- Leica has revealed a new MagSafe camera grip for iPhones
- The LUX Grip has physical controls like a shutter button and settings dial
- It costs $329 / £260 (around AU$515) and comes with other limitations
As a photographer and TechRadar’s former cameras editor my main criticism of the best camera phones has always been their handling – they’re still just no fun to shoot with. Leica has now joined a growing number of camera grip accessories that aim to fix that, but some unfortunate drawbacks have dented the new LUX Grip’s appeal.
At first glance, the LUX Grip looks like a great addition to any MagSafe iPhone (which includes any model from the iPhone 12 onwards). It manages to look both stylish and functional, with a tube-like design that can naturally be flipped to suit both right- and left-handed shooters. It’s so nicely designed I can even forgive Leica calling it “the perfect symbiosis between Leica and iPhone”.
Like the best mirrorless cameras, there’s a mechanical two-stage shutter release (almost certainly better than the iPhone 16’s flawed Camera Control), among other controls. Those include a settings dial, plus two customizable function buttons for those who like to shoot in manual. As much as I like the idea of Apple‘s Camera Control button, physical controls make way more sense on something like the LUX Grip than an 8mm-thick glass slab.
But then come those frustrating drawbacks. Firstly, and most annoyingly, the LUX Grip is only compatible with Leica’s own LUX app. That’s right, you can’t use it with Apple’s own Camera app (or any of the other best camera apps), unlike alternatives like the ShiftCam ProGrip or Fjorden Grip. Leica actually now owns Fjorden, so you’d have thought it’d follow suit with its compatibility, but strangely, it did not.
That wouldn’t be so bad, but the Leica LUX app only offers basic features before requiring a subscription. Okay, you get a one-year Pro subscription to the app when you buy the LUX Grip, but beyond that, it needs a hefty monthly fee to unlock the full functionality you’d need when buying a grip that is this expensive.
Lastly, there’s the price. Surely a phone accessory that costs $329 / £260 (around AU$515) should unlock longer or unlimited access to an app that costs $6.99 / £6.99 / AU$9.99 a month? I get that this is Leica, and the app does have some fascinating features (like computationally recreating classic Leica lenses). Still, these all feel like unnecessary barriers to what is otherwise a compelling accessory.
There is still something here
The Leica LUX Grip might be blighted by frustrating drawbacks, but I think Leica is onto something here – and there’s a chance it could still open the brand up to a whole new audience if it changes tack a little.
I’ve been fascinated by the idea of smartphones computationally replicating the look of classic camera lenses since portrait modes started maturing to today’s levels. Of course, this is dangerous territory for most camera giants, who still want to sell us real cameras and lenses, but Leica is easily in the best position to experiment.
Like Ferrari, the German brand operates in a world that’s almost entirely detached from the market realities that others have to negotiate. Leica camera buyers are also in a different Venn diagram from anyone who’d buy the LUX Grip, which is why the artificial barriers like limited third-party app compatibility and pricey app subscriptions feel a bit unnecessary.
I’m sure Leica could make a camera grip like this with a lower price tag and a multi-year app subscription that gives people who’d never buy a Noctilux-M 50mm f/1.2 lens a taste of its vintage magic on their iPhone. Exclusivity is part of the Leica brand, and perhaps I’ve underestimated the development costs of the LUX Grip and app, but if they could be nudged in a more affordable direction, I could still see them in my iPhone’s future.
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mark.wilson@futurenet.com (Mark Wilson)
