Smartphone photography: The best camera apps for your smartphone
For many people, the normal camera app is more than enough. In order not to overwhelm users, many standard camera apps lack settings that professional photographers know from SLR cameras. This is where third-party camera apps come into play.
A camera app is only as good as its hardware
Smartphone cameras have made huge leaps in the last 10 years. Night shots were an impossibility even with the most expensive smartphones. Now, low-light shots are possible even with mid-range smartphones. A decade ago, only smartphones with one wide-angle lens existed, but now the trend is towards four, five or even more lenses.
Nevertheless, a camera app is only as good as the built-in hardware. A mid-range smartphone like the Samsung A53 or the iPhone SE (2022) will not suddenly become an SLR camera, even with a professional app. If your phone doesn’t have an ultra-wide-angle lens, another camera app won’t be able to take ultra-wide-angle photos either. And if your smartphone camera only has a 2x optical zoom, a professional camera app will also only be able to use 2x optical zoom.
Advantages of professional camera apps
- More setting options: If you want to adjust things like exposure time, white balance, HDR, manual focus, histograms or more image formats, you will find what you are looking for in professional camera apps.
- Active further development: The standard apps of the manufacturers are usually only updated with very large updates. Third-party camera apps like Halide are maintained and updated throughout the year. If you find a bug, the path to a fix is shorter with third-party apps than with the major manufacturers.
- Better support: A great strength of third-party apps is better support. Whether feature requests or simple questions about settings: The support is much quicker than if you ask Samsung and other manufacturers.
- Niche apps: You think Polaroid-style photos are totally cool? There are apps for that too in the app stores that can mimic the look of Polaroid photos instantly and without image editing programmes.
Is a professional camera app worth it?
Despite all the advantages, the question remains why you should buy a professional camera app, especially since many developers have switched to a subscription model and the standard camera apps have become better and better. To answer the question, you should ask yourself the following question:
How much time do you invest in your photos, both when you take them and later?
- If you’re someone who just wants to take photos quickly and easily, then you don’t need a third party camera app.
- If you wait for the perfect snapshot, edit all your pictures afterwards, and regularly clean up your photo stream, then a professional camera app may be worthwhile.
Are there differences between camera apps on iOS and Android?
Yes, there really are. Because of the vast number of different Android phones, the development of camera apps for this operating system is much more difficult than for iOS. In addition, iOS users are more willing to pay for the app. That is why there are more high-quality apps for iOS than for Android.
What to look for when downloading a camera app
- Compatibility with your mobile phone: If you use a high-end smartphone with Android, you should usually not have any compatibility problems. The situation is different if you use a less common mobile phone. In this case, your phone may not be supported or only insufficiently supported. With iOS, you won’t have these problems unless you are using an outdated iOS version.
- Data protection:A camera app is not a social network. When downloading apps, make sure that you do not have to provide any user data in order to use the app. A camera app that requires registration is more interested in your data than in good snapshots from you. It’s better to stay away from these apps.
A camera app needs deep permissions, including access to cameras, microphones, photo albums and location services (for metadata). Permissions beyond that are unnecessary. - Active further development: Not every app is maintained by the developers. Regular updates and upgrades show that the app is being actively developed.
- RAW support: If you edit your photos afterwards, RAW support is indispensable. In RAW format, you can change individual components such as white balance, contrast, sharpness or saturation even after taking the photo without ruining the quality of the image. However, these “raw” images require more storage space.
The best professional photography apps at a glance
| App name | iOS | Android |
| Halide Mark II | Download for iOS | Not available for Android |
| Open Camera | Not available for iOS | Download for Android |
| ProCamera | Download for iOS | Not available for Android |
| Manual Camera Pro: DSLR Cam | Not available for iOS | Download for Android |
| Photoshop Camera Portrait Lens | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| ReLens | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
Halide Mark II (iOS)
Halide is the go-to app for iOS users for whom the standard camera app is not enough. The user interface is oriented towards professional SLR cameras, but brings with it the simplicity typical of iOS. Halide brings the portrait function of the large and powerful iPhones to the iPhone XR and SE. Other tools include Extended Dynamic Range (XDR), 14-bit RAW support (for better colour gradients), colour zebras (to avoid overexposed areas), focus peaking (for sharper photos) and magnifier, histograms and manual depth captures. RAW support is of course also included.
The award-winning app is available exclusively for iOS operating systems and costs either CHF 2.99 per month or CHF 12.49 per year. If you don’t feel like subscribing, you can purchase the app for a one-time fee of CHF 69.99.
| iOS | Android | |
| Halide Mark II | Download for iOS | Not available for Android |
Open Camera (Android)
Exclusively available for Android users is the completely free and even ad-free Open Camera. Here, the functionality is superior to the standard app with features such as scene modes, colour effects, white balance, exposure correction and lock, front selfies with screen flash and more. Taking photos from a distance using sounds is also possible. Histogram, zebra stripes and focus peaking help you get more out of your pictures. With Open Camera, you can also take panoramas with the front camera. Plus, you have more control over the metadata that is saved with each shot. For photos, you can even save the compass direction in the metadata. And if you want to save less metadata, you can easily delete it.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| Open Camera | Not available for iOS | Download for Android |
ProCamera (iOS)
ProCamera for iOS is one of the oldest camera apps for iOS. It has all the features that professional photographers want: Exposure compensation, focus peaking, RAW and ProRAW shooting, real-time histogram, zebra stripes, front selfie with screen flash and up to 24x digital zoom.
Unlike Halide, the app is also perfect for recording videos: Support for codecs such as H.265, ProRes 422 and ProRes HQ and Dolby Vision HDR video, audiometer and high-bitrate recording. In addition, the app supports external microphones.
ProCamera costs a one-time fee of CHF 14.99, but additional features can be purchased via in-app purchase.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| ProCamera | Download for iOS | Not available for Android |
Manual Camera Pro: DSLR Cam (Android)
The Manual Camera Pro app is ideal for Android users who want a more comprehensive camera app but do not want to give up the simplicity of the standard camera. The graphic interface is easy to understand and yet offers more functions. These include the adjustability of ISO and white balance values, focus, filters and colour effects and much more. You can also record videos with the app, for which various frame and bitrate settings are available.
The Pro version costs around CHF 4, but there is also an ad-supported, free version.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| Manual Camera Pro: DSLR Cam | Not available for iOS | Download for Android |
| Manual camera: DSLR Cam | Not available for iOS | Download for Android |
Photoshop Camera Portrait Lens (iOS & Android)
If you don’t need professional tools and instead prefer an app with fun filters, you should take a look at the Adobe app Photoshop Camera Portrait Lens. Over 100 different effects and filters are available for your next Instagram picture. In no time, you can change the background or take professional-looking portrait photos.
The app is free of charge.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| Photoshop Camera Portrait Lens | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
ReLens (iOS & Android)
Bokehs (depth of field) are one of the few things in which SLR cameras are still far ahead of smartphones. This is where ReLens comes in. The photography app doesn’t turn your smartphone into a professional camera, but it does use artificial intelligence to raise the depth of field to professional level. There are more than 60 different bokeh effects to choose from, ranging from soft focus to optical distortions and geometric shapes.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| ReLens | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
Conclusion: There are few but very good photo apps
Both the standard camera apps and the apps from third-party providers have become better and better since the beginning of the App Stores. But it is also a fact that the camera app market has consolidated and there are only a few professional camera apps left, but they are constantly being developed. With the apps on this list, you are guaranteed to find your next favourite camera app.
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