New iPhone Photo App: Instaplus, a better Camera for Instagram

App Store Description: This app is fully targeted to Instagram users and retro film lovers. Casual users can just select the filter, skip frames and post. Film and photo geeks can tweak like-boosting photos in no time.

Features:

• Simple Instagram-like interface that all IG users know how to use.
• Camera adds 3.0x optical zoom (up to 6.0x digital zoom).
• Tweak Brightness (Some IG filters are always too bright!), Contrast and Saturation.
• Select any frame with any filter (We always wanted to!)
• Fast, direct switching to Instagram (Just hit the next button and post away!)
• Retina and Front/Rear camera, Flash support on iPhone 4
• iPhone 3GS super-tuned to actually be faster than iPhone 4
• Built in TwitPic posting (posts to Twitter), Email attachments.

Note: This app is ONLY compatible with the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4.

App Store Link: Instaplus; Price: £1.19/$1.99/€1.59

Editors comments: This app is billed as "a better Camera for Instagram", and as such only saves at 612x612 pixels, which is fine for posting to Instagram and your other social networks.

Comments

[Mr Timney]

The filter effects are great, the variety of retro & unique frames is very excellent. The only issues I have is the lack of a full resolution save option. As well as the fact you are forced to square crop. Yes I know that it is catered to Instagram users, but with apps like Squaready & PicTools ability to pad & border a full framed portrait or landscape to easily post to Instagram means apps need to have open options & functions. Not limited to one set way & also cap off the resolution to a sub-par low resolution standard.

Overall I love the app & from what the developers have told me, they will be working on a full resolution square save option soon.

[Ridwan Jaafar]

I don't see the use for this app. I use Squaready app to send my creations to Instagram after editing in MagicHour / Camera+ / Phototoaster / Picfx.

[Mr Timney]

@ Ridwan Jaafar well just like how you use MagicHour, Camera+, Phototoaster & Picfx as useful photo filter effect editing apps... So is Instaplus, it is NOT just a camera app to post to Instagram. If you thought that, then you've just misunderstood this app. But if you are referring to the fact the others save full resolution & give you the effect results you prefer. Then to each their own, this app is just another one of a zillion choices.

[Ridwan]

@ Mr Timney, My bad! I didn't read the description properly & misunderstood this app. Editing Instagram filters is a cool idea. But, I don't like all of Instagram filters. So, I like the option I get when I'm editing with my other photo apps. I personally feel like we are all flooded with shed loads of photo-editing apps with basically same features & user-experience. As you said, this app is just another choice. I might download it if it goes on sale someday. At the moment, I'll will pass.

[Constance]

I have purchased this app and like it, but I have set it aside waiting for the full resolution update. Looking forward to that!

[Nox Dineen]

The combination of the $1.99 price tag and "better camera" claim creates a relatively high expectation that this app utterly fails to live up to. It's pieces of trash like this that make me wish the App Store had the same easy refund policy as the Android Market.

It's slower to load a photo than Instagram, the filters are all boring or bad, and pretty much the only thing that would actually improve on Instagram is full resolution. Even without the "better" claim I'd expect any app charging $1.99 to support full res.

Editing filters and separating the filter and frame selection are good ideas, but the execution is terrible and the price totally out of proportion with the offering.

[Cathy Deen]

You gotta be kidding ! This app rock for me ! :D