The Camera App For iPhone : The Camera app is fine, but other apps let you take photos in more creative ways

Hipstamatic

Hipstamatic is great for getting those lof-fi retro effects straight out of — the camera, without having to add filters afterwards. The idea is simple: you choose a film, lens, and flash combination and then shoot. If you don’t like what you see, try again with a different combination. Or, if you want to know more about each option before shooting, call up teh Hipstamatic Field Guide which has full details. There are three of each included with the app, and more available as in-app purchases. Information in which film, flash, and lens you used is saved along with your photograph, and tagged when you share it.

In the latest version (250) you can share with Instagram too, via the built-in HipstaShare system. This also allows you to tag your friends in Facebook and share across multiple social networks.

Fast Camera

Fast Camera is a brilliant idea which will help make sure you never miss a shot. Open the app and it starts shooting exposures immediately and doesn’t stop until you tap Stop. You can then preview every image on a contact sheet and examine those you like full-screen, before deciding which to keep and which to ditch. Those you keep are automatically saved to your Camera Roll. You can specify an interval between shots, and set a handy timer so you can jump into that group shot rather than missing out! And you can lock exposure, focus, and white balance.

Grid Lens

Grid Lens allows you to set up pre-formatted grids on your iPhone’s screen, and then grab images for them from your iPhone’s camera. You can capture one image and split it using the grid lines, or capture the same image to each section of the grid and then pan and zoom to give a different view in each box. You can customise the grid templates, change the thickness of the grid lines, and add filters to your images. Grids can be shared to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and Instagram when you’re done. A useful autosave feature ensures you never lose a shot.

Camera+

Camera+ has lots of great features to help you take better photos – it’s like giving the default app an SLR makeover! But the one that separates it from the crows is the ability to set different points for focus end exposure. Just place one finger on the preview to set the focus and then add a second to fix the exposure. There’s also an image stabiliser, a self-timer; a burst mode, and the ability to use the iPhone’s LED flash as a continuous fill light. You want more? How about a grid overlaying the preview so you can line up shots accurately, or a 6x digital zoom?

iTimeLapse Pro

Time lapse photography is an art form that can produce dramatic and beautiful results. iTime Lapse Pro allows you to make time lapse videos from still photos on your iPhone. You just set the date and time for the start and end of the shoot and let it do the rest- though you’ll want to make sure your iPhone is plugged into a power source if its a long session. You can add images to sessions later on, edit individual images, and add a soundtrack. It can also be used for stop motion animation, thanks to the ‘overlay last frame’ feature and the noise-activated shutter. Great fun!

Fisheye Lens Kit

If you want real fisheye photographs from your iPhone, you’ll have to invest in a lens like the Photojojo Fisheye lens, but this app does a decent job of simulating the effect.

There are three lenses and two lens types available, and you can add filters, effects, and a frame too. There’s also a built-in image stabiliser, which grabs the shot only when the iPhone is steady, following the press of the shutter button, a timer, and support for touch to focus. It might be a gimmick, but it’s very fun and have you seen the price on an SLR fisheye lens? Sheesh!!