Your optical stabilizer
STABILIZER PROTECTION
We tell you everything to avoid the damage!
We get asked this question every day. Because yes, many of you have seen your iPhone or other smartphone become unable to take a photo or usable video following damage to the optical image stabilizer of the camera.
Plenty of tweets, forum posts, and YouTube videos on the subject. Quite a few of us have experienced this little inconvenience. Because yes, a smartphone without photo/video capability is quite a setback.
The brands concerned have actually posted a warning message on their website for the past few months. We'll only mention the main ones, but all brands offering this type of mount have the same issue.
Damaged camera
The problem?
Let's start from the basics:
In every smartphone there is a stabilizer so we can take sharp photos. This stabilizer is either mechanical or digital. If it's digital, no problem. If it's mechanical, that's where the issues arise (this is notably the case with iPhones).
We know that vibrations, in many areas, are very damaging. Indeed, motorcycle vibrations will cause the phone's stabilizer to resonate and eventually fail.
The consequence? No more photos or videos possible, which is quite frustrating. Not to mention the cost of repair.
Is that the case with all mounts? No.
And with all motorcycles? Not either.
VIBRATIONS
Unavoidable?
If you have a rigid mount, made of plastic or metal, on your handlebars, onto which you attach your phone in a rigid case, it will transfer all the vibrations from the motorcycle or bicycle directly into the smartphone — and that's where the risk of damage lies. Especially if you have a motorcycle that vibrates a lot, like a Harley or an MT07, to name just a few. You know how the story goes...
And there's no strict rule. Some break after a few kilometers, others after a few months. It's therefore a problem that needs to be anticipated. And there are two solutions.
Solution 1
Vibration dampeners
Some brands have recently released this type of product. In principle, it does the job in most cases. There are always exceptions, but it seems to work. The issue is that you still need to spend an extra 20 to 35 euros.
Going over 100 euros for a smartphone mount is starting to get expensive. That's the case with Quadlock or SP Connect, to name just a few.
Solution 2
Our proposition
Opting for a flexible silicone mount, which will absorb some of the vibrations, paired with a flexible sleeve, which will also allow the phone to move slightly (imperceptible to the naked eye).
That's the direction we took at Shapeheart!
We've actually run quite a few tests — take a look at our explanations:
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