Photo App Review: 6×7
6×7
Version 1.0
Price: $0.99
Bottom Line: A simple but good app. I like it. It’s a classic aspect ratio that’s new to iPhoneography. 4 1/2 stars when a memory bug is fixed.
There are many iPhone photo apps that emulate various medium format cameras. Many modern medium format cameras are similar to 35 mm cameras, except larger, bulkier, and heavier. They use the larger 120 or 220 roll films. The most popular use of medium format is square format photography. Almost every photographer has heard of a Hasselblad. You can read more about medium format photography here and here.
Analog medium format cameras shoot in a number of aspect ratios beside square format, including a 6 cm x 7 cm frame — more popularly known as 6×7.
6×7 is a new photo app from the developer of the square format app 6×6. It’s a basic camera app that shoots in — you guessed it — a 6 x 7 aspect ratio.
6x7, Standard mode
6x7, Dynamic color mode. Medium format frame added in PicTools app
“For high-quality images, medium-format cameras were the professionals’ choice for years. And many preferred the framing of the 6x7cm format above all. Now 6×7 takes you back to that time, with beautiful, high-resolution images that aren’t quite square – but aren’t too stretched out, either.” — from the App Store description
6×7 is a straightforward shooter with a great user interface. As a camera, it’s simple and fast. It has a large viewfinder that crops to 6 x 7. Viewfinder guide lines can be easily toggled between both pro grid and rule-of-thirds reticles. Other than that, it’s pretty frills-free. No photo effects. No retro borders. Check out the example above for a medium format frame I added using photo app PicTools. It’s a detail that adds a bit of authenticity to the image.
The user interface is clean, easy to use and full of analog-style goodies. It shoots in both color and black-and-white with an on-screen toggle between to choose between the two. In the app’s settings you can toggle between regular and dynamic shooting modes. To my eye, the dynamic settings added just a little bit of punch, saturation and contrast of the images — it’s just barely noticeable but is more pleasing than standard mode. Both modes work well. I prefer the Dynamic color mode over standard because of the enhancement, but prefer the Standard black & white mode — it’s already a great b&w conversion that needs little help. Sadly, the great-looking onscreen vignette is not added to the final image. Making this optional in a future update would be great — it’s a nice vignette.
The camera sounds can easily be turned off and on in the preferences. I left them on. They’re subtle and I like the audible feedback. Here’s another cool feature of the app. In the settings, the volume button can be configured to be used as a physical as a hardware shutter release — a very handy feature that makes the iPhone feel more camera-like.
The app saves images with most of the EXIF data. The app supports full resolution on iPhone 4S up to the 6 x 7 aspect ratio.
Shot-to-shot time is pretty fast, faster than many camera apps currently available. Although it has a fast shot-to-shot time, taking too many shots in succession often overloaded the camera on my 4S, causing the apt crash without saving any of the images in the cache. This is a pretty big bug, especially if you take a lot of safety shots or just like to take a lot of fast shots. It’s the only major problem I found with the app.
UPDATE 11.28.11 @15:00: It looks like a fix for this bug is already in the works. From the developer:”, “We’re on it. It seems to be 4S-specific. 1.02 will fix it (1.01 is currently In Review). It’s quite a niche bug, though!”
Why even go with a 6 x 7 format in the first place? Because it’s a classic analog format. At one time, it was a popular format for photographers on portrait assignment for magazines. It’s a format that hasn’t been exploited by other photo apps yet. As far as I know, this is the first photo app to shoot with a 6 x 7 aspect ratio. It’s not a popular frame size so most cropping apps don’t have a built-in 6 x 7 preset. Composing an image in the viewfinder is always easier than trying to crop it down later.
6×7 is a good project camera. It probably isn’t ideal as an everyday shooter, but it’s a great nod to this classic medium format aspect ratio. Overall, this version is a solid app if you don’t work it too hard. Hopefully, the bugs will be worked out soon in a future update. Right now, though, it’s still worth a buck.
6×7 is $0.99. Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.1 or later.
=M=
6x7, Dynamic color mode
6x7, Standard black & white mode
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Marty is a self-employed graphic designer in the Fort Worth/Dallas Metroplex. He is an avid Rangers baseball, Chicago Cubs, Packers and Highbury Arsenal fan. In addition to capturing random moments with whatever camera is close by (usually his iPhone), his other interests include coffee, film, music, and traveling in seats 5E and 5F with his fiancé.
