Best Camera Apps for iOS and Android Photographers
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Smartphone makers may like the idea of
epic battles among the hardware faithful
, but photo connoisseurs know that when it comes to capturing great images, the real question isn't which phone you have, but which app you're shooting with. And if you're still using (heaven we aside) the camera app that came with your device, you're missing out on features you might have thought only existed on standalone cameras. Here's a rundown of the best camera apps for photo enthusiasts on iOS and Android platforms.
Note: Although (almost) all of these apps have image editing tools and filters, I will focus here only on the shooting process. You can read my
photo editing app summary
for post-processing options.
iOS apps
Apple
goes to great lengths to make its products intuitive to use, but this often comes at the expense of functionality. And the iOS 6 camera app is a great example. With it, you can take snapshots, capture panoramas, enable an automated HDR mode and turn the flash on and off. That's it. Even with the
new features
due this fall in iOS 7, Apple is leaving plenty of opportunities for third-party developers, and you won't run out of options.
Camera + $0.99
touch touch, touch
Compatible with iPhone, iPad2 or later, iPod touch and iPad mini. Requires iOS 5 or later.
Camera+, like most iOS camera apps, lets you focus and meter exposure independently. Tap the
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padlock icon (bottom right) and you can lock these settings, as well as the white balance, before recomposing the photo.
Camera+ is currently the best-selling camera app for iPhone and iPad. And it's easy to see why. Its clean, well-designed interface clearly follows Apple's UI lead. This is a comprehensive app with multiple shooting modes, including an anti-shake option that waits to take a photo until the camera stays still. For selfies, it has a timer mode which can be set to a 5, 15 or 30 second delay. There's a burst mode for fast continuous shooting, but be aware that this feature reduces image resolution to a paltry 640 x 480 pixels.
Camera+'s full menu tab lets you add a 3x3 composition grid and a horizon level, though the latter is so utilitarian that it seems unfinished. You can disable geotagging if you'd rather not disclose the location of your favorite photo ops. And you can impress your fellow photographers by displaying exposure settings like ISO and shutter speed on screen, although unlike some of the apps we'll be reviewing, you won't cannot manually adjust either.
A very useful feature for creating well-exposed images is the app's ability to adjust focus and exposure independently, using separate areas of the scene. Simply drag the exposure icon over the part of the scene you want "normal" brightness for and the focus icon on what you want to be in focus. Even better, you can choose to lock focus and exposure at all times or set them to leave in continuous mode, where they will update as the camera position or scene changes. Another neat trick is the ability to use your iPhone's flash as a continuous light source. allows you to preview the lighting effect before shooting, but as you can imagine, it has a huge impact on battery life.
Once you've taken the shot, you can host your images in the app's Lightbox gallery, where you can view exposure and file information, remove releases, edit guardians, and post them to your
, Twitter, or Flickr. Of course, you can save those images directly to the iOS Camera Roll instead. For the more backup-conscious, the app can automatically save a copy to Lightbox and Camera Roll simultaneously. Camera+ can also use iCloud to synchronize your photos among the Lightbox galleries of any iOS device on which the application is installed.
Camera Pro $4.99
cocologics
Compatible with iPhone, iPad2 or later,
Ipod touch
and iPad mini. Requires iOS 5 or later.
ProCamera provides a horizontal level for easy composition, independent focus and exposure locking and a
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live histogram to judge the overall brightness of the scene.
At $4.99, ProCamera is among the more expensive camera apps, which likely explains its relatively low popularity ranking in the App Store. Its most obvious distinction between the cheaper Camera+ is video recording. But look closely and you'll see that even for photography, ProCamera is packed with geek-worthy detail and features.
The app offers a live histogram display so you can objectively assess the brightness of the scene. You can display one of three distinct grid overlays as well as a horizon level indicator that can even be calibrated by the user for greater precision. Self-timer options can be set from 0.5 seconds to 20 seconds in full second increments. And while its fastest burst mode again only delivers 640 x 480 images, the app offers a full-resolution continuous shooting mode that captures images at approximately 2 fps.
