The mobile phone has pretty much replaced the camera in our lives when it comes to photography. Phone cameras are more accessible (one almost always carries one's phone), easier to use and most important of all, take excellent photographs and videos. However, anyone who has used a camera will tell you that they miss the 'grip' of a proper camera and its shutter button, which make it easier to use than a phone. Well, there are accessories that enable you to add both to your phone. Most of them come with stiff price tags. But then there are some who are super affordable and in fact even come for three figures, like the one we are covering today. A grip with no name The gadget we are talking about generally has no brand name and is often available under the name "Magnetic Camera Handle and Bluetooth Bracket" from a number of sellers online. It also can be seen in some offline retail chains. Its pricing generally is in the vicinity of Rs 1500 - Rs 3000, but on many occasions, actually dips below Rs 1,000, especially if you buy one from an offline store while also purchasing a smartphone. We got our unit from a Croma retail store in Delhi for Rs 999, while an acquaintance of ours got the exact same device from an online store for Rs 1299. Just remember to take it from a source that has a replacement policy in place in case things go wrong (it has not so far, but the absence of a brand name might worry some!). The Magnetic Camera Handle and Bluetooth Bracket (which we will henceforth call 'Camera Grip' for the sake of simplicity), looks like a part of a camera, with a protruding grip and a spherical lens cover. The grip has two buttons on it, one for switching it on and off and the other a shutter button, and on its base is a USB Type C port for charging it. Attach it magnetically, connect over Bluetooth Using the camera grip is simple. It attaches to the back of the phone magnetically, and uses no ports or wires. It is easiest to use with iPhones that have magsafe charging support on their back (iPhone 12 onwards), but there is a magnetic ring in the package that can be stuck to the back of phones that do not have magnets on their backs. The magnetic attachment is strong - it was strong enough to keep our iPhone 14 Pro Max securely attached without any fear of its falling off or wobbling. A neat touch is the fact that you can revolve the phone to use it in portrait or landscape mode while attached to the grip. Once again, the attachment is secure and you need to use a bit of force to separate the grip from the phone, which is reassuring. Just remember not to use this grip with a phone cover, as the magnetic connection weakens very significantly. The grip now needs to be attached to the phone over Bluetooth to make the shutter work. Connecting it is a simple process. You charge the grip using the Type C port (it takes about two hours) and then long press the button on top of it to switch on Bluetooth. This makes the device appear in the Bluetooth devices on your phone under the name "BBC-8." To pair, simply select it. Your phone gets a proper shutter button…and a stand too Once the grip is connected over magnets and Bluetooth, you can switch to some mobile phone photography with very classic camera feels. You still have to launch the camera app on your phone and choose the kind of camera you want to use (main, ultrawide, telephoto, selfie, etc) and also the mode (still, video, portrait, et al). Once that is done, the grip takes over. Taking a shot or starting or ending a video is as simple as hitting the shutter button. It does make photography a lot easier, and you can actually keep the phone very stable and operate it very easily with one hand. The faux-leather textured grip also makes the phone easier to hold - they are rather slippery these days. In a very neat touch, you can use the grip as a stand to prop up your phone in portrait or landscape mode to view content or even shoot it- it becomes a very makeshift tripod of sorts. In fact, you can even use the grip as a remote by using it to click images from the phone over Bluetooth without connecting the grip to your phone! All of which makes this a rather versatile little gadget, especially for those who prefer photography with a proper shutter button rather than a tap onscreen or the volume button. It is not all roses, though. The shutter button does not feel very premium and needs to be pressed hard to take a snap or start a video. There is also no way of finding out how much charge is left in the camera grip itself. And while we appreciate the utility the grip brings to the phone photography experience, it would have been nice to get a little more - like the ability to have a socket that let you attach the grip to a tripod, or maybe the option to zoom or move the point of focus. But that is just us nitpicking. If you can get this gadget when it dips below Rs 1000 (and it does frequently), you will have a very handy companion for your phone photography.
