SWISS RIG sr RAW Cinema Camera for iPhone Introduced – FullHD, 14-bit, CinemaDNG, and Synchronised Audio

Smartphone Filmmaking

by Alexandra ThompsonAugust 21^st, 2024

SWISS RIG has launched something quite unique for iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max users – the sr RAW Cinema Camera. This company is the first to add RAW cinema recording to the Apple iPhone and will allow iPhones to capture unprocessed 14-bit RAW CinemaDNGs, providing a powerful tool for professional-grade video production and unprecedented creative control in post-production.

Ever since Apple’s iPhone 15 line launched, we have seen helpful and innovative accessories that expand its already massive capabilities. For example, Kondor Blue and Angelbird released the MagSafe Recording Module, Tilta released a plethora of accessories under the Khronos name, and Blackmagic Design came up with their “Blackmagic Camera” free App that allows manual iPhone control. With the release of the sr RAW Cinema Camera, SWISS RIG now offers something that just may uplift the game for filmmakers, content creators, professionals – almost anyone who creates content on their iPhone.

First, a bit of background

The Austrian company SWISS RIG introduced their first app, the sr ZOOM, which worked much like other iOS video apps that use Apple’s AVFoundation APIs (other than their additional 9-speed zoom controller). Founded in 2021 by creatives who are filmmakers and innovators themselves, they were inspired to produce something as close to what they had used on MOS 16mm and later S16mm and 35mm. They wanted the option of a result close to film but also wanted the app to be simple enough to use with a smartphone. Their goal was to provide all kinds of filmmakers the chance to shoot RAW Cinema.  

SWISS RIG sr RAW – features

Enter the sr RAW Cinema Camera, which offers a professional-grade, non-destructive workflow similar to high-end cinema cameras, bypassing the traditional image processing steps found in most smartphone cameras that “bake in” characteristics like sharpness, noise, ISO, white balance, etc. By capturing raw image sensor data as 14-bit CinemaDNG files, sr RAW Cinema Camera preserves image quality while simultaneously recording uncompressed stereo WAV audio and generating a lightweight field proxy for efficient editing. To transfer data, the iPhone is connected via USB-C for editing and color grading (including native integration with the free and Studio versions of DaVinci Resolve).

According to the company, the sr RAW Cinema Camera has been in development for quite a while, and they hope it will open the door to a “new wave of RAW cinema.”

RAW is cinema, cinema is life: the truths it tells, the diversity of its looks, the creativity it supports. RAW cinema revolutionized Hollywood twenty years ago. But until now, it still hadn’t spread to your everyday camera that’s always in your pocket. We didn’t know exactly how crazy an idea it was…but just like with making a film, having the right cast and crew, the right team, makes all the difference in achieving what at times seems the impossible. We can’t wait to see people’s creativity expressed in new ways with new diverse truths told 24 times a second using sr RAW.

Cortlan McManus, CEO of SWISS RIG

Price and availability

The sr RAW Cinema Camera is compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (additional iPhone models are expected to be supported in the future), as well as post-production tools that natively support lossless cDNG workflows. If you would like to test the Cinema Camera, there is a free Everyday Edition offering a maximum resolution of 480p with all the features. The Plus Edition includes 720p and 1080p and has a special “launch” price of €4.99 a month or €19.99 a year. For those who join the Plus Edition now, future upgrades are free and will include Pro Edition resolution expected by the end of this year.

For more information on the SWISS RIG sr RAW Cinema Camera, please visit their website.

Are you looking forward to trying out the sr RAW Cinema Camera? Will this be a game-changer for you in terms of filming with your iPhone 15 Pro / Pro Max? Let us know in the comments!