King Camera 2.0 Hits the App Store, and Hits the Spot

Martin and Yanik from saycheezzz apps have just released King Camera 2.0, and what an update this is.

The app has almost been recoded/rewritten from the ground up, and this shows with the apps improved interface and wealth of new features and enhancements, and now for me, King Camera has hit the spot, making it very difficult to recommend one all-in-one camera replacement app over another.

To celebrate the release of this major update, King Camera 2.0 is also on sale, priced at £0.69/$0.99/€0.79, which is half its regular price.

So what's new and improved in King Camera 2.0?

PROMATIK:

• NEW! PINCH-ZOOM on Preview Images throughout application
• NEW! COLORIZER FX Module (up to 3 simultaneous Color Filters)
• NEW! LIGHT LEAKS FX Module (up to 3 simultaneous Light Leaks)
• NEW! TEXTURIZER now supports up to 3 simultaneous Textures!
• NEW! INTENSIFIER FX Module
• NEW! Touch Gesture to Flip Textures (in texturizer, light leaks, and colorizer)
• INTERFACE! Simple "Marbles Navigation System"
• INTERFACE: Promatik Main View with Sliding Menu to accommodate the additional Tools
• TWEAK: "Save Photo" (saves on top of current edit) and "Save a Copy" (duplicates your edit)
• SPEED! Advanced & Optimized CACHE system in Promatik, making the module up to 10X Faster when applying effects

PHOTODESK:

• NEW! COPY/PASTE LOOKS directly in Photodesk
• NEW! SHARE to: added FACEBOOK PAGE and MMS
• NEW! Copy/Paste Photo to other apps (email, MMS, etc.)
• NEW! Option to EXPORT all photos contained in stacks
• INTERFACE: larger thumbnail size + Optimized for Retina Display
• SPEED: Export of Original Photo 2X faster

QUICKMATIK:

• NEW! QUICKMATIK LOOKS completely revamped & optimized
• INTERFACE: Larger thumbnails

CAMERA:

• NEW! Settings: Option to Save to Camera Roll Only
• NEW! User's activated Camera Tools now remembered from session to session
• NEW! Double-Tap gesture in VIDEO MODE to show zoomed-out or zoomed-in View
• NEW! Double-Tap gesture in TIMELAPSE to show zoomed-out or zoomed-in View
• INTERFACE: Added "Rule of Thirds Grid" button in Camera Main View Menu

MORE:

• NEW! Quick HELP System in all modules ("?" Icon)
• NEW! Settings: "Clean Up" function to clean up zombie files in user folder
• FIX: Crop Ratio preserved correctly when a Quickmatik Look contains a Crop
• FIX: Photo Orientation preserved when importing from Camera Roll/Exporting to Camera Roll.
• SPEED! many additional tweaks to enhance overall app responsiveness
• INTERFACE: visual overall redesign of the graphic user interface
• iOS 5 ready
• various additional bug fixes

App Store Link: King Camera 2.0; Sale Price: £0.69/$0.99/€0.79

Comments

[Antonio]

That is the *most* ANNOYING video ever! They could cut it in half by cutting out one guy who's saying the EXACT same thing as the other guys. Almost makes me *not* want to buy the app. Sheesh.

[David Baehler]

I agree the video was annoying, but the app looks fabulous! I'm going to buy it right now.

[CrazyBee]

ok its sounds good but that double thing with the video is abit silly. Dunno why they bother with it, just show the app and what it can do, SIMPLES

[Rob]

Am I really the only one who thinks this app is hideous? Oh my god! I'm trying to see what I'm taking a photo of, but my screen is littered with so much garbage that should be tucked away in a menu. Seriously. This app takes up the entire left hand side of the shot I'm trying to see, and it fills it with stupid menu garbage I don't need or want on my screen.

Maybe some people only care about the very center of the shots they take. Maybe. But that's certainly not me.

[Glyn Evans]

@Rob, try swiping your finger/thumb left and right to hide/unhide this menu.

[Greg Mills]

I always give Camera+ and King Camera a shot when they release updates but I always end up going back to ProCamera. Maybe it's just familiarity. All I want a feature-rich yet usable camera app that saves directly to the film roll. I don't need editing, filters, image management or video in my camera app. So, maybe I'm not the in the target demo for an "all-in-one" app. I have other great apps for those things.

I did watch the instructional videos again, I know how to swipe away the on-screen menu. That's no so bad. For me, I get this general sense that everything about King Camera is overdone, from it's name, to it's UI, to it's filter effects. I'll try it again at 3.0.

