App: Google Camera for Android
For: Simplicity Cost: Free Google Camera comes pre-installed with every Nexus device. It is the simplest camera application that you would come across. The simplicity comes from a clean user interface that still gives immense functionalities like HDR, Panorama (with a fisheye effect), and Photosphere. It also has features to enact depth of field effect with a mode called Lens Blur. Android Wear allows you to remotely capture a shot.
App: Camera FV-5 for Android
For: Pro Manual Controls Cost: Free / Pro for Rs.199
Camera FV-5 gives a set of pro-DSLR like controls onto your phone. You will have the ability to control the shutter speed, aperture, ISO, metering mode, and EV stops. But make sure you have good knowledge about the same. There is a live preview of all the settings on the viewfinder. It has some useful features like exposure bracketing to 7 frames. That, you can use for HDR or for making time-lapses. Like DSLRs, this application also has an Av mode (Aperture Priority) and TV mode (Shutter Speed Priority) that will automatically set the shutter speed and aperture value respectively. Long exposure shots are made possible with this application and it does not have any gimmicky ways to achieve that.
App: Camera360 Ultimate for Android
For: Live Filters (Lots of them) Cost: Free
Camera360 is one of the oldest and most popular camera application for Android. It is fully packed with features and filter effects that you can select with a flick as you shoot, like we on the OnePlus One. It will show how the effect will look like while shooting and you can select another filter after the shot has been taken. A wide array of effects like Sketch, HDR, Lomo, etc are present. What’s more interesting is that you get a great photo editor built-in for editing selfies. Options like face-slimming, tone correction, and skin smoothing might appeal to many.
App: Camera+ for iOS
For: Pro Shooting Controls Cost: Rs.190 Camera+ is a professional camera control application for iOS devices. It lets you set the exposure separate from the focus, which was seen on many Android devices too. There is also a stabilizer that can help you with having steady, sharp shots. It will only capture an image when your hand is stable. What’s particularly amazing about this application, is the Clarity mode that bumps up the shadows and increases saturation drastically. There are plenty of Scene Modes to choose from. Apart from shooting, Camera+ also lets you enhance your shots with a built-in editor which has lots of effects like HDR. The editor lets you perform different types of editing like adding borders and captioning.
App: OneShot for Windows Phone
For: Shooting Controls and lots of filters Cost: Free OneShot for Windows Phone is one of the best applications for Windows. Like other applications in the list, you can control the exposure and Shutter Speed. You can also add real-time live filters to your photos which would give you an idea of how the effect would look like. You can undo the photo effects that you shot in real-time with the provided editor. The editor has a vast library of filters for photos. Saif is an autodidact techie and ninja photo-video guy who works for PriceBaba and Rhythmic Focus. He loves to jolt down his views about tech occasionally. Say Hi to him at @SwizzleKhan on Twitter!
