Back when the super-thin 2024 iPads were launched, a Live Multicam feature was demonstrated whereby Final Cut Pro on an iPad Pro could switch between live footage from up to four iPhones.
Now, finally, the app which makes that possible – Final Cut Camera – has been released into the App Store as a free download. This enables, in Apple's words, the user to "Capture professional footage with full manual control" and "Preview, record, and sync up to four devices with Live Multicam in Final Cut Pro for iPad."
You might ask why this is separate from the standard camera app. It does, after all, have features you'd recognise, like pull focus. When you see the features you'll understand why Apple has chosen to ring-fence more deliberate users into an app which offers easy access to settings including shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and manual focus as well as choosing resolution, frame rate and color space.
Other pro features are Focus peaking and overexposure indicators, though these require more recent iPhones (A13 Bionic or newer). To be fair, that means the iPhone 11 and onward. There are also overlays like grids and aspect ratios.
Preview media is automatically synced and instantly available for edit with FCP, and the app allows you to see your available audio recording time as well as levels.
The app is compatible with all iPhones with iOS 17.2 and up, but one especially useful feature – the ability to record video files directly to an external recording device – does (as the USB-C socket might suggest) require an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Perhaps more financially significant, if you're headed down this route, is that Final Cut Pro for iPad requires a subscription. At £49/$49 per year or £4.99/$4.99 per month, it's also Apple's first subscription app.
While this feature might now provide a much better reason for some creators to make that investment – immediately synchronising content and doing an on-the-fly edit can save a lot of time – it is still a choice which will weigh a little more on the wallet than a traditional set-up.
If you're planning on using a few iPhones for an event, check our guide to the best iPhone camera grips.
