Monday, May 4, 2009
ProCamera for the iPhone: Keeping Your Shots Straight
Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Software (iPhone/iPod Touch)" @ 11:00 AM
The Claim: ProCamera will give you the functionality Apple never built into the Camera app on your iPhone including a horizon guide, a self timer, and an image stabilizer that won't take a shot until your creaky hands sit still.
The App: When you pick up the app and start using it, you don't need to "figure it out." Everything is pretty self-explanatory. In the middle of the app, you see a cross hair that rotates based on how straight your hand is. Across the bottom, three icons: Settings, stabilized shot, and timed shot. If you click the Stabilized Shot icon, your phone will not take the shot until your wobbly creaky bones stop shaking. The timed shot will snap the shot after the amount of time specified in the settings dialog. In the end, it couldn't be simpler.
The Details: As a photographer, the one app that's maddeningly bad on the iPhone is the camera app. It would appear as if Apple spent roughly 30 seconds on it during the iPhone's development cycle. While ProCamera for the iPhone won't change the world, it does fill in many gaps left by Apple.
The stabilizer works great and the horizontal guide is very good for lining up shots. I don't really use the timed shot mode much, but the stabilizer makes a big difference, particularly in low light where the iPhone's shutter seems to stay open for an eternity.
The Verdict: It's a rare case when an app promises a lot and delivers on all of its promises. ProCamera is one of them. I've used the heck out of it and it has replaced the Camera app on my first page of apps as my go-to picture-taking app. It's a job well done and quite a great bargain at $2.99. You can download it from the App Store right here.
Vincent Ferrari is an Apple fan, videoblogger, blogger, writer, and all-around geek from the Bronx. He works in the IT Department of a cellular phone company that shall not be named, and lives in a very comfortable apartment with his lovely wife, two lovely cats, three Macs, two iPhones, and God-knows-how-many iPods of varying age.
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