Your Cell phone is a Camera, Pt 2

Sometimes, the only camera you’ve got also happens to be your phone. It is for those moments of dire need that we continue this series, in hopes of elevating our camera-phone pictures from snapshots to true art.

In case you missed it, last week we reviewed an app called “Roidizer” for android cell phones. We like that app - but one is never enough.

This week, our guest is “Retro Camera,” also for devices running an Android operating system.

This app, much like many out there, allows the user to choose from a different set of effects to be applied to photos. Images can be taken through the app, using one of six different cameras: Lomo, Holga, Polaroid, Diana, Toy, Hipstamatic, and Hipsteroku (new).

The layout of the app can be a bit confusing to start, but upon first launching it, directions are provided, informing the user what each button does and how to use the app.

In addition to the different camera effects, Retro Camera allows the user to set a timer by long-pressing the shutter button. The 5, 10, or 20 second delay allows you the time to set down your phone for that self portrait or family photo you’ve always wanted. All you need now is a tripod!

Each of the six cameras supplied comes with an “info” section, that tells the user what kind of effects are applied and shows a sample photo. It’s nice to read these descriptions, which are shown much like the “nutritional information” on the side of your favorite cereal box. At the same time, the only way to really get a feel for what each “camera” does is to use it a bunch and see what turns out well.

The only real bummer about this app is that it is excruciatingly s.l.o.w. On a 600mhz phone, taking a photo from shutter press to seeing the image can take upwards of 4 seconds, on top of the application boot, which takes another 3 or 4 seconds. Generally by that time, the moment has passed and we find ourselves without anything to photograph - UNLESS the app is queued up and ready to go, finger on the shutter.

As you can see above, there are some fairly centrally placed ads which allow the developer to keep the application free. They aren’t a huge distraction unless you have big fat fingers and repeatedly hit the ad instead of the “switch camera” button, as we are prone to doing.

Overall, definitely a cool application and one well-suited to photographing things that don’t move. The self-timer is a neat feature, though not one that we use often.