Sun stars with the iPhone are not possible! SANDMARC California has the solution to this challenge.
Brandie from SANDMARC California has been contacting me and told me, that she likes very much my reports of my tests I made with the iPhone 16 PRO MAX and different photo APPs like e.g. the Leica Lux App. One of my comments during these tests has been, “Such a pity, it’s not possible to create sun stars with the iPhone”. Brandie told me, “We have a solution for that problem!”
Long story short. Brandie told me, that her company SANDMARC California, has developed lenses and filter for smart phones to extend optically the limited capabilities of most of those cameras. Offering macro, wide, small and up to 10x tele and even fisheye lenses. Another segment of their offering are filters for e.g. the iPhone. One of those is named star filter. A filter that can be rotated and from 4 up to 8 stars beams are produced from a strong light source like the sun or even a lantern on the street in the middle of the night.
I was excited and asked Brandie to send me such a filter for testing, which she kindly did. Important for mounting those filters is a plane surface and I received next to the star filter also a Pro Case from SANDMARC California for my iPhone 16 Pro Max which has around the cameras, on the backside of the phone, a plateau made of aluminum where lenses can be screwed in and additionally provides a flat surface to clamp on the filter. The Pro case and the filter are made of high-quality metal and polymer. Next to support the cameras to mount lenses and filter, the case has inside a smooth fiber protection to avoid scratches on the housing of the iPhone. The Pro Case is providing an excellent grip, needed during taking images with an iPhone. All in all, the Pro Case and Filter from SANDMARC California is excellent designed and build for long life.
As you can see, as soon the duo arrived, I mounted the case and filter on my iPhone and rushed onto my terrace to shoot the first pictures. The star effect is stunning. Sure it´s not a real sun star but the star, that you can even change by turning the filter from 4 up to 8 star beams, is modern and real fun to use. It gives to every image a unique touch.
Wait for more test shootings during day but also night.