Continuity Camera — Using Your iPhone as a Mac Camera
Continuity Camera lets you use your iPhone as a high-quality wireless camera on your Mac. No cables — it connects over WiFi and Bluetooth. MotionEdge on Mac supports Continuity Camera for live capture and recording. It's great for quick captures and seeing a live feed on a larger screen, but it has platform-level limitations you should know about before using it for serious swing analysis.
Why Is My Video Always Landscape?
This is the most common question. Continuity Camera always delivers landscape-oriented frames to your Mac, regardless of how your iPhone is physically oriented. If you mount your phone in portrait (vertical) position — which is ideal for capturing a full golf swing — the video still arrives on your Mac as landscape.
This is an Apple platform limitation, not a MotionEdge issue. Every macOS app that uses Continuity Camera (OBS, Zoom, FaceTime, Photo Booth) has the same behavior. The iPhone's camera sensor is cropped to landscape before the frames are sent to macOS. There is no API or setting to change this.
What this means for golf: Landscape framing works well for face-on views where the golfer is centered, but it cuts off the top of the backswing and the club in many down-the-line angles. Portrait framing captures the full swing arc from address to finish — and you can only get portrait by recording directly on the iPhone.
Can I Record Slow Motion Through Continuity Camera?
No. Continuity Camera supports up to 60 FPS on most iPhones. High-speed recording (120 FPS, 240 FPS) is not available through Continuity Camera.
Available formats on a typical iPhone 15/16/17 Pro:
| Resolution | Frame Rate |
|---|---|
| 1920x1440 (4:3) | 30 FPS |
| 1080p (16:9) | 30 FPS |
| 1080p (16:9) | 60 FPS |
| 720p (16:9) | 30 FPS |
| 720p (16:9) | 60 FPS |
For slow-motion review at 120 or 240 FPS — which gives you 4-8x more frames through the downswing and impact zone — you need to record directly on your iPhone and import the video to MotionEdge on Mac.
Can I Adjust ISO or Shutter Speed on Mac?
No. Manual exposure controls (ISO, shutter speed) are not available on macOS at the SDK level. This applies to all cameras on Mac, not just Continuity Camera. The camera auto-adjusts exposure, which works well in most lighting conditions but can't be overridden for specific indoor environments.
On iPhone, MotionEdge provides full manual exposure control — useful for dialing in consistent brightness in simulator bays or indoor ranges.
Can I Choose Which iPhone Lens to Use?
No. Continuity Camera appears as a single camera device on macOS. Your iPhone's individual lenses (wide, ultra-wide, telephoto) are not individually selectable. macOS receives one camera feed per connected iPhone.
When recording directly on iPhone, you can choose your lens — ultra-wide is useful for tight indoor spaces, and telephoto gives a cleaner image from farther away on the range.
When to Use Continuity Camera vs Direct iPhone Recording
| Continuity Camera (Mac) | Direct iPhone Recording | |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | Landscape only | Portrait or landscape |
| Frame rate | Up to 60 FPS | Up to 240 FPS |
| Manual exposure | Not available | Full ISO + shutter control |
| Lens selection | Single camera | Wide, ultra-wide, telephoto |
| Best for | Quick landscape captures, face-on shots, live preview on a big screen | Full swing analysis, portrait framing, slow-motion capture |
| Review workflow | Immediate on Mac | Syncs to Mac via iCloud, or import via Files or Remote Camera |
Recommendation
For the best golf swing recording quality, record directly on your iPhone. Use portrait orientation at 120 FPS or higher, then review and analyze on your Mac. Your sessions sync automatically via iCloud — the video, pose data, filmstrip, and all metrics appear on your Mac within seconds.
Continuity Camera is useful when:
- You want to see a live feed on your Mac's larger screen while positioning the camera
- You're doing a quick face-on capture where landscape framing works
- You want to record and review on Mac without waiting for a sync
- You're in a coaching scenario where the student sees the Mac screen during the lesson
See also: Filmstrip & Video Quality for tripod and trim tips, and Indoor Simulator FPS for frame rate guidance in simulator bays.