By Graham K. Rogers

Although I have been using the iPhone as an alternative camera for a couple of years, starting with the iPhone 3G, there are obvious limitations, apart from the image size. The latest iPhone 4S is easy to hold in the hand, and the use of sound controls -- not available with all photo apps -- gives a more natural feel when taking a picture.

Most photography apps I have used with the iPhone produce reasonable images, as one would expect with a small, hand-held device like the iPhone. They are far better resolution now with the inbuilt camera and with many of the apps than with earlier iPhones.

Certain uses of the photographic capabilities of the current iPhone need a little more support than the basic steady hand. I have found that when taking photographs for specific types of output, quality might have been better with better physical support.

• Panorama apps: there are several apps available for creating the wider images of the panorama. Some, like Autostitch Panorama join a series of side by side images already in the Photo Album. Others like Pano, help users by lining up the next shot to be taken in a series. With the apps available a user may be able to get away with a few inaccuracies. Alignment is automatic in some apps while others include cropping. Both need a steady hand.

• Time lapse: Several apps are available for this interesting type of imaging, although I tend to favour iTimeLapse Pro. While I initially had output problems with the this on earlier iPhones, an update (that was a long time coming) fixed this. Time lapse photography has the best results if the camera never moves, but this is not at all easy if the iPhone is held in the hand. I found that the straight edges of the iPhone 4 and 4S do allow the device to be maintained in the same position if a suitable plane surface can be found, such as a table. This does limit where the camera can be located.

• Macro photography: I bought the olloclip lens construction a few months ago and have found that when using the macro lens for really close work, it was not easy to maintain the exact distance I needed for focus. There was also some camera-shake which meant I was unable to do full justice to photographs I took using the lens. The workman was to blame, not the tools.

The obvious solution is a tri-pod, but there is nowhere on the iPhone that allows a user to screw the iPhone onto a normal tripod connection. What is needed is an attachment that allows some form of support for this. There are a number available, but none seemed to fit my idea of what I thought I wanted.

• The Gorillamobile tripod is popular but needs a bumper case (that can be used separately). I never use such a case, and prefer the iPhone in its raw state. Additionally, if I wanted to use the olloclip lenses with such a case it would necessitate taking the iPhone out. The simple slide-on design why I bought the olloclip. As an aesthetic point, I do not find the legs of the gorilla tripod at all attractive. Despite its fairly low price of $25, this was not on my list.

• Also not on the list for reasons of the bumper case, was the iStabilizer Mount.

• The beautifully designed Gymbl Grip and Tripod was excluded mainly because of the case, but its price of $69 was a consideration too. If I were using the iPhone with a tripod on a daily basis (and not with the olloclip lens) this would have to be on a list of desirables, if only. . . .

About the middle of last week I saw what I thought I wanted in the Glif Tripod Mount that is suitable for the iPhone 4 and 4S. Like the olloclip product, it slides onto the body of the iPhone when in use and can quickly be removed. I ordered online from Studio Neat whose premises are in the UK: in Sussex, not far from Brighton.

One of the beauties of the Glif mount and stand attachment is its simplicity. Some may look at it and think that there is not much to it, but it has been cleverly designed and does the job it was created for perfectly. The size, however, means that it is easy to mislay.

I also put the iPhone in the mount in portrait mode. There was a little overlap of the plastic of the mount and the iPhone did not feel stable. This will be usable in this way, but I will not be angling the tripod down much at all: this will stay close to the vertical. In landscape mode, it was much safer and I was able to hold the mount with the iPhone upside down shaking it (fairly gently): there was not indication of looseness. When I tried this in portrait mode, the iPhone soon slipped out.

The Glif mount is not expensive at $20 although the mailing charges brought this cost up a bit for me here. PayPal charged me a total of 923.99baht. The value, however, is in the immediate improvement that can be produced with little effort, other than sliding the iPhone into the mount and attaching the mount to the tripod. For the moment, this mount is going to stay attached to my tripod, although I will be looking for a small support (or tripod) that can be more easily carried.

The distributor, Studio Neat, also have accessories for the mount to make it more secure and for use in extreme situations, for an additional $12.

Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs.