Photography

Beautiful 500px app arrives on the iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 28, 2012

500px (pronounced five hundred pixels), a web-based photography community, launched in October 2009 and quickly established itself as the premium photo sharing destination. If your photo needs go beyond Instagram's recognizable filters and low resolution snaps of people's food and pets, you may have stumbled upon the 500px web site where people share only their best work in a manner that has nothing to do with the simplification (some would say, dumbification) of Instagram.

The Toronto-based startup has now updated its iPad app, released a year ago, with native iPhone support and boy is it gorgeous...

Musician Will.i.am launching a 14-megapixel iPhone camera attachment next week

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

This is gonna be every iPhoneographer’s dream come true. Apparently, musician Will.i.am is set to launch an interesting iPhone accessory next week via his new consumer electronics venture.

It basically replaces the device's built-in iSight camera with a 14-megapixel sensor that clips onto the iPhone to provide dramatically enhanced clarity and definition of your snaps.

The gizmo also has its own built-in flash better than the iPhone's. "You dock you phone into our device and it turns you smartphone into a genius-phone", he tells The Telegraph. "We take over the camera"...

The Glif for iPhone 5 is here

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 23, 2012

Sooner than later, avid iPhone photographers yearn for a tripod mount to help frame their shots perfectly. That's why we were so excited about the Glif, an all-in-one tripod mount that launched two years ago. And now, from the minds of the original creators Dan Provost and Thomas Gerhardt - the duo behind Studio Neat - comes the Glif for your iPhone 5.

First batch of this awesome accessory is on its way to the warehouse and will begin shipping early next week. If you're serious about iPhoneography, this could be your must-have holiday item. If you're interested in the Glif, I've included more info and a making-of video right after the break...

Facebook rolls out Photo Syncing

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 12, 2017

The social networking giant Facebook has begun rolling out a new feature aimed at automatically uploading each photo a user takes on his or her device. This capability exists in some other third-party iOS apps, like the Dropbox app and the Google+ client. Facebook has figured out how to implement the feature without breaking Apple's rules, by using standard API calls for background uploads and not relying on location APIs or its deep integration with iOS 6...

Camera+ receives a massive update

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Tap tap tap's Camera+, my favorite go-to iPhone photography app which in September finally got a dedicated iPad version, today received a massive update, bringing a number of new features. Version 3.6, for starters, brings accurate framing on the iPhone 5 for capturing snaps exactly as you see them - no more viewfinder cropping. Advanced users will love the new Live Exposure feature which displays ISO and shutter speed change in real-time.

You also get flash of sorts when using the front-facing camera. It's a trick akin to PhotoBooth on the Mac as the screen goes white for a moment to light up your face in darkness before the shutter-release. Another welcome addition: the horizon level feature for those who have trouble taking a straight photo. As you'd expect, the updated app also brings the obligatory bug fixes, minor improvements and a dozen tweaks that lead to a much better overall experience. Go past the fold for the full release notes...

PanoPerfect is a new app that brings a social touch to your panoramas

Jim Gresham ∙ November 6, 2012

If you love snapping, I guess I should say "panning," panoramic pictures with your new iOS 6 -enabled device, there is now a dedicated social environment solely for sharing your favorite wide shot pics. PanoPerfect, launching today, is a free and simple way to post and share your photos via iPhone, without them getting lost in another long list of other comments. Overall, the app is simple and easy to use, possibly making it one of the more popular ways users will choose to curate their favorite panos...

Photographing light trails with your iPhone and Slow Shutter Cam

Justin Balog ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Welcome back to our lessons in iPhone Photography. I hope you enjoyed injecting a little motion into your iPhoneography over the last couple of weeks. This week, I want to continue on the theme of motion and pushing the limits of your iPhone. As a photographer, especially an iPhone photographer, your creativity often comes to an end when the sun goes down. Even with the iPhone 5's improved low light capabilities, making images at night isn't where your iPhone excels. In today's lesson, I hope to change that.

At night, there's nothing more fun than photographing light trails. Here's a quick example of light trails that I shot this week. The idea is simple: stabilize your iPhone and photograph cars as they drive by. If you'd like to know about using a tripod and cable release with your iPhone, check out chapter 6 of my book, 'Big World Little Lens - The Complete Guide to iPhone Photography' in the iTunes Bookstore...

Mosaic lets you create beautiful photo books from your iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ October 22, 2012

It's funny how things happen in life. A couple weeks ago, I was telling my wife that I would like to start putting together photo books of our daughter on a monthly basis, right from my iPhone, but without spending hours putting them up together. At the time, I told my wife that to my knowledge, there was no such app that would allow me to publish photo books in just a few minutes.

Then, as if they had heard me, the fine folks at Mosaic emailed me to let me know about their upcoming app and printing service, which lets you create beautiful printable photo books in a matter of minutes. I was definitely sold on the idea, but I still had to try it for myself.

I was sent an early release of the app, as well as a coupon code worth $26.50, which equals to $20 for the photo album, and $6.50 for shipping charges. With this loaded on my iPhone, I was really excited about the opportunity to try on this new service...

CameraTweak adds tons of useful options to the stock camera app

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

From a quality standpoint, the iPhone's built in camera has always been near the top of its respective class. But, admittedly, there are a few chinks in the armor when it comes to advanced camera features.

For instance, there's no countdown timer to be found inside the camera app. Also, more advanced features like independent reticles for exposure and focus are no where to be found. And what about a built in time lapse feature? That seems like only a mere dream at this point.

That is, of course, unless you are jailbroken.

Jailbreakers have the luxury of adding additional features to stock apps, and the Camera app is no exception. CameraTweak is a new jailbreak tweak that affords the ability to add all of the previously mentioned features into the stock Camera app, and then some. Take a look at our video walkthrough inside for the full details.

Google keeps promise, updates Snapseed with iOS 6 and iPhone 5 support

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 20, 2017

When Google announced last month it was acquiring Nik Software, the brains behind Snapseed, a popular Photoshop alternative on the iOS platform, Senior Vice President of Engineering Vic Gundotra made a promise on Google+ that "we’re going to continue offering and improving Nik’s high-end tools and plug-ins". The search giant has kept its word as it pushed an update to Snapseed for the iPhone and iPad on the App Store, bringing long-awaited iOS 6 and iPhone 5 compatibility...

Apple responds to ‘purple haze’ iPhone 5 camera complaints

Cody Lee ∙ October 7, 2012

In addition to the back panel scratching and light leak complaints, early iPhone 5 purchasers have spotted another flaw in Apple's latest handset: a purple haze or halo is appearing in some photos taken with its rear camera.

Over the past few weeks, users have been reporting that when the iPhone 5's iSight camera is pointed at or near a bright light source, a purple flare appears in the photo. And this weekend, Apple responded to the issue...