You have the option to shoot in 3:2, 1:1 and 16:9 aspect ratios in addition to the camera's native 4:3 frame. shutter, ProCamera gives you at least indirect control. Enabling an ISO Boost mode raises the camera's maximum sensitivity from ISO 800 to ISO 3200, which can enable faster shutter speeds for handheld night shots. Alternatively, by pressing the shutter speed indicator, you can switch to a mode that reduces exposure time by up to 1/7 of a second. A long press on the shutter speed indicator allows the camera to choose an exposure time as slow as 1 second (at which point, of course, you'll need to use a tripod). These two modes allow the camera to use lower ISO values, which results in less noisy images.
You can save your images to iOS Camera Roll or ProCamera's Lightbox Gallery. In Lightbox, you can delete and edit your images, share them via Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, or upload them directly to your Dropbox account. a full list of EXIF data recorded by the camera. And if all that still isn't enough to get your nerd groove going, ProCamera also doubles as a QR code reader, opening the URL in Safari.
A separate version, dubbed ProCamera HD (also $4.99) is available and is optimized for the larger screen area of the iPad.
Professional HDR $1.99
(iOS version)
eyeApps LLC
Compatible with iPhone 3GS or later, iPad2 or later,
iPod touch 4th generation or later and iPad mini. Requires iOS 4.1 or later.
Professional HDR camera $1.99
(Android version)
eyeApps LLC
Fully compatible with select HTC, Motorola and Samsung models
.Requires Android 2.2 or later.
ProHDR lets you capture two consecutive photos at different exposures and then merge them into one
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single image, capturing both highlight and shadow detail in high contrast scenes.
Compared to the other apps we review, Pro HDR basically does one thing, but it does it impressively. detail in highlights and shadows than is possible from a single exposure on a smartphone.
Available for iOS and Android devices, Pro HDR determines an optimal exposure setting for the darkest areas of the scene and then another for the brighter sections. After taking the two photos, it then merges them into one single image while accounting for slight camera position changes in between. It's pretty neat to see the screen preview automatically go brighter and then darker as the app analyzes the scene to determine appropriate exposures. Using the app requires you to keep the device steady for the duration of this analysis, which can often take upwards of 10 seconds. You can speed things up considerably by using the manual HDR mode of the app (see screenshot above) in which you drag squares across the screen to manually identify the bright and dark scenes in which you want to keep r the details.
Since the application needs to align these two images, the composite image will have slightly reduced pixel dimensions. The more camera movement between shots, the greater the resulting crop. However, use a tripod and you'll get essentially the same image size as your device's single exposure capture. Whether you're using automatic or manual mode, the results are always superior to Apple's built-in HDR mode. And after each image is processed, you are presented with a useful collection of sliders to adjust the brightness, contrast, saturation and color balance to your liking. You can go for a heavily processed HDR style or tone things down for a more natural result. If that's not enough not, you can even set the app to save both the brightest and darkest exposures next to the composite image so you can merge them together. s yourself in the image editor of your choice.
And Kitcam?
I know.I like it too.But less than 48 hours before publication, the creators of this iOS app were
bought by yahoo
...and Kitcam has been removed from the App Store. That's life in the tech world.
Next, Android camera apps...
Android Apps
Although each handset maker places its own frills on top of Google's native camera app, the stock version of Android 4.2 already includes traditional camera features such as exposure compensation, scene modes and white balance presets. There's even a 360-degree panorama mode. However, Google still left room for more advanced features and controls, which is where the following apps come in handy .
Note: I tested these apps on the Samsung Galaxy S4. Available features and performance may differ between other models.
ProCapture $1.99
NEast Studios
Requires Android 2.2 or later. A free version with limited output resolution is available, as is a panoramic-only version at a lower price.
ProCapture offers a well-organized interface with all shooting controls aligned to the left.
Users looking to go beyond Android's photographic controls, but don't need built-in editing tools or filters, may find ProCapture's understated approach to their liking. well-organized page, albeit somewhat dull, the app offers histogram display, adjustable timer option, multi-shot noise reduction mode and continuous flash setting. Its most compelling feature, however, is its panorama shooting modes.
