Virtual production specialist Ramiro Montes De Oca has been testing the iPhone 17 Pro Max with Blackmagic Design's ProDock for genlock capabilities in demanding virtual production scenarios.
His R&D setup pushed the system hard: a 360-degree Kino Flo MIMIK image-based lighting system running at 900fps, powered by Megapixel Helios projectors. The test specifically examined whether genlock actually works and if there's any drift over time.
Key findings from the testing:
Genlock works as promised - side-by-side comparisons confirmed proper sync functionality
iPhone 16 Pro Max and earlier models don't support the ProDock's genlock or timecode features at all
Rolling shutter performance - the iPhone 17 Pro sensor performs about 55% slower than a true global shutter, but "still good enough for most virtual production"
App bugs identified - the Blackmagic Camera app dropped frames from 120fps down to 88.5fps, and shutter angle controls behave inconsistently between iPhone 16 and 17 Pro models
Hardware appears solid - Montes De Oca attributes the issues to app bugs rather than hardware problems
The takeaway: This represents a significant step forward for iPhone-based professional workflows, but the software still needs refinement. For virtual production teams already invested in Blackmagic ecosystems, the iPhone 17 Pro's genlock support opens up new mobile capture possibilities that simply weren't available with previous iPhone generations.
