It has been rumored for some time that smartphones are now better than a semi-professional camera for taking pictures: there are situations in which professional cameras are certainly an advantage, but in certain circumstances the lenses integrated into the body of smartphones (which often are more than one) can give very good results.
Among the major limitations, however, there is the software: on the iPhone, the Photos app has always been aimed at a general public, but it has made significant progress; however, we have chosen 5 others that allow access to advanced features and filters, but first it is worthwhile to deepen what can be done with the standard app.
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IOS camera
First of all, it is always faster (the version of iOS 14 is twice as fast as its predecessors) both to be activated and for the latency between when taking a series of photos in Portrait format. Now the choice of which optical zoom level (and therefore which lens to use) can be done in finesse, while you can deactivate the Live Photo mode and from the app (by going to Settings and then Camera) you can select the quality of the shot (between High Efficiency and Apple’s ProRaw format, which takes up more space, but allows greater processing with dedicated programs).
In addition to forcing the built-in flash, it is also possible to select a series of filters, among which black and white (called Mono) seems particularly successful. The process is not final: from the Photos app you can still change the filter or recover the 4: 3 aspect ratio to a photo taken in 1: 1 format; you can also change the exposure by keeping your finger pressed next to the focus frame and swiping up or down.
Finally, a tip: better to keep the grid active to divide the shot in boxes, because it helps both in the composition and, more simply, to take straight photos.
The 5 favorite apps of the Italian Tech editorial team
We chose 5 photography apps and not post-production apps (although Vsco is best known for filters) because they offer the possibility of taking shots that would be almost impossible with the stock app. If what matters most is post-production, the iPhone has great apps for this (from Lightroom to Snapseed, up to PixelWakker) but here we see instead what the added value of the apps is, deepening them one by one.
DSLR Camera
Created by the Italian Fulvio Scichilone, DSLR Camera is one of the best photography apps in the world. Complete command set, turns the iPhone into a small professional SLR. But its real added value are the presets and filters, like the one for Black & White photos, to be purchased separately.
Camera+ 2
This app, which now has a long history, has reached version 2 and is constantly being improved: Camera + 2 allows you to take pictures with a feature-rich and well-organized interface and it has powerful editing functions to enhance shooting. The strong point is the use of artificial intelligence for the automatic optimization of the image taken, which in our opinion is better than that operated by the Apple app.
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Halide Mark II
Universally esteemed since the first version, Halide Mark II is a small champion in regards to shooting and processing Raw format files, that is, the one that keeps the maximum amount of information and then allows to obtain the maximum in the post-production phase. Another strong point is the interface, complete but based on gestures to make up for the lack of buttons and switches characteristic of a traditional camera.
Slow Shutter Cam
The main strength of this app, as the name says Slow Shutter Cam, lies in the possibility of taking photographs with long times, that is with the virtual shutter that remains open for a long time (i.e. the sensor remains on longer) to obtain effects of light and above all of movement very beautiful. It gives its best in photos of water, a river or a waterfall, but also in the flow of traffic or the movement of people on a sidewalk. And especially in photos taken at night, even if the Night Mode of the iPhone Pro models is more effective.
Vsco
As mentioned, Vsco, is an app more oriented to post production and equipped with excellent filters (many prefer it to Instagram for processing images before sharing them on social networks) has its own built-in camera that allows access to more refined functions than those of Apple’s photography app. However, it requires a subscription.
To find the right exposure
For fans of photography not only analogue, the last tip is to try an app like Light Meter (Pocket LightMeter): it’s free and allows you to use the iPhone as a light meter, setting the basic values of the photograph (including ISO, shutter speed and aperture) to obtain the correct exposure. Also useful for learn at a glance which values to use to shoot in full manual mode.
The standard software for taking pictures and shooting videos with smartphones has very limited functionality, especially because it is designed for a generalist, non-specialized audience, who wants to leave everything to the mobile phone and perhaps would not even know how to use complex functions to configure. Both in the world Android both in that Apple However, there are numerous apps that provide added value: the 5 (plus one) that we have chosen allow you to take professional photos even with an iPhone.
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