ProCapture offers two distinct modes for creating larger than normal images. In Panorama mode, you can take up to 12 images which are then automatically treated as a single panorama. What separates ProCapture from many other applications is that the resolution of the final image is so high. On my Samsung Galaxy S4 13MP, 180 degree panoramas resulted in 8767 x 1092 image files with only minor stitching misalignments that you would only notice with a side view. 100%. Capturing images is simple but takes a bit of time. After each exposure, you are presented with an image overlay to help you line up each successive shot, in which case you press the shutter button again. may not be as simple as a swipe style implementation where you just tap once and pan across the camera, but the extra time is worth it as the results are very , very good. You can include up to 12 frames in a 180 degree panorama, but you are also free to stop after fewer frames for a closer view.
For my money though, it's the second WideShot option that makes this app a must-have. The concept is the same, except here you're limited to 3-shot composite. making perspective corrections, producing final images that mimic what you would get shooting the scene with a wider focal length lens. Ideal for anyone shooting interiors or architecture up close, for example, images finals stand up to very close scrutiny and again offer very high resolution, producing 5336 x 1127 files on the Galaxy S4.
Zoom FX camera $2.99
Androidslide
Requires Android 1.6 or later.
Camera Zoom FX offers grid overlay and horizontal level as well as camera controls such as ISO
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select and scene modes, plus a voice-activated shutter option.
The best camera app in the Google Play Store has long been Camera Zoom FX. intuitive puts shooting modes and composition aids at your fingertips, but you'll have to scroll quite a bit to access many other settings. You can set ISO sensitivities, view a histogram to gauge exposure and use a horizontal level to keep your footage straight. A timer mode can be set for up to 60 seconds and there is also a time lapse option which can continuously capture photos at up to 12 minute intervals.
A burst mode capable of an impressive 10 fps can be set for anywhere from 2 to 60 frames and is initiated with a single press of the shutter button, no long press required. As with most Ultra-fast burst modes, resolution has a price to pay, but on my Samsung Galaxy S4 13MP, shooting in burst mode still delivered 1440 x 1080 image files.
An anti-shake option - complete with visual stability indicator - can be used to prevent an image from being recorded until the camera is still There is a composite mode in which you can choose from a large variety of background overlays at various opacities and a collage mode with multiple templates for 2-up to 8-up image layouts.
What might just be the coolest feature, though, is the voice-activated shutter that lets you capture an image just by speaking, clapping, or making a sound. And if customization is your thing, Camera FX has you covered. allows you to reassign all of your smartphone's hardware and software buttons, as well as some gestures, to specific camera features. You can share images directly from the app to your Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr feeds.
FV-5 camera $3.95
Flavionet
Requires Android 2.2 or later.
A free version with limited output resolution is available.
The FV-5 camera features a compact camera-like control interface that includes a useful on-screen display
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compensation slider.
The FV-5 camera features a control interface designed to appeal to photographers and proudly eschews the automated scene modes found on most other camera apps. camera app, it's probably the closest competitor to Camera FX in terms of manual photographic control. Along with options like manual ISO selection, focus lock, continuous flash, presets white balance and burst mode, the FV-5 camera offers its own useful and clever features. Users who like to control exposure will appreciate that the app's exposure compensation slider is always displayed. on-screen, eliminating the need to call it up from a menu. Current aperture, shutter speed, and ISO values can also be displayed on-screen. The app offers three modes of measurement re separate, as well as the ability to lock exposure when recomposing.
An exposure bracketing mode lets you capture 3-7 images between 1 and 4 EV levels (on the Samsung Galaxy S4) in full-stop increments, an easy way to create files for later merging into an HDR image .An intervalometer allows you to create time-lapse images by specifying not only the interval between shots, but the total number of frames to capture.And once started, the process can be paused/resumed.
A long exposure mode allows you to record exposures up to 60 seconds, but at a lower image resolution. This can be ideal for creating light trails at night, and even at exposure times at a single digit, can minimize image noise by allowing you to shoot at lower ISO values. If you regularly upload images to the cloud and are tired of dealing with incomprehensible filenames, the camera photo FV-5 lets you create filename templates that incorporate custom text and image metadata. You can also save files in PNG format, as well as standard JPEG format.
Conclude
The apps we've reviewed here offer a range of options for those serious about mobile photography. Your needs and shooting style will of course dictate which is best for you. But with any from these choices, you will get more sophisticated features, better performance and ultimately more satisfying images than with the stock application on your smartphone or tablet.