Pearla Brings Open Gate Recording and Log Video Modes to iPhone

Dec 17, 2024

Zack Morrison

A smartphone screen displays a photo editing app with a city skyline. The text reads "HOUSE of MARS" and "Pearla" in orange script, accompanied by the slogan "Make your phone photos less phoney.

Pearla version 2.1 allows iPhone filmmakers to shoot in open gate formats and record Log video, including for shooting in open gate and log formats, including S-Log and N-Log.

House of Mars, creators of the Pearla camera app for iPhone, announced a new update that brings a variety of professional cinema features to all iPhone models. Available for any iPhone user running iOS 17 and above, the latest update allows for open-gate shooting and log video modes. Currently, the color profiles include Sony S-Log 3 and Nikon N-Log. Additionally, the Pearla app’s baked-in film simulations can also be applied to video.

A cityscape featuring a large Ferris wheel, partially visible buildings, and a train crossing an elevated track. In the foreground, bare trees line the street. The text "iPhone 16 Pro (Pearla 2:1) Sony S-Log3" appears on the image.

“Photographers have been desperate for camera manufacturers to implement an iPhone-like user experience. In the meantime, the iPhone hardware started catching up with the needs of professional creators,” says Guy Cassidy, founder of House of Mars. “When we launched Pearla, we did something no camera app has done. We went straight to the camera sensor and implemented our own photo development pipeline. Now we’re doing the same for video.”

In the video below, House of Mars demonstrates Pearla 2.1’s S-Log 3 profile against the latest Apple Log available on iPhone 16 Pro.

At first glance, the Pearla footage appears to be about a full stop darker than the native Apple Log footage. As such, it’s unclear whether the app is actually unlocking the full log space capability of the image sensor or if it’s applying a flat curve within the low dynamic range of the standard camera. Either way, the final result is still quite impressive, and the footage would undoubtedly pass the eyeball test when cut into a larger piece.

A cityscape features a large Ferris wheel, known as the London Eye, with Big Ben visible in the background. A train crosses an elevated track near modern buildings, and bare trees line the scene. Overlaid text reads "iPhone 16 Pro Apple Log. — The footage from Apple Log appears brighter than the Pearla Sony S-Log3

A cityscape featuring a large Ferris wheel and a train on a bridge. High-rise buildings and a cloudy sky fill the background. Text overlay reads: "iPhone 14 (Pearla 2.1) Sony S-Log3 (Lut applied in Pearla).

As Apple continues to add professional video functionality into its latest iPhone models, it’s going to be quite interesting to watch as third party camera app makers push the limits of the physical hardware in these devices.

“With Pearla 2.1, you can get an iPhone SE and shoot 4k, Open Gate, ProRes 422 video calibrated to match your Sony S-Log3 footage. It’s the pocket 4K cinema camera we always wanted,” Cassidy adds.

The new Pearla 2.1 update will be available in January. As House of Mars has consistently demonstrated with Pearla, there’s a lot to love for photographers, too. The recent V2 update introduced expanded control for photographers, including many new ways to improve image quality.

Image credits: House of Mars