I owned the original Accsoon SeeMo, which was ok but didn’t fit into my workflow, so I sold it. The biggest issue for me was the fact the unit did not charge your phone while in use. This meant I always had battery anxiety: losing much-needed brain cells to battery management worries to make sure my phone, which I was using as a screen, wouldn’t die as to become unusable as not just my monitor but my smartphone.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and Accsoon announces the SeeMo 4K. What’s changed besides the obvious 4K upgrade in resolution? A lot, actually. My biggest worry has been resolved with the unit’s ability to power your phone and the USBC-PD-compatible camera while in use! This means I’m no longer worrying about draining my phone or camera’s battery, simplifying battery managing to a new brain-cell low! Some added bonuses include an SD card reader (though you can’t directly record to it), an updated smartphone app that transforms your phone into an awesome professional monitor, an (8-bit) video recorder, and a livestream device. Did I mention the SeeMo 4K also keeps your phone and camera charged? Wowza!

The Un-Review

I’m not calling this a review, as I reached out to Accsoon to request them to send me a SeeMo 4K in exchange for a video. I find it hard to trust “reviews” which are given by people who have barely used the gear and are published on the same embargo-lifted day, so I’ve used the Accsoon SeeMo 4K for over 2 months of work and play, including a vacation to Italy, to really put it through its paces.

Minimalist Mindset of a Vacationing Professional Filmmaker

We went to Italy to celebrate our 25th anniversary, so I wanted to take the LEAST amount of gear possible. This meant no computer or iPad, and just one camera, one lens, and the SeeMo 4K so I could use my iPhone as my screen, recorder, card reader and editor. All the videos you’ll see are shot on the FX3, recorded directly to my iPhone 15 Pro Max, and edited using the iOS app LumaFusion.

Spoiler First

I am actually blown away by the workflow advantage the SeeMo 4K gives content creators. Sure, it leverages my iPhone’s great screen to make it one of the best professional monitors you can buy. But giving us the ability to record videos directly to our iPhones is a game changer. I was seamlessly editing videos whenever I wanted and created many of my vacation videos while stopping for a drink or resting between excursions at our Airbnb. It made video creation frictionless, and the simple removal of the downloading step made editing less laborious and way more fun.

WHAT IS The Accsoon Seemo 4K?

It’s so many things. It converts your excellent iPhone or iPad screen into a professional production monitor. It allows you to livestream a high-quality video feed; it’s a power source for not only your phone but also your camera; it’s an H264 recorder, making the fastest creative workflow for content creators; it’s an SD card reader/writer that allows you to import and backup your iPhone media.

PROS:

• lightweight and compact. Perfect for travel – I always bring my phone anyways, so packing the SeeMo 4K is a no-brainer

• ease of use: once connected and powered on, the SeeMo 4K will request to auto-open the SeeMo app on your iPhone

• great app for monitoring: Great colour, brightness and visibility even in bright sun – no sunhood required!

• SD card reader/writer: quickly transfer high-quality videos and photos from your camera to your phone, edit videos directly from the SD card, or backup your iPhone footage to a spare SD card to make more room.

• App recording and photo taking: the fastest way to get professional videos and photos from your camera to your phone!

• Multi-Charger: Charges my iPhone and camera via USBC-PD via the attached NPF battery, making on-the-go battery management effortless.

CONS:

• it might be a problem with the way I hold my camera, but I found the battery sled disconnecting from the phone holder at times. I would prefer a locking method of keeping the two sections together vs the current friction-based connection, which is prone to disconnecting if held by the battery sled. But some gaffers tape around the bottom and sides does the trick too.

• in-app 8-bit video recording: you can see banding in the skies due to the restricted recording bitrate. But for social media posts it’s better than good enough. And of course you can download the camera’s higher quality video files with the built-in SD card reader. But I’d still like to see a 10-bit H265 in-app recording option.

• cannot trigger app video recording via camera’s movie record button. You have to use the on-screen record button to start/stop video recording, which is sometimes tricky with my thumbs not registering.

QUIRKS:

• If you turn off your iPhone screen between shots, the app will need to be restarted to restart the HDMI feed. I wish this weren’t the case, but the workaround is passable: just leave your iPhone’s screen on. As the SeeMo 4K’s battery will power your iPhone, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max is so good at battery management, I didn’t see this as too large a drawback.

BATTERY TIPS:

• I use and recommend these NPF batteriesNPF batteries for their capacity and ability to be charged via USB-C PD. I brought two along on vacation, and that’s all I need for a full day of shooting, but your mileage may vary depending on how you shoot and manage your batteries (I bring 4 for professional shoots).

• TIP: Keep your iPhone and camera close to 100% charged before shooting to extend your NPF battery life. This is not always possible, but it will allow the NPF battery to just top off your iPhone and camera batteries instead of drawing more power to get them to 100%.

• To conserve battery power, turn off your camera between shots – not your phone. Obviously, this doesn’t apply to fast-paced sports or doc-style shooting, but turning off your camera when you are not shooting will conserve your NPF battery.

WISHLIST:

• 10-bit HEVC recording option (to get rid of banding in skies etc)

• record start-stop when camera starts/stops

LINKS TO RECOMMENDED GEAR

This CONTENT CREATOR’S ESSENTIAL VACATION TRAVEL KIT Includes:

Accsoon SeeMo 4K

Instant Recording, Monitoring, Livestreaming, Powering and SD Card Reader/Writer. This is the heart of my new on-the-go workflow – equally useful for vacation and professional use. Highly recommended!

Sony FX3 Camera Body

With 10bit LOG footage with dual native ISOs, this camera is my “no excuses” cinema camera. Without needing to carry lights, pretty much if I can see it, I can shoot it.

Sony 35mm F1.8 lens

Lightweight, fast and a versatile choice. If you’re ok with capturing in 1080p, then it also becomes an ~50mm lens when shooting cropped, and with Sony’s Clear Image Zoom option on, this one lens becomes ~ 35-75 f1.8. Not bad!

Nisi Swift ND

I try shooting in the FX3’s native ISO’s of 800 and 12800, making a reliable neutral density a necessity. I prefer this screw-on to magnetic filters that I find fall off. The little pin makes adjustments fast and easy in ever-changing light. Pro Tip: buy the 82mm version and put step-up rings on all your lenses to use this on all your lenses.

Nato monitor mount

I prefer the solidity of nato mounts over hotshoes. This gives me the confidence to hold my camera vertically via the monitor mount. I’ve owned many nato monitor mounts, but this latest iteration from Smallrig is my favourite – lightweight, compact and solid.

USBC-PD in/out NPF Battery

I chose this Neewer which has a decent capacity and can be charged directly via its USB-C PD in/out port. This makes for easier traveling, with one less dedicated charger required. Bonus: I can also use this battery to directly charge any USB-C device including my iPhone.

CONCLUSION

Even though there are some quirks to the SeeMo 4K, it’s hard not to sound like a shill – I’ve truly found the Accsoon SeeMo 4K to be a game-changer for my content creation workflow. It allowed me to create over 20 reels and stories while on vacation, without the burden of lugging a laptop or even iPad around. It’s a new freedom to be able to create videos so quickly and seamlessly and I recommend every content creator check out the SeeMo 4K and see what it can do for you.