CNET’s Andrew Lanxon puts the iPhone 17 Pro through the ultimate filmmaking test as he makes a short movie. Working side by side with a BlackMagic Pyxis 6K camera, Andrew compares the two to answer the question, “Can an iPhone 17 Pro be another tool in a filmmaker’s kit?”
You can find the products featured in ths video linked below
Apple iPhone 17 Pro, US Version, 512GB
Blackmagic Design Pyxis 6K Full-Frame Cinema Box Camera
SmallRig Universal Quick Release Phone Cage Kit
Crucial X10 Pro 4TB Portable SSD
SmallRig 52mm Magnetic Variable ND Filter Kit
DZOFilm Arles 35mm T1.4 FF/VV Prime Cine Lens
DZOFILM X-Tract 18-28mm T8 2.1x Macro Probe Lens
Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro Lens
*CNET may get a commission on these offers
Read more about the iPhone 17 Pro test on CNET.com
Can My iPhone 17 Pro Match a 6K Cinema Camera? I Teamed Up With a Pro to Find Out
0:00 Intro
0:15 Can the iPhone 17 Pro beat a cinematic camera?
0:57 The Short Film
3:11 The Equipment
4:00 The Process
4:11 The Shot Comparisons
6:23 What the iPhone Does Well
7:05 Conclusion
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#iphone17pro #filmmaking #techtest #cinematic #tech
@broksi_747
December 13, 2025 at 8:05 am
The answer is yes! I made my short film using Iphone 15 pro
@Jayden-lr2mm
December 13, 2025 at 8:09 am
All pro iPhone models are made for film making, portable and has good detailed cameras
@XzTS-Roostro
December 15, 2025 at 12:12 am
iPhone Pro (including Max) is engineered for pro-grade video production.
Whereas the regular iPhone (including Plus), is more of an after thought.
@kimmyshimmi6552
December 13, 2025 at 8:13 am
These comparisons are soooo stupid. And yet I watch and enjoy them for no reason…
@jaughnekow
December 13, 2025 at 11:17 am
they are entertaining
@kimmyshimmi6552
December 13, 2025 at 12:19 pm
@jaughnekowindeed ☺️🤪
@alirezakhalyan1864
December 13, 2025 at 8:28 am
I don’t think so, camera and lenses cost only a fraction of the whole budget when it comes to professional filmmaking. And even if you use an iphone to shoot a film, you still have to use tripod , cage and other gears for your iphone, still the quality would be far cry from professional cameras and lenses.
The difference between using an iphone and Alexa camera in most main stream projects wouldn’t be considerable in overall cost of the project
@fredmalcom5685
December 13, 2025 at 9:25 am
probably one of the best CNET produced videos… all the other CNET contributors should take note.
@DarkClosetOfTheMind
December 13, 2025 at 9:34 am
Excellent video, gets right to the point while providing necessary details.
@urbanstrencan
December 13, 2025 at 9:43 am
No not really
@iPhone-Cinematograhy
December 13, 2025 at 11:47 am
For those of us who use the iPhone professionally, a basic question arises: why not use add-on lenses, often costing around $300, to approximate the prime focal lengths used on the Blackmagic camera? There are several well-established lens options for the iPhone, including probe lenses, and using them would have addressed some of the limitations being discussed.
@Jeo-What
December 13, 2025 at 2:41 pm
Thanks for the review. I wounder if there may be a video comparison with iPhone uses 3rd party add-on lenses that may produce better results?
@C_Strasser777
December 13, 2025 at 3:29 pm
“Roll that beautiful bean footage!”
@thisisjmx
December 13, 2025 at 5:49 pm
My choice of cameras would be pixel 9 pro xl and the Xiaomi 15 series.
@TòmasMacRaineach
December 13, 2025 at 10:06 pm
Still can’t compete with the pixel 10 xl pro
@bellanewler6611
December 13, 2025 at 11:44 pm
Thank you for the great comparison. I am sold. 😊 Iphone, and other smartphones ,can be used for production work, especially for a reporter at a well lit sence.
@CallMeRabbitzUSVI
December 14, 2025 at 8:01 am
Yikes! 😬 The iPhone shots look downright bad in comparison to the Cinema Camera. Crunchy details, overdone denoising and poor dynamic range mad the iPhone look out of focus and badly exposed.
Sorry but the Pyxis is the clear winner here by miles
@CallMeRabbitzUSVI
December 14, 2025 at 8:01 am
Yikes! 😬 The iPhone shots look downright bad in comparison to the Cinema Camera. Crunchy details, overdone denoising and poor dynamic range made the iPhone look out of focus and badly exposed.
Sorry but the Pyxis is the clear winner here by miles
@XzTS-Roostro
December 15, 2025 at 12:17 am
I’m more of an Android person, but I wouldn’t mind using both an iPhone Pro & a Sony Experia to record videos
@kthmtchll
December 15, 2025 at 4:28 am
great job on that bean shot! professional stuff.
@BTurner-b3y
December 15, 2025 at 7:06 am
So you used the iPhone with no lenses but multiple attachments on the big camera. Seems fair… not
@barrydraper
December 15, 2025 at 8:32 am
Excellent video comparison! At lease Apple is excelling in the camera department, especially since it cannot seem to figure out the mythical “Apple Intelligence” thing…
@RichTallent
December 15, 2025 at 9:30 am
Great work!
@Kontria
December 15, 2025 at 11:08 am
Their coffe are actually Brazilian coffe lol! 😅
@CNET
December 15, 2025 at 12:54 pm
Read more about the iPhone 17 Pro test on CNET.com: Can My iPhone 17 Pro Match a 6K Cinema Camera? I Teamed Up With a Pro to Find Out
@cweb1988
December 15, 2025 at 5:20 pm
They just need to figure out how to get more depth of field on iphones then we’ll have something special. Maybe they could get the aperture to something like 1 or even lower. Or allow depth mapping data in Apple Log to mimic it.