All Rhodes Led to Fjorden
This originally appeared as part of my weekly Prime Lenses Newsletter. You can sign up for a weekly update here.
A few episodes ago I was lucky enough to spend an hour with Fjorden CEO and founder Victor Henning. He’s had a really interesting journey with digital cameras which has ultimately led him to the conclusion that the best camera is the one you have with you. Chances are that the phone you own, maybe even the device you’re reading this on, has a remarkable camera. But, despite the capabilities being added to each generation of phone, the thing missing was the buttons and other controls on a camera that are specific to image making. I recently picked up an older point and shoot camera and was very pleasantly surprised by the images it made so with a family holiday coming up I decided it was time for a related experiment.
The Fjorden Grip on an iPhone 15 Pro Max
I emailed Victor and asked to loan a grip for the week. He very kindly offered to send me one to keep so armed with a Fjorden Grip and a last minute ticket to Heathrow, long story, I was ready to start a week long photo project in the sun.
The Fjorden grip is an accessory that can be attached to the back of your phone to make taking photos with it a more camera like experience.
Setup is simple, download the Fjorden app, pair with the grip in a step-by-step setup guide, press any button to wake the grip up and boom, you’re ready to take some pictures.
The man who has it all, a Fjorden Grip and a silly tshirt
The hardware feels great on the back of the phone and I thought I’d be taking the grip on and off a lot because of the additional thickness it adds but actually it has stayed on the phone the entire week and I’ve found that a bit like a pop socket I like the way that it rises the phone up making it easier to pick up. It also functions as a flip out stand which can be used vertically and horizontally and was an excellent way to catch up on the MotoGP poolside.
The grip can perform double duty as a stand.
When it comes to attaching your grip you’ve got options. All grips come with a self adhesive back plate that can be attached to any phone or case, but you can also opt for the compatible case or MagSafe add on.
This is a big deal as it means that the grip is portable between phones and you can take your dedicated buttons with you if you upgrade to a new one.
Pairing the grip unlocks access to the Fjorden camera app so once you’ve paired your grip you can still access features like film simulations and exposure control with the touch screen even if you don’t have the grip attached or turned on. The app is well laid out and was easy to use with and without the grip. I’ve found some other manual control camera apps hard to get around but Fjorden know what they’re doing here and know that the camera app doesn’t need reinventing. Navigating settings was easy too and I really appreciated being able to try out different levels of image processing as well as choose to shoot RAW or in Jpg. It also works with Leica’s LUX app I really like using that one for the colour looks, in particular the new Brass one is lovely. In the Fjorden app the C3 film simulation became my favourite pretty quickly as it makes slightly washed out contrasty images. Both apps also offer great black and white simulations we all know I’m a colour shooter these days.
When using the grip I enjoyed switching between modes and settings with the jog dial, and having access to all the lenses using a zoom switch was a delight for someone who tends to shoot with manual primes. The physical buttons combine nicely with haptics on the phone to help you to know when you’re holding it level and to let you know when you’ve triggered a press or half press. It really felt like I was learning to use a new point and shoot camera rather than an app on my phone and I did reach for it more than I think I would have. Since I got my M and sold all my other cameras I’ve missed my GRIII. This accessory turns my existing phone into a great point and shoot camera with access to looks that will trick most folks looking at images on a phone screen into thinking I used something like an RX100 or GRIII.
I mapped the Fjorden app to the action button on my iPhone15 Pro Max with a shortcut to make launching it really easy and put the Leica LUX app on the Lock Screen as iOS 18 now allows you to customise the apps you have in certain spots. The app also includes a widget that appears on your Lock Screen when the grip is turned on which will give you quick access to shooting modes.
LUX app mapped to the camera shortcut and lock screen widget
At £139 the grip is at the upper end of what I’d call “photography impulse buy”, but it’s a fair price for well made hardware and the hardware is only half the story.
Since the arrival of the app store, maybe even the “in beta, use ad supported for free Web 2.0” era, convincing people to pay for software has been tricky as we gave so much away resulting in software being under valued by consumers while the makers of software funded it with oceans of VC cash on the assumption it’d work out at scale. Apple tried to keep small developers in the mix by incentivising subscriptions but consumer subscription fatigue is real in 2024. Getting access to a feature rich camera app with the grip where I encountered no bugs, hitching or issues with loss of images in a week of extensive use is a big plus. There’s no subscription gating features at the time of writing and the ability to use it with Leica’s app whether you subscribe or not as well as Fjorden’s opens up options for more looks and more versatility from my phone camera.
The only limitation is the limitation of the phone camera itself and associated operating system. Filters or changes in processing can make images that look good on screen or printed small giving you some of that modern point and shoot or vintage digicam feel without the risks associated with buying old hardware or indeed anything in addition to what you have. After a week with the grip at the beach, in airports, on boats and around the kids and foods I’m a believer in the hardware and software Fjorden are offering. I want to see them keep going but it’s also up to phone makers to embrace accessory manufacturers who extend the applications of their hardware in new ways. Let them do more on your platform and everyone will have a better time making better images.