So Hive photo fans I have always shied away from using the the camera phone apart for quick snaps, I know it’s really convenient but the lack of control and need for post processing all the time gives me the willys and I’d really rather use a real camera.
Well a couple of weeks ago I invested in a FJORDEN Grip. WTF you shout, well it’s arrived a week DHL from China, so stick around.
The Fjorden is basically a Bluetooth grip the clips onto the back of a Fjorden phone case, There is a universal plate that will stick on any phone or case too Also if you upgrade you can just buy a new case to fit your phone. Bad news it's only iPhone from the from the 12 and up to the iPhone 15 Pro max. The really bad news is it might finally make my next phone upgrade an iPhone Pro because of the better lenses I’m sure it’s a plot.
Once fitted you just down load the Fjorden app and simply pair the grip to the phone. One nice feature is the QR on the back of the grip which makes it very easy as all the grip data is transferred automatically it just needs your name and email to register. Much better than spending ages trying to find a serial # and a magnifying glass to read it.
It also a folds out as a handy stand.
The grip now gives you a much more stable hold on the and a proper half press shutter button to focus and full press to take the photo is so much better than the white dot. The grip is plastic with a rubberised finish which is easy to hold and non slip, lets see how long it lasts, While the grip was developed in Europe it’s made in China, like every thing else these days but the quality and fit seem really good.
The grip has a number of buttons, toggles and wheels to control the camera functions
1, Two-stage shutter button: Half-press to focus, full-press to take a photo.
2, This is a handy customisable control Wheel: Adjust exposure, shutter speed, ISO, and other parameters without changing your hand position.
3, Multi-function button: Choose what it does, such as toggle main and selfie cameras, flash modes, focus peaking, trigger selfie mode, or switch between other custom settings.
4, Zoom lever: Quickly switch between iPhone lenses on the Pro or smoothly zoom in and out.
5, Finally a quick release button: Easily detach the Fjorden Grip from the Fjorden case or adapters.
The bottom of the case houses the battery tray which takes an easily found 2023 button cell which gives about 6 months to a year of use. Black on black didn’t show up well.
So Hivers that’s the grip what about the app. In December Fjorden became part of the Leica group, so this could be the cheapest Leica ever. The App as well as camera control of things like ISO, shutter speed, Aperture, and exposure compensation. The app also mimics many functions of the LEICA LUX phone app, worth looking at that even if you don’t have a Fjorden grip, it gives a in addition to basic controls it gives a number of the Leica film temperature presets including 3 B&W settings and lets you capture RAW on your phone.
1, Viewfinder
2, Capture Settings
3, Quick Options
3, Main Navigation
If you wasn’t to know more Hivers head over to Fjorden.com there are is a load more information than I can give on this quick overview included a Gallery section of photos taken with the grip. It’s not cheap the the basic grip and universal backplate is £140 I got the case as well and that rocked up at £170.If your feeling flush there Pro setup is £240 but comes with a case and MagSafe backplate. Is it worth it? Time will tell but it head shoulders over the basic camera phone. You could always wait it’s ripped off in China and on Timu for $50 and fails in the first week but that’s up to you.
All the Fjorden product photos were taken with my Olympus OMD-E-M 1 and Olympus Zuiko 14-42 f3.5/5.6 zoom Except the last two where I used the Fjorden grip. 😃