Mini meme
OOH, AAH,
ADJUST A
LITTLE BIT
If you’re fed up with your phone’s
snapper calling all the shots, try
these manual marvels for perfect
pics with a professional edgeOHalide Camera
This one feels especially attuned
to the more recent iPhone
cameras. When switching
between lenses, an outline
offers a preview of the frame
you’ll end up with. Enter depth
mode and you get a sonar-like
view to indicate what’s going to
be captured. These depth shots
can then be explored in 3D
(which is as weird as it sounds)
or sent to sister app Darkroom
for fine tuning.
£5.99 / iOS
OCamera+ 2
There’s a tendency with manual
camera apps to baffle you with
an interface akin to an Airbus
flightdeck. Not Camera+ 2, which
offers manual controls wrapped
in a friendly interface. Big yellow
buttons ensure you never find
yourself in the wrong mode;
haptic feedback helps you hold
your phone straight; and there’s
an optional smile detector to
ensure your subject’s got their
best toothy grin on.
£1.59 / Android O £3.99 / iOS
OPixtica
At a glance this seems to be basic
fare, letting you shoot gifs and
faff about with some seriously
dodgy virtual lenses (ultra-wide
resembles a fairground mirror).
But tap the screen and manual
controls instantly appear,
making it a cinch to fine-tune
your focus and white balance.
The free version has resolution
limitations and watermarks on
gifs. Remove those for £2.99
a year, or £9.99 forever.
£free (IAPs) / AndroidOObscura 2
Camera apps usually ape the
features of manual cameras;
Obscura 2 also tries to mimic
their controls. You interact with
its menus by way of a dial-based
interface that echoes the twiddly
bits on classic cameras. It feels
great to use – but the app’s
elegance extends further, with
a large histogram that subtly sits
behind the shutter, and a superb
metadata screen that you don’t
have to squint at.
£4.99 / iOSOMoment
Something of an iOS veteran,
Moment has fewer features on
Android – reflected in the lower
price. Either way, it’s a sleek,
streamlined snapper. The
no-nonsense interface gets
out of your way but puts plenty
of button and slider controls at
your fingertips. The app’s also
a must if you’re attempting
to transform your phone into
a DSLR by way of Moment’s
pro-grade bolt-on lenses.
£3.59 / Android O £5.99 / iOSOFilmic Pro
If you think yourself more Steven
Spielberg than David Bailey, grab
Filmic Pro. This one does for
moving images what the other
apps in this round-up do for
stills, offering you plenty of live
analytics, controls and options
to delve into. The arc sliders
for focus and exposure/zoom
are particularly handy, putting
your thumbs in command while
shooting footage for your next
Oscar-winner.
£11.49 / Android O £14.99 / iOSAPPS