nature of the workflow.

*Only Compatible with paid version of Davinci Resolve

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