[Sonny]

Learn how to make better videos. Learn how to make better videos. Videos that are less annoying and waste time watching. Why waste time watching annoying videos? Did they have the 2 guys read the same script? Did they have the guys read the same script? And then just cut and edit the footage together? And then just edit the footage together? I'll give the app a try again, and I hope it's better than the promo video. I hope the app is better than the promo video, but I'll give the app a try again.

Thanks
Thank you

[Espekayen]

LMFAO at Sonny! :-)

I agree that the video is irritating to watch; the presence of the two developers takes away from the message they are trying to get across and the endless repetition is annoying. It would have been less of a distraction had there been just a voice-over. Guys, keep it simple, get rid of distractions and just tell it like it is without overusing the repetition angle. Having watched the video once, I'm not really that much wiser as to what the app is all about and what it can do. My eyes kept moving to the two guys and I wasn't taking in all the information that was quickly flashed on the screen. I don't feel inclined to watch it again.

Anyway, the app looks quite good and I may give it a try while it's reduced in price. However, I have one reservation about camera apps for the iPhone: when iOS 5 is released, I believe Apple will incorporate a short cut to the built-in camera app, so that it can be accessed directly from the lock screen. My concern is that this short cut will not be available for third-party camera apps.

[AnkurIview]

OK..does it allow adding layers and masking? if not then its not all-in-one :) I am still using photoforge and camera+

[Greg Mills]

Maybe they should get a spokesmodel like Camera+.

[loungy]

I didn't even needed to turn the sound on to know that the above video is utter shite!

[Mark]

This app does have a lot going for it, some very good filters for instance, etc. However, the interface is horrendous - really grates on me (as does the app icon). I can only imagine the video wouldn't improve my impression! I've tried this before but not this time.

@Greg Mills - do you find ProCamera locks up after taking a zoomed picture! i.e. you can't take another picture straight away? This is the only downside with ProCamera - I find it really annoying.

[zerozero31]

Urgghh. The interface was horrible before and it's horrible still. Camera+ for me remains a shining example of how a multi-functional camera app should look. Clean, easy and obvious navigation, clear fonts and none of those horrid icons whose meanings are not immediately clear. That light-bulb thing at the top-left when images are processing? Sjeeesh. Turgid.

Ok. So I really don't like the interface, that much is clear. As for the rest of it - I'll stick with Camera+ for now (performs better, looks better, easier to use and the filters are better too, imho) until the next versions of CameraSharp, 6x6 and Streetmate come out.

BTW - I deleted KingCamera from my phone last night after an hour or so of playing with it. I tried to install it again this morning to double-check something and the AppStore tells me app is no longer available. Anyone else had that?

[Matryoshka]

Regarding your title, "King Camera 2.0 Hits the Spot", I'm not sure what "spot" you're talking about, but if it's my funny bone, the video sure did! The video sure tickled my funny bone! I really found the video funny! Funny how the two guys kept repeating each other. Really funny!

*sorry that this comment has nothing to do with the app itself*

[Greg Mills]

@Mark, I don't know. I'm not a big fan of the digital zoom on any iPhone camera so I never use it. If I can't physically move in closer to the subject I'll just crop the image to get the composition that I want.

I just tested it though, it does seem to shoot slower when it's zoomed in.

[Rob]

Even knowing I can hide the interface, I still find it to be hideous. I have so many apps. The last thing I want is to have to learn silly swipes for each one. Tuck that stupid UI in a menu.

So many apps go overboard trying to make their UI call as much attention to itself as possible instead of doing the opposite.

[Shadow.]

Glyn trying to cover himself after the comments he made about this app before.

It's shite. Period.

My reasons? Look above :)

[Glyn Evans]

@Shadow. You should know that I don't make positive comments just to make up for the bad ones. In my opinion King Camera is a much better app than it was, with some improved predefined effects, and a much improved editor, with better layout. If you read my original review, then you will have read that I thought the editor side of the app was good, and I only criticised the devs for their speed claims.

With regards to the camera replacement part of the app, for me, it's as good as any of them, so for me, version 2 has hit the spot, the same spot as the other contenders in this category, but just as with all the apps I look at, this is just my honest opinion, and one not everyone will agree with.

[Mar]

The video is hilarious! The controls are more confusing than in other apps, and they are a bit steam-punk-looking, but on the ugly side. A bit more classy transparency would be appreciated.