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[...] The review (which is of V1.0) is comprehensive and includes some great demo photographs. You can read it here. [...]
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Contact the developer about the bug via Twitter, @jaggrtweets He is very responsive.
I believe 6×6 had that problem and he fixed it so it would stop accepting shots if you filled the buffer.
Thanks, Steve!
=M=
Hi Marty – the buffer issue will be fixed in 1.02 (1.01 is currently In Review at the App Store), which will be out ASAP. It seems to be a 4S-related issue, where the faster processor doesn't quite compensate for the larger image-sizes. But we're on it!
1.02 has been uploaded to the App Store and is Waiting for Review. The buffer issue should have ceased to exist when it goes live…
I downloaded this a couple of weeks ago. At first I was a little disappointed because of how bare-bones it is. Where are the filters? The frames? But then I started using it, and I've really fallen in love with it. The 6×7 framing is unique and pleasing. The simplicity of it allows me to work on composing the shot instead of worrying about filters, frames, etc. I like the separate focus and exposure settings in the viewfinder. I've also downloaded their 6×6 app and they've become my go-to apps lately.
Having shot 6X7 analog in the past , the measurements equate most closely to : 4X5 , 8X10 and 16X20 inch print sizes for those who want to reproduce their 6X7 app images . There are still on line developers who offer all of these print sizes for both B&W and color .
Interestingly, there was no standard size for "6×7" photos. Some – such as the Pentax – came very close to that 4:5 ratio, while others (Mamiya, for example, and Fuji – IIRC) tended to be very close to 6:7. None, of course were actually 6cm by 7cm because all 120/220 images are narrower than the 6cm film width.
I chose to go with a ration very near to 6:7 on the basis that an app called 6×7 might confuse a lot of people if its images were actually 4:5 in ratio!
I have been using both 6/6 and 6/7 apps and really love the simple format. Being a Hassie/Bronica/Mamiya/Rollie/Yashica person, I still love the square format.
Never shot no snooty-square Hassie… RB67 Baby!
"Heineken? …. …. …. Pabst Blue Ribbon!!!"
I only have two requests, only UI
- Could the thin border of the screenviewer (the opposite side of the release button) be made a bit darker (or removed)
i am always a bit confused because it looks lighter (unbalanced) than the other border. In 6×6 app they look the same
- The original grid of a Pentax 6×7 is 8 lines wide and 6 lines high. Would be better than actual 6 lines x 5,5 lines.
Great apps Mike!
Hi Tomba – I'll look at the border lines (they're exactly the same colour as each other, but that doesn't mean they can't be improved).
Different 6×7 cameras have different architectural grids (and some have more than one…) – I'll certainly take a look at the Pentax again and see if it might work better than the current one.
Hi Mike thanks for quick reply.
. If you hold iphone vertically you made a few millimeter wide line horizontally "border". If you made it exactly the same "color" than the other the reason that it seams to look lighter could be that the iphone color is much darker than the texture of the UI. Or make a border on all 4 sides. But i prefer not to shrink screen size because of UI elements.
Hopefully you got what i mean with border
Here is a link to the Pentax grid http://www.kameradoktor.de/screens67.jpg May be it helps for understanding. The advantage is that you can compose with 6×6 format also. Just leave on line on both sides
Hi Mike thanks for quick reply.
. If you hold iphone vertically you made a few millimeter wide line horizontally "border". If you made it exactly the same "color" than the other the reason that it seams to look lighter could be that the iphone color is much darker than the texture of the UI. Or make a border on all 4 sides. But i prefer not to shrink screen size because of UI elements.
Hopefully you got what i mean with border
Here is a link to the Pentax grid http://www.kameradoktor.de/screens67.jpg May be it helps for understanding. The advantage is that you can compose with 6×6 format also. Just leave on line on both sides
OK, you've convinced me about the grid!
It's worth noting, though, the full Pentax grid has a 3:4 ratio, the Pentax 67 (despite its name) shoots almost exactly 4:5 and the 6×7 app is a (Mamiya-like) 6:7, so the ends of the grid – in landscape mode – will be cropped somewhat on the app.
(I'm still looking at options for the "black chrome" strips, BTW.)
Love this app in combination with Film Lab and a few border apps. Almost makes me want to leave the Mamiya RB-67 at home, but…not quite yet