Photography used to be limited to the elite and the few, to those who have the means to buy the expensive equipment, or to those who can pursue such passion and make a decent living out of it. With an evolving technology at hand, this is no longer true. Any person with a smartphone can now capture images like a pro, especially true for those with an eye for the art. Others don't have to worry though, as there's always a camera app for that.
Take for instance, the standalone Google Camera app recently released at the Play Store.
"Google Camera snaps quick and easy photos and videos, and has creative picture modes like Photo Sphere, Lens Blur and Panorama," the app description says at the Play Store.
Based on research, the design or interface has been updated, now with a larger capture button. The settings menu has become much easier to navigate. Plus, the additional features for creative purposes. Among the additional features are Photo Spheres, Lens Blur mode, Panorama mode, and 100 percent viewfinder.
The Photo Spheres are made for those immersive 360-degree views of subject and said to be a step up the regular panorama shot. However, Panorama mode has been included also for high-resolution photos. This Spheres feature has been introduced first with Jelly Bean.
The Lens Blur mode gives a slight depth of field to photos so that it looks like it has been taken with a Single Lens Reflex camera. Photo enthusiasts can take shot of an object within a recommended range of five feet from where the phone is, then add the blur effect to it for a little drama. The results are decent, according to those who have tried.
The 100 percent viewfinder, meanwhile, is made to get the maximum resolution of the photos from the sensor, without dropping pixels.
The camera app runs on smartphone and tablet devices under the Android 4.4 KitKat, while Nexus owners need not worry because updating such app is now possible at the Play Store.
Google has also included a basic animation effect when the user activates the video mode, as the device is held vertically, which has been taken as a move of the company to get rid of the Vertical Video Syndrome.
Further research also reveals that there are other features in the Google Camera app, such as wide-angle mode, time-lapse mode, burst mode and advanced camera mode.
