SteadyCam goes Premium

Stepcase the developer of the free SteadyCam app that I reviewed a few weeks ago have today released SteadyCam Premium (App Store Link) which has the following nice features.

Steady mode: Once you press the "shutter" button, SteadyCam will automatically take the photo when your hand is stabled. Your photo will be saved into your Camera Roll and ready for your next shot. Compared to other camera applications, SteadyCam prevents accidental movement caused by pressing the shutter, hence suitable for low-light environment (as a night camera) and unsteady hands. You can also adjust the sensitivity of the steady mode, here you can go for the maximum (10) when you want quality over time may take to steady your hand, or minimum (1) when you want speed over quality.

Timer mode: Now you can set a timer to countdown and take your photos automatically. To take a clearer photo, try to set a timer and put your iPhone on something stable. Also, you can use this mode to take group photos with your friends.

Fullscreen Shutter mode: When you activate this mode, the whole camera viewport is your shutter button. To take a clearer photo even without the steady mode, simply touch the middle part of the screen to shoot, while holding the top and bottom of your iPhone with the other hand. Additionally, you can use this mode to take self-portrait easily when the screen is turned away from you.

SteadyCam Premium Features:

• No-fuss one-click photo taking
• Auto-shooting for clearer photo
• Timer shooting mode
• Fullscreen shutter button mode
• Autosave
• Preview your saved photos without quitting the app
• Setting screens to fine tune and optimize your photo shooting styles
• Cleaner interface, larger viewing window

Priced at 59p, this app combines some of the features found in other anti handshake apps and self timer apps, which make this app very good value for money.

Moon Lighter

Yet another low light, accelerometer based, take when steady iPhone app has hit the App Store. I am not sure what the appeal is with this type of app, but priced at 59p, Moon Lighter (App Store link) offers little more than the free SteadyCam app that I covered a few weeks ago.

If you are looking for this type of app, and want more than SteadyCam offers, then check out the feature rich (as the screenshot below shows) Night Camera (App Store link), which is also priced at 59p.

iPhone App preview: Smart Camera Lite

Just released on the App Store is Smart Camera Lite (App Store link). This free app allows you to take photo's and apply 4 filters, Lighter image, Darker image, Inverted image and Black and White.

When you launch the app you are presented with a very basic and not very well polished interface where you select the desired effect prior to taking your photo.

There is no option to apply these effects to existing photo's in your camera roll, and when you have taken your photo there is no preview, instead it is saved directly to the camera roll. To view the photo you have just taken, you then have to exit the app and go to the iPhone camera roll, view the effect, and either keep of delete it.

I tried all 4 of the effects, with the Inverted image producing the most interesting one as the photo below shows.

All-in-all this is a very poor app, which will not be forming part of my iPhoneography kit.

DoubleExp review update

I recently reviewed DoubleExp, and commented on how the 3 effects did not appear to show any visible differences when applied to my test photo's. It turns out that I had been processing these effects incorrectly, as unlike other apps you have to select the filter/effect first, and then open the 2 photos that you want to apply the filter too.

As the photo's below show, the 3 filters/effects "Half Mix", "Screen" and "Overlay" do work....

....however my comment about the usefulness of this app still stands.

CameraBag Lite: Retro, now available for FREE

For anyone who has not tried CameraBag, you can now grab yourself a copy of CameraBag Lite: Retro from the App Store for FREE (App Store link).