Life in LoFi: iPhoneography

Apple iPhone 4 camera vs. ClearCam. Click to enlarge.

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ClearCam
Version 1.5.5
Price: $1.99

Bottom Line: ClearCam definitely delivers on its claims of sharper, clearer larger images.

ClearCam by Occipital is a camera app that promises clearer, sharper and sometimes larger images from any iPhone. It claims to eliminate the blur without “missing the moment”. It does so without waiting for an anti-shake setting to kick in. It claims to take clearer, sharper pictures with twice the resolution in enhanced mode.

ClearCam makes a lot of big claims. Does it deliver on them? The answer is a resounding yes. ClearCam produces simply amazing photos rich in clarity and detail. There is nothing else like it in the App Store.

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The 1.4 update for retro camera app lo-mob has been released. lo-mob is one of the premier retro filter apps available and it does an amazing job of recreating classic camera output and lo-fi photographic styles.

We previewed the version 1.4 update a few weeks ago, and this new release holds even a few more surprises.

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[UPDATED 8.31.10 @ 18:00]

We’ve got more on the Perfectly Clear 2.0 update, including a fix of sorts.

The Perfectly Clear 2.0 update is in the app store now, but use caution in updating to this version of the app at this time. It’s not as unstable as I initially feared, but it still needs a lot more coddling than an iPhone app should require in order to work. 

This release  seems to be less stable than previous versions and crashes on saving with older iPhones. If you have an iPhone 2G or 3G, I recommend not updating the app and sticking with the older version for now.

The crashes are confirmed on a 2G, 3G, and iPhone 4. The bottom line is that unlike previous versions which were pretty rock solid, the 2.0 version can be buggy on any iPhone.

Click past the jump to read more, to find out how to reduce or eliminate problems on an iPhone 4, and to find a link to instructions on how to get your previous working version back in case you already updated the app.

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Percolator
Version 1.0
Price: $0.99

Bottom Line: Easy to use, Percolator is a fun, modernist app that produces unique colorful effects.

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Many excellent iPhone photo apps simulate the look of retro and vintage analog photography. Percolator is a new photo app from Tinrocket that takes a different direction and makes your iPhone photos look like a mosaic comprised of circles. It’s a very Modernist app like colorShadow, PhotoTropedelic, and Chromocam Dots — producing an image that could only be easily created by a computer (or very meticulously hand-drawn). I doubt modernist apps like Percolator will change the direction of iPhoneography, but it’s a very pleasant diversion.

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During one of my daily perusal of the App Store today, I came across what I thought was a new photo app, The Diana by Allan Detrich. The Diana camera is one of the classic cameras for modern day lo-fi photography. I thought “Cool! I’d drop a buck for a Diana-like photo app!”

Turns out, The Diana is not a toy camera app. It’s a history of the Diana and all of its variations. Read on to see how in this instance, this is not a bad thing at all….

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[Updated 8/29/10]

InstantCam is a new instant camera-style app that’s actually licensed by the Polaroid® holding company. I thought this would be a cool app — a fake Polaroid® app that’s licensed by Polaroid®. But there are many reasons to stay away from this app at the moment.

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[UPDATED 8/27/10 4:19 PM]

Nearly everyone with an iPhone has used the camera to take snapshots — pictures of family, friends and moments to capture and share. Far fewer — but a growing and diverse number — have created art  for show, gallery or exhibition. But how many would consider using an iPhone for commercial work? How many of you already have?

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lo-mob for iPhone is FREE right now in the App Store. lo-mob normally sells for $1.99, so this is a good freebie. If you don’t already have this classic lo-fi app, go grab it now.

I think lo-mob is an excellent app. It features over 25 vintage analog camera effects, most not found in any other apps, including classic film effects, instant films, and some really cool through the viewfinder (TTV) effects. It’s got a lot of great effects and they’re really well rendered.

We recently posted about lo-mob’s upcoming 1.4 update. This will get you into the update path. The current version and the new update both still support older iPhones and OS 3 as well.

Freebies like this disappear fast — often in about a day or less, so head over to the App Store right now and grab this excellent photo app. Go!

App Store link: lo-mob

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