Apple’s latest iPad event was filmed using an iPhone, but not just any iPhone: an iPhone was at the heart of a bunch of Hollywood-grade gear.

The iPhone’s camera is great, and its video recording skills are exemplary. It can capture stunning footage in near-darkness, smoothing out vibrations and bumps so that it feels like you’ve used a fancy Steadicam. But shooting movies isn’t just about the camera. It’s also about the lenses, the lighting, and how you piece it all together. As we’ll see, Apple used some seriously high-end gear to film its “Let Loose” event , but the fact is that you can do something very similar for a fraction of the cost.

"In my decade-plus career in photography, I've learned that while the camera body sets certain technical limits, it's really the lenses and lighting that transform an image. Apple's Shot on iPhone event perfectly highlights this by using Panavision lenses, demonstrating how high-quality optics can dramatically enhance the capabilities of a smartphone camera," pro photographer Jodi Blodgett told Lifewire via email.

The camera is an important part of any filmmaking setup, but you also have to think about the lens, the lighting, the framing, and all the other little things. That's why professional cameras, both for film and stills, exist as part of a system. While Apple filmed parts of the event using the iPhones' own lenses, it also paired the iPhones with Panavision lenses, some of the best cinematography lenses available.