The iPhone’s built-in camera already takes amazing photos and videos. Designed for simple point and shoot home movies or quick snapshots, the 3 megapixel iPhone 3GS camera and the 5 megapixel camera on the iPhone 4 perform well for everyday use. But some intrepid developers and manufacturers have dared to imagine the iPhone camera as more than a point and shoot camera for snapshots and YouTube-worthy clips. For those who want to get serious with their iPhone cameras, check out these professional iPhone camera accessories that will take your iPhone video and photography to the next level.

Fractron

The problem with point and shoot cameras is their lack of extensibility. Namely, you can’t swap out the lens. But just because you want to use a different camera lens doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a digital SLR. Your iPhone can do the trick with the Fractron iPhone case. This case gives your iPhone an added layer of protection, but more importantly, it lets you screw on one of six interchangeable lenses, such as a fish eye, wide angle or close up.

Qwle Bubo
The Qwle Bubo is a full mount for the iPhone 4 or 3GS, and once it’s equipped, you’ll barely recognize your iPhone as the svelte little smartphone that slides into your pocket. The Owle Bubo provides two hand grips for holding your iPhone horizontally. Above the camera are 37mm threads for lenses, and there is even an external microphone which plugs into the iPhone for video/audio capture. On the top and bottom of each handle is a separate threaded mount for a tripod, and there is a cold-shoe mount for standard camera accessories.

Z-Grip iPhone Cinema Kit from Zucato
The Z-Grip is an iPhone cinema tool for serious cinematographers. A mount comes up from a rubber handle and the iPhone is place in the mount. The ergonomic grip makes it comfortable to hold the iPhone still and two other sister accessories (the Z-Grip iPhone Pro stabilizer and its articulating arm) allow for even more precise shooting.

USBfever Special Effect Lenses
These are individual lenses ranging from magnification to wide angle to fisheye and are attached to the iPhone magnetically. You can also use these special effects with other cameras using the adhesive ring.

Joby GorillaMobile
This flexible tripod is made up of three legs with the ability to curl and maintain their shape. They are sturdy enough to wrap around objects and hold up the iPhone with excellent stability. It also works equally well as a standard tripod. Along with the tripod comes a small case for the iPhone itself so you don’t have to worry about the tripod grip (or anything else for that matter) scratching the phone itself.

The Glif
This small attachment for the iPhone is small enough to fit in a pocket while not being too bulky and doubles as a small kickstand for the iPhone on flat surfaces. However, the real reason for the Glif is to allow the iPhone to attach to any standard tripod stand.

Check out one or all of these awesome iPhone accessories to take your shooting to the next level!