HDR Camera+ get Professional Results from Photos with this Camera Replacement App
by Paul Wilks
Oct 27, 2011 3:45 PM –
Install
HDR Camera+ is a camera replacement app that takes cool HDR photographs. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, this refers to the creation of greater detail in your pictures, instead of bland-looking light areas and simply black dark areas. It adds detail and realism to shots and has been an adopted technique by professional photographers. The technique requires pictures to be taken that focus on detail within both light and dark areas, before subsequently merging them together in one photograph.
Price: Free, $3.99
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- HDR shots look great!
- Wide range of settings!
- Easy to use!
Cons
- At the $4 mark it’s quite pricey for a replacement app.
- Lacks zoom.
Features:
I have to admit I am not a pro photographer, but I would guess the majority of readers aren’t either. On that presumption, I’m going to present this review in very lay terms. I could try and engage the photography lingo but I would probably make a fool of myself and be quickly picked up by someone who knew better! 
Therefore this is how I perceive the HDR Camera+ app.
The HDR Camera+ app automatically uses the HDR technique in taking photos. As explained as simply as possible in the introduction, this makes light and dark areas of a picture more defined, making the photo look sharper and arguably more professional. HDR stands for ‘High Dynamic Range’ and allows for better definition of lighter and darker sections of a picture. (You might be more familiar with the term SDR which stands for ‘Standard Dynamic Range’, and there is also an LDR or ‘Low Dynamic Range’).
The app essentially takes 3 pictures, each taking in the different light densities of a subject, and then fuses them together. HDR Camera+ does this very quickly and it’s only a matter of seconds before your pic is displayed. Without the software algorithm to do this, blending and fusing pictures in this way is far more time consuming and expensive. While it’s obviously not a quick snap, the results look really good and the app caters for slight wobbles and movement. In the pictures below I’ve included a couple of pictures taken with my normal phone camera and then the same image taken with HDR Camera+. Hopefully you can see that the HDR shots are more vivid and have more detail to them. For more details as to how it works and for more examples, check out the site of HDR Camera+’s developers Almalence.
The app comes with a veritable smorgasbord of options and preferences, including: vividness, contrast, exposure, noise reduction and flash settings. It gives the feel of a very professional photography app and, at around $4, I would expect that. Oddly, and maybe this comes from my naivete on photography matters, there is no zoom function. While this is perhaps not essential, there might still be uses for your normal camera in this regard.
The app is to be sold really on this function as unlike other camera replacement apps there are no frilly effects, frames or the such. I guess if you want to add such elements, you could utilize apps like Streamzoo, Pixlr-o-matic or Lightbox Photos.
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HDR Camera+ – Normal camera shot 1
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HDR Camera+ – HDR shot 1
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HDR Camera+ – Normal camera shot 2
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HDR Camera+ – HDR shot 2
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HDR Camera+ – Typical in-app dialogues (1)
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HDR Camera+ – Typical in-app dialogues (2)
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HDR Camera+ – Preferences
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HDR Camera+ – Various settings (1)
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HDR Camera+ – Various settings (2)
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HDR Camera+ – Various settings (3)
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HDR Camera+ – Various settings (4)
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HDR Camera+ – Various settings (5)
Usefulness:
If you want to make your pictures look sharper and more professional, HDR Camera+ is a great solution. It’s easy to use and takes superb pictures. I don’t think it could wholly replace your native camera as it lacks zoom functions and the effects you can get with other apps; filters, frames, etc.
Ease of Use:
The app is relatively easy to use as long as you don’t expect it to require one shot. It takes three, so you need to hold still for a moment or two longer than you might usually. If you view this as a hassle, then the app probably isn’t for you. Besides this, you simply need to tap the screen to take the photo and the menus and sub-menus are typically simple to use and navigate.
Frequently Used:
Personally I see the app as a compliment to your native phone camera, although I read many reviews from people who do view HDR Camera+ as a complete replacement. If you have the opportunity to take your time over some specific pictures, I would definitely use the app to get some better shots.
Interface:
The UI is quite basic, not perhaps as polished as other photography apps. My native camera for example (I use Cyanogenmod 7.1) allows you to make alterations from the camera viewer, and see for yourself the differences the changes make. However, in HDR Camera+ you have to leave the viewer and go into the settings menu, so these changes might be less obvious.
Tags:
Android App,
Android Apps,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
Camera Replacement App,
HDR,
HDR Camera App,
HDR Camera+,
High Dynamic Range,
Lightbox Photo,
photography,
Pictures,
Pixlr-o-matic,
Streamzoo
Categorised in: Photography
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