If you refuse to give up on phone cameras, at least stick with a newer model that shoots at minimum 1280 by 720 H-D. Phones have been able to do this for years now, but some of the older ones do a pretty horrible job at it.
Don’t shoot in low light and get your hands on a tripod or stabilize your phone on a ledge if you have to. Phones have tiny lenses and imaging sensors that suck at shooting if there isn’t a ton of available light. Either shoot in good light, light your scene, or use a better camera.
The final rule when shooting with your phone, if you want quality audio… don’t shoot video with your phone. There are some accessories that will plug into your phone to help with audio like the Rode i-X-Y for Apple products. You could even get a separate portable device like a ZOOM H4n. Audio directly from your phone will have super low levels, distortion, or ambient noise.
Remember, perception is key—and you don’t want to be perceived as a hack. Don’t let your business’ image rely on a device that was built for Facebook and playing Angry Birds. Upgrade your camera or hire a professional.
Stephen Schweickart is the co-founder of VScreen. For more information on this topic visit VScreen’s site at http://www.vscreen.com/.
