Hi all, I've been waiting to purchase the Freefly Movi until after the Apple announcement and am now ready to purchase. Does the Freefly Movi work with (weight-wise) and fit an iPhone XS Max? How about with a case? For comparison: iPhone 8 Plus dimensions - 6.24 inches (158.4 mm) x 3.07 inches (78.1 mm) x 0.30 inch (7.5 mm), 7.13 ounces (202 grams) iPhone XS Max dimensions - 6.20 inches (157.5 mm) x 3.05 inches (77.4 mm) x 0.30 inch (7.7 mm), 7.34 ounces (208 grams) I remember reviews saying the fit was a little tight with some larger phones before and probably couldn't use a case. Thanks!
Hi Mark, Freely says that the Movi can handle devices under 1kg/2.2 lbs. See 29:47 to 30:31 of this video: Even if that is optimistic, the XS Max is way under. The remaining question is whether the XS Max is thin enough to fit in the clamp. On your specs, the XS Max is 0.2mm thicker than the 8 Plus. In the following thread, Freefly rep Gary Haynes says that an 8 Plus in Moment's standard case (as distinct from Moment's battery case) "fits fine in the Movi": https://forum.freeflysystems.com/index.php?threads/iphone-8-plus-with-moment-case-does-it-fit.12679/ It would seem to follow that the XS Max will indeed fit, at least without a case. I just measured the clamp depth, which seems to be about 10mm/1cm, and I don't see why it wouldn't. However, note this September 14 Freefly e-mail, which I've copied from a related thread, to another forum participant: Thank you for contacting Freefly Support! Apple says it [XS Max] is a very similar size compared to the 8 Plus, smaller height and width, but a bit thicker. I assume it will fit, but we won’t know for sure until our test model arrives in a few weeks. If you get yours first, let us know! Thank you, Bryan Chief MōVI Whisperer
Hi Mark, I think that you can ignore most of the above post. The 8 Plus appears to be a red herring. I just had a look at iPhone specs and the iPhone X is the same thickness as the XS Max: 7.7mm. People are successfully using the Movi with the X together with the Moment standard case. That would seem to be pretty strong evidence that the XS Max will not only fit, but probably with a Moment case or one of similar thickness.
Seems like the Xs series has improved the jitter that OIS can have with gimbals too. See here around 5:05. He has the Xs Max on the Movi at 5:36
Another strong evidence that XS Max will fit on Movi. Look at this video thumbnail. That is iPhone XS Max. Not sure about with the moment case because the case is not out yet.
It definitely fits, with some room to spare. Source: Me. I used it this past weekend to shoot a Movilapse of some parking for work. I have a Spigen case on it until the pre-ordered Moment case comes in.
Can you confirm that iPhone XS Max with Moment case and lens can not be balanced by freefly counter weight for Movi? Does it some sort of extra weight or modification?
Moment hasn't released a case for the Max yet so no way to know yet. I've had it preordered since the day they went on sale though, so I'll let you know when I have one.
Hi Warathanut, As far as I know, the iPhone X with a Moment photo case and lens can be balanced with the counterweight without difficulty. If that's correct, there should be no problem balancing the XS Max. According to the Moment web site, the new XS Max case involves a minor tweak to the iPhone X case that should have no bearing on balance. To the extent that there's been an issue with iPhones and the counterweight, my understanding is that it's due to people adding, in addition to a lens, adapters by Moment and other manufacturers to add neutral density filters plus the neutral density filters themselves. The adapters and filters being used are quite large and add quite a bit of weight in front of the lens. To put this in perspective, I use a Movi to balance a Sony RX0 plus neutral density filters. The Sony takes filters that are 30.5mm in diameter. The Moment lenses require, first, a 66mm adapter, and then, additionally, 66mm filters, that are more than double the size of what the Sony RX0 requires. If I recall, some people are trying to use filter adapters and filters that are even larger than Moment's. This adds up; although to the extent that there's an issue, I don't believe that the problem is the weight, but rather the very forward location of the weight. There's a fairly lengthy thread on this that includes discussion about adding weights supplementary to Freefly's standard counterweight: https://forum.freeflysystems.com/index.php?threads/counterweights.12194/ Of course, if you're not planning to use a filter adapter and filters, this is a non-issue.
Thank you so much for your reply. I want to shoot 24 FPS at 1/48 shutter speed in every light conditions. ND Filter is a must. Otherwise, motion blur looks so weird.
Thank you everyone for the replies. @Rorick Edge, after reading your reply 2 up, I'm a little nervous about getting the system. Thanks to @Daniel Dye, I'm happy to know that the iPhone Max will fit with a case. However, like @Warathanut Sukcharoenpong, I plan to be shoot at slow shutter speeds, which would require some NDs, and that amount of forward weight concerns me. I've actually reached out to Moment directly to see what they say. I know the Freefly isn't their product, but I'm sure they've tested it with the iPhone 8 Plus and want to see what they say.