The somewhat infamous Camera+ is back in the App Store.
There’s a list as long as your arm of changes and it’s looking like a solid update, not to mention fixing a few bugs that were annoying to say the least. (Note the infamous VolumeSnap feature is gone.)
UPDATE: tap tap tap have also just launched a competition to promote version 2 and the return to the app store.
Changes
The most notably change is the cleaned up and simplified UI - including removal of the (to me) annoying SLR interface. Overall I’ve put these changes in the plus column.
The other change I appreciate is the increased size of the menu - but that could be because I’m getting old and crotchety.
Improvements
Overall Camera+ feels smoother and more responsive on my 3GS and I imagine the same will apply when I try it out on the iPhone 4 later today. Part of this comes from a quicker startup but the UI improvements seem to help with the work flow as well.
The operation of the stabilizer function appears to be improved too, apart from firing faster, the low light results seem better, if this fern is anything to go by.
Another improvement is the the Grit border is now available in “Light” and “Dark” versions, the light version is used on the image below. That image also uses the newly added “Depth of Field” effect.
Additions
There are a range of new effects in addition to the previously mentioned “Depth of Field”, including a new in-app purchase option for a set of filters called the “I ♥ Analog” pack. At $0.99 it’s not a big expense and so far the few tests I’ve done seem to work well.
The new effects include Cyanotype, Tailfins and Depth of Field, the in-app purchased “I ♥ Analog” effects pack brings 9 more effects of varying types. These are:
- Diana
- Silver Gelatin
- Helios
- Contessa
- Nostalgia
- Expired
- XPRO C-41
- Pinhole
- Chromogenic
Other interesting additions are a timer shooting mode as well as a burst shooting mode. The timer mode can have it’s delay adjusted by tapping on the screen. As the screenshot shows their is a slight orientation issue.
As a part of the UI overhaul the menu is now accessible through a pop-over panel in both the camera and lightbox modes.
When taking a photo you can tap to focus and use a second finger to select an exposure as before, once this is done you can lock the white balance using the little padlock icon that appears when setting the exposure. While I like the ability to lock your white balance it would be nice if it survived a trip to the lightbox or restarting the app.
Overall
This is a very solid update to what used to be the best camera application on the iPhone, support for iPhone 4 not withstanding, there is a lot of usable power in Camera+ v2 which could make it once again the best camera app on the iPhone. For users that haven’t been able to get it for the last few months it’s well worth adding to your photography app kit, for the rest of us - if you like your VolumeSnap then you may not want to upgrade. For me though, all the new features and iPhone 4 specific support make VolumeSnap a small sacrifice.
For now Camera+ and I will spend the next few days understanding the new features and UI. There’s lots of little things in there to find.
I've been described as a lost technocrat or a wondering luddite, personally I just like everything that takes us forward.