Life in LoFi: iPhoneography

This is all you get. Full-size output from one of the recent super-low res camera apps (300x400 pixels)

Another day, another super-low-res monochrome camera is released in the App Store.

With the number of monochrome camera apps that save at the iPhone’s full resolution — Vint B&W, Spica SuperMonochrome, and others — and the number of apps that do an excellent job of converting images to monochrome — CameraBag, MonoPhix, CameraKit — I don’t understand why it’s suddenly become so difficult to produce apps that save to at least 1200×1600 resolution.

One of my biggest peeves in the App Store is the recent glut of super-low-res photo apps. These are the apps that save images at 320×480 pixels (or less) — the iPhone’s screen resolution. Seriously, that’s 0.154 megapixels. The original VGA resolution from the late 1980’s was 640×480 pixels.

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iPhone lens and microfiber cloth

The iPhone camera lens is teeny. The actual lens itself is protected by an external lens casing. While the lens casing is about 4-5 mm, the lens itself is less than 2 mm. Even a small smudge or a fingerprint on your lens can really effect the quality of your images. Fortunately, keeping your lens clean is quick and easy.

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ProCamera
Version 2.7

Bottom Line: Highly recommended!

ProCamera

A while back, I promised a full review of a previous update of ProCamera. I’m glad I waited until now.

In my idea box of articles I want to write is one for a “FrankenCam” app. For a long time, all of the features that I wanted in a camera app were spread out across several camera apps. I wanted to write an article — more like a wish list to developers — of the features that I wanted in one camera app.

I no longer need to write that article. The new 2.7 update of ProCamera by daemgen.net now includes every feature that I want that’s allowed by Apple in an iPhone camera app… and a whole lot more.

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Monochrome Camera
Version 1.0

Bottom line: Avoid

MonoCam

Monochrome Camera by TouchInside is a new app which saves images in monochrome. It has its own camera function or you can import images from your camera roll. I know it takes a lot of time, effort and coding skills to create any iPhone app, but with all that’s wrong with this one, I wonder how this ever got past beta stage.

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ZCam Pro

For a limited time, ZCam Pro and BlueCam Pro by Mother Tucker are available free! Both apps recently sold in the App Store for $0.99 USD.

BlueCam Pro is a remote control camera with Live Camera Preview over Bluetooth. Packed with features such as Full-Screen Camera Preview, a Big Photo Button, Photo Timers, Zoom, Batch and Automatic Photo Uploading, Multi Photo Sharing, Reticles and a Twitter Client.

ZCam Pro is a full-featured camera that shares many of the same features as BlueCam Pro but also adds WiFi control and preview to the mix. It’s a full-featured camera as well.

Life In LoFi hasn’t reviewed or tested either app. If you have, feel free to let us know your thoughts about either or both in the comments below.

Both apps have feature-reduced free versions. These are the full versions being offered for free for a limited time. Grab ‘em quick!

App Store links: BlueCam Pro |  ZCam Pro

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Gorillacam

Check the App Store for the great new update of Gorillacam by Joby Inc. The update adds a few great new features to this camera replacement app that we recently reviewed in our Best Free iPhone Camera Replacements article. Best of all, the app is still free.

The version 1.1 update adds anti-shake image stabilization, tap-to-focus for 3GS iPhones, selectable image sizes and a very nice full resolution 4X digital zoom. It’s a great update to an already excellent camera replacement app.

If you don’t already have a camera replacement app, Gorillacam is worth a serious look — even more so after this update.

Gorillacam is still free in the App Store. [link]

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While we’re all basking in the new Apple iPad’s warm fuzzy glow today, I thought I’d serve up this classic link from holga blog that I found back in November.

The article contains some good tips to help see things differently. I think the key to a lot of these tips is simply to take time, clear your head, to be more aware of your surroundings. It’s not a how-to article, but more of a change of mind-set article. From personal experience, I’ve found myself recognizing a potential moment and rather than forcing the photo, simply waiting for the photo to come to me.

Zen photography….

Read the entire article on holga blog here >>>

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This updated Camera Bag post will also go in the navbar above. I wanted to share the evolution of my iPhone. You can read my original Camera Bag post here.

Some of my other camera apps. Page 4 on my iPhone

The best camera is the one that’s with you and the one that’s with me nearly all the time is my first generation 8 GB iPhone 2G.

I don’t use one app exclusively to shoot with. I have several and try to match up the image with the app. One of the features that makes the iPhone camera unique is the availability of thousands of photography-related apps. For less than the cost of a DVD, you can basically get a whole new camera experience.

iPhone apps are constantly being created, updated and improved. Since I first wrote my original Camera Bag post, several new apps have been released and several apps have been improved to the point where they have leapfrogged ahead as far as functionality and performance.

I find myself shooting with many different apps than the first time I wrote about my iPhone’s camera bag. Here’s my updated toolbox — the go-to apps I’m currently using.

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The iPhone’s camera has a 0.2 second fixed shutter speed and a fixed aperture of f/2.8. It adjusts for exposure by adjusting the sensitivity of the sensor inside the camera — in effect, adjusting the ISO. This means that the darker your photograph, the greater the chance there will be noise in the image.

You can improve the color and clarity, as well as reduce the noise in your iPhone images by making sure, whenever possible, that you have a strong light source that’s behind you. For example, when taking outdoor photographs, try shooting with the sun at your back whenever you can. Lighting your subject properly will help you get good color, good contrast and reduced noise from your iPhone photos.

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Camera One

Camera One
Version 1.6

Bottom line: Improved. A decent camera replacement for snapshots.

Back in October, we reviewed version 1.0 of CocoaTek’s Camera One, a full-featured camera replacement app. Since then, the app has been updated several times, the most recent is version 1.6. It’s currently in the Top 5 paid Photography apps in the U.S. App Store and for this new update, I have spotted a lot of 4 and 5 star reviews from many users who’ve written no other reviews. These look like shill reviews to me — a widespread practice in the App Store to boost app rankings and therefore sales.

I thought I’d revisit Camera One to see how it had improved since our first review and if it was worthy of the praise, either real or fabricated, that was being written about it.

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