Overview
Perhaps one of the most under-rated apps already installed on your iPhone is its Camera. I still remember downloading my first set of pictures and doing a double-take at their clarity and resolution. No they are hardly Nikon D30 quality, but if you are Janis Krums your smartphone’s camera can capture some incredible moments. (And yes, this was the first photo capturing this day in aviation history.)
The biggest problem with the iPhone camera is its lack of zoom. You really can’t zoom in for a close up but you have to hold the camera itself closer to whatever you are taking a picture of. For the shutterbug in me, I cringe at this because physically moving in closer can cause problems with shadows and the focus of your iPhone’s lens, especially for 3G and older generations. That’s why Camera Zoom from KendiTech ($0.99USD) helps in bringing the action closer to you without altering the lighting of your subject.
Features
Pay, Plug in, and Play!
Apps just do not get easier than Camera Zoom. Once you install the application and tap to activate it, you enter the iPhone’s Camera mode. In this version of your camera, though, you will see a slider along the bottom of the screen. Tap-and-drag to the left and you start to zoom in. Tap-and-drag to the right, and you zoom out. When you see the image you want to take, press the camera icon, just as you would if you were working with the regular pre-installed Camera app. Your image is then saved in the Photo Gallery. How easy is that?
What do you mean I got Options?
You wouldn’t think you have options on this basic of an app, but tapping the “i” icon located on the right (as opposed to the “eye” icon on the left which takes you to your Gallery) you have your Settings. These options include:
- 320 x 480 which will not give you as high of a resolution as a standard picture, but the image will be web ready, a less blurry image, and will save faster on your iPhone.
- Full Screen Shutter that will enable your screen to serve as the trigger for the camera
- Ask to Save, a handy option that will give you the option to reshoot an image without storing it on your camera.
- Full Screen Slider which turns the screen into the slider bar option
- Slider Position, an option that places the Slider on a preferred orientation
For such a simple application, it’s nice to have choices.
Breakdown
The Good:
For what it offers, I’m really impressed. I love the extra options of Camera Zoom, in particular the Full Screen Slider. The simplicity of the application and the clarity of the images it yields (for an iPhone camera) make this a worthwhile investment. True, it’s only a $0.99 investment, but it would surprise you how many people really don’t want to part with their hard-earned greenbacks!
The Bad:
Perhaps the only tripping point of this app is the Full Screen Shutter option. I attempted several times to try and zoom in with the slider only to take unwanted pictures. The Full Screen Shutter is an option that needs a bit of work. Knowing how a feature like that would work great for self-portraits (which, come to think of it, must be on the rise with the popularity of smartphone photography, TwitPic, and the like) it could just need a tweak or two for efficiency’s sake.
Something else to know about Camera Zoom is that it is a digital zoom, similar to that digital zoom feature of consumer brand video cameras. While the 320 x 480 images are more clear, they are smaller and not the full resolution Camera Zoom is capable of. (And yes, I know…my office is a mess. It’s my weekend project.) Additionally, Camera Zoom’s full mode is only 600 x 800 while iPhone’s native Camera app is capable of 1200 x 1600. So while Camera Zoom does work well, remember it is a virtual enlargement and not a true zoom.
Verdict
For an application that doesn’t break the dollar ceiling, Camera Zoom is a smart addition for iPhone users wanting to bring out the particulars of what they’re looking at. It does nice work; and if you are a fan of iPhone photography, I say plunk down that dollar and get yourself that virtual zoom. You never know when you might want or need it. Just ask Janis Krums (or Ferris Beuller): Life moves pretty fast. It’s good to have tools within reach to capture as much of it and as much detail as you can.
Our Rating
Camera Zoom
- Developer: KendiTech
- Category: Photography
- Released: 2009-04-16
(currently 2.0.1)
(currently 0.99)
Apart from the fact that it will forever be beyond me why anyone should want to use a digital zoom, which is basically no zoom at all but merely a crude (though instant) kind of image manipulation, couldn’t I just take a picture the ‘ordinary’ way at full resolution, and then, in case I want a pseudo-zoomed version as well, go into the photo application, open that image, zoom in the iPhone two fingers way, and finally, once I have the right frame, simply create a screenshot (Hold & Home),which would be saved in the gallery right next to the original? The effect is basically the same, it’s for free, I can do it as many times as I like always using the same exact source, and the picture quality is probably even better as well.
Sure, it’s still just $0.99, so what’s the big deal, but even so, to me at least this app is as superfluous as can be, probably even more so in case You have a 3GS with even higher native resolution.
Cheers!
I agree with the first comment, there is no need to pay for digital zoom, when your photos can easily be cropped for free. BTW, there is no such thing as the Nikon “D30.” D300, yes.
Digital zoom in completely worhtless, in my opinion. Plus, why does this app only do 800×600? Why does it have a slider instead of using pinch to zoom which would be simpler?
It’s much better to use a crop utility after you take the picture than to use a digital zoom app. There’s a program called “Crop for Free” which allows you to crop the picture and retains the resolution. That does the same thing as a digital zoom and you don’t have to stand there fiddling with the zoom controls while you’re trying to take a picture. You just snap the pic and crop it later.