iPhone Lidar apps & cables as focus helpers or AF

[radneuerfinder]

Which apps can do the trick?

 

Brian Williams wrote:

Quote

I am also working on an iOS app for the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max that will do the same things, use the phone’s LIDAR to control BMPCC’s af as well as record movement with gyro and accelerometer for stabilization. That one will be available soon.

Looking forward to this app! 🙂👍

[radneuerfinder]

 

[radneuerfinder]

https://www.newsshooter.com/2026/04/12/lidarac-app-for-the-tilta-nucleus-nano-ii/

[Samantha_Hong]

The LiDAR stuff is actually pretty interesting for manual focus setups. Even if it’s not perfect AF, having distance data as a focus aid could still be super useful for run-and-gun shooting or low light situations. Curious to see how reliable it gets in real-world use.

[radneuerfinder]

https://www.cined.com/lidarac-app-for-tilta-nucleus-m-ii-and-nano-ii-introduced-turn-your-iphone-into-a-lidar-rangefinder/

[Emanuel]

Interesting to see this thread again in 2026.

Back then the idea sounded a bit futuristic, but now it feels like we are finally getting there from a few different directions.

The iPhone LiDAR side is still interesting, especially with things like LidarAC, but what really caught my attention more recently is that we now have dedicated systems actually trying to turn manual lenses into something much closer to AF behavior.

DJI Focus Pro is probably the most serious example so far. PDMOVIE is trying something similar too, though it seems a bit more compromised in how it decides what to lock onto.

So in a way the original idea in this thread was right, just early.

It was never only about using the iPhone as a clever measuring tape. The bigger idea was using LiDAR / distance mapping / external motors to bring some level of autofocus logic to manual lenses and cine setups, and that definitely seems real now.

We are still not quite at “perfect native AF for any manual lens”, but compared to where this discussion started, it is no longer science fiction either.

Has anyone here actually used one of these newer systems on a real shoot rather than just testing it at home?

[eatstoomuchjam]

15 minutes ago, Emanuel said:

DJI Focus Pro is probably the most serious example so far. PDMOVIE is trying something similar too, though it seems a bit more compromised in how it decides what to lock onto.

 

I really wanted to like the PDMovie.  I had the previous version (Air 3 Smart?  Something like that) for a bit and ended up selling it after trying to use it just a few times.  The weird batteries were a little annoying, but I could have lived with them if not for the complete lack of ability to choose what it focuses on.  As far as I could tell, the focus would always be on "whatever is closest"

With DJI focus, the hand grip has a little screen where you can at least tell it where you want the focus to be - and it'll successfully focus on that thing about...  well, 85% of the time.  For me, the systems that fake out PDAF are more exciting.  I hope that someone comes out with one for RF mount sometime - or even better, for EF mount.  Otherwise, the ones with a little motor are kind of neat - though moving the lens back and forth is not quite the same as adjusting the focus (though usually it's a relatively petty distinction).