The monopoly in the publishing sector became a thing of the past with internet technologies. Social media paved the way for ordinary people to assume the responsibilities of a publisher, broadcasting themselves live from a simple mobile phone.Our team experienced this first-hand with Facebook's Live Stream during the recent iPhone 7 release in San Francisco. While we previously broadcast live on sabah.com.tr, we did not have a cameraman or professional equipment with us this time. As Apple only allows TV broadcasters to use tripods or other professional equipment on-site, you have to figure everything out on your own and I underwent a series of preparatory measures to put together special equipment.It is possible to stream live, snap photos or shoot videos with special equipment installed on smartphones just like in a professional camera. Users can easily stream live on YouTube or Facebook by using lenses, microphones and lighting equipment. Thinking of crowded social networks such as YouTube and Facebook's formidable adversaries like Periscope and YouNow, it was high time for them to push forward personal broadcasting features.Live streamıngOur team managed to find a more practical solution on our way to the iPhone 7 launch. Our live feed equipment including wide-angled lens, light, microphone, and a selfie stick that did an incredible job for the live stream on the sabah.com.tr Facebook account.Following our live stream session, many viewers asked about our live feed set. We arranged two different sets which featured both the Samsung S7 Edge and iPhone 6S Plus. When it comes to smartphone accessories, iPhone has no match. Various brands produce lenses, lightening sets, tripods and special accessories, while Samsung generates successful solutions for accessories as well. High quality accessories increase the quality of videos. On the other hand, Sony stands out with various camera accessories. Considering that smartphones change every year, nobody wants to buy expensive accessories. Therefore, the set we used for the Samsung S7 Edge had two lenses and a cover, all of which were very practical to use. We have to remove the cover, however, to use the lens we got for the iPhone 6S. The lenses we used for the iPhone 6S Plus can only be used on this phone; it does not work with the new iPhone 7 Plus.Wide angle lensSmartphones enhance the success and speed of heavy and expensive lenses with software support. However, software possibilities are limited for wide-angled lenses. Aware of this, we used Carl Ziess' wide-angled lens and the Shure microphone that uses a lighting jack instead of a headphone jack. We fixed the image and sound problems with a $200 lens and a $150 microphone. Our selfie stick gave us the necessary distance to shoot on our own and helped us to get into the frame when we were using the wide-angled lens. However, we sometimes had a hard time as we removed the phone cover to use the stick.

Curved S7 screen

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge's "Lens Cover" set featuring a cover and two lenses is used to transform the curved screen of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge into a professional camera. I can say that the set is much more capable than the iPhone lens, which I've been using for a while now. The cover fits the body of S7 Edge perfectly. The lenses are screwed on the cover at marked points.

Users can take close shots in nature or of food with the 2X Telephoto lens. I also used this lens for detailed close-up portraits. It is easy to install and remove the lens and it comfortably fits over the cover. On the other hand, the wide-angled lens is used for landscape-oriented photos or videos. Wide-angled photos are captured by connecting them back to back just like other lenses. When needed, the lenses are taken out from the box and installed over the cover. With its price tag of TL 545, the Lens Cover is consumer friendly. While the cover only fits S7 models, the lifespan of the lenses could be prolonged if they would be used by changing the cover.

Three-stage lighting

We solved the lighting problem by using Manfrotto lighting which came with the lens that we used in the iPhone 6S Plus. We handled the dark spot and reverse light problem. The three-stage lighting activated by pressing the button on its side made our job easier. The selfie stick we used for live feed caused some problems, though. The extension sticks had a hard time supporting the weight of the camera set. I recommend users look for a high quality product when they shop for monopods or selfie sticks.Battery problem

There are a few things that need to be taken into consideration when using a smartphone as a camera. As everybody knows, your smartphone is the easiest way to share your photos. There is also no need to talk about social media and live stream features. However, users should keep one thing in mind. The constant use of a camera consumes your battery very fast and this is why you have to carry your charger or power bank with you. If you are an avid photographer then choose a smartphone like the Samsung S7 with an expandable memory capacity. It is also advisable to do your live stream through Wi-Fi.