Rode’s magnetic cage is an iPhone filmmaker’s must have
Arrives alongside magnetic mount and Interview Pro microphone
It’s pretty much a given among creative types that the iPhone is the best smartphone for shooting video. 4K, HDR and ProRes are a potent combination – but you’re still ultimately shooting on a handheld device. The new Rode Phone Cage is a filmmaking accessory that gives you something more substantial to hold on to before pressing that record button – as well as somewhere to stash the accessories needed to make your footage watch-worthy.
Launched at the NAB show in Las Vegas alongside the Interview Pro handheld interview microphone and the Magnetic Mount tripod attachment, the Rode Phone Cage bolts a MagSafe mount into a sturdy aluminium cage. It has a whopping 33 mounting threads for attaching accessories just about anywhere you’d like, along with five cold shoe threads and cable management slots on every corner.
The Magsafe magnet can securely hold any modern iPhone, and plays nicely with Android phones fitted with a MagSafe-compatible case too. 3/8in and 1/4in tripod threads then let you fix it to a tripod or grippier handles for more precision.
The Rode Phone cage will go on sale at the end of April for $120 (around £120). You can pre-order through the Rode website now.
The Magnetic Mount is a similar deal, only instead of a cage it can be used solo. A MagSafe-compatible centre piece lets you attach two cold shoe arms (one short, one long) for shooting in landscape or portrait, giving you somewhere to stick an external microphone, key light or other kit useful for filmmaking.
A third arm includes a Tripod thread for mounting the entire thing to a stable platform, which could come in handy for vlogging or pieces to camera. It’s made of the same tough aluminium, and also launches on the 24th of April for $90 (roughly £90).
Finally, the Interview Pro is more Rode’s usual wheelhouse: a wireless condenser microphone aimed at interviewers, podcast hosts and roving reporters. It essentially squeezes all the tech found in the Wireless PRO clip-on mic into a handheld body, with internal shock mounting and a pop filter to cut down on handling noise and plosive sounds, plus a bundled windshield for outdoor recording.
It can hook in to any of Rode’s Series IV wireless products, including the Wireless PRO, Wireless ME and Wireless GO II mic systems, with a maximum 200m range using the firm’s proprietary 2.4Ghz wireless frequency. Anyone with a Rodecaster Pro II, Rodecaster Duo or Streamer X audio mixer can use it like an XLR microphone, letting it double as a podcast or game streaming mic – only without any cables.
Rode promises “rich, detailed voice reproduction” and an omnidirectional pickup pattern that’s “very forgiving” in terms of mic placement. 32-bit recording all but eradicates audio clipping, and GainAssist tech controls volume levels on the fly. 32GB of on-board memory is good for more than 40 hours of recording time, so it can be used standalone without a receiver.
The Interview Pro goes on sale in early May. Expect to pay $249 (around £230).
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor