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Since every camera-equipped Android telephone comes with a camera app, almost people will never look further. But some OEMs do a better chore than others at creating bully apps for photography, and there are also lots of interesting and mayhap important features that tin can only be found past using a tertiary-party photographic camera app. Whether yous're actively looking for one, or are just curious about what you might be missing, hither'south our guide to some of your best options.

We'll showtime with some things to go along in mind when selecting a camera app (or apps). Showtime, Android comes in myriad versions, and each OEM implements them differently, on unique hardware. So, an app that works smashing on one device might be buggy, take poor performance, or non work at all, on another. Then you'll need to test out any apps you're considering for yourself. Second, while many are complimentary, some cost a few dollars. If that bugs yous, look for their Lite or Trial versions to become a feel before you spring for the full version. Finally, photography on smartphones is a moving target. OEMs release firmware to upgrade their camera'due south performance that can in turn affect improver camera apps. Android also continues to evolve. For example, Google has now made it possible for add-on apps to use its HDR+ capability on some phones, just each camera app has to be updated to take advantage of it.

Below are some of my go-to options for photographic camera applications on Android. I've placed their user rating from the Google Play store in parenthesis after each, where it is available.

Stock Camera Apps

Google's own Camera app has a simple interface but lots of powerful options under the hoodThe "stock" camera apps that come with your phone vary widely past OEM and by specific device. Typically they don't offer a large number of features, so you lot may detect them limiting. If you're reading this article, presumably you're interested in what else is possible. On the upside, though, the OEM's own app frequently takes best advantage of the telephone'south specific capabilities, like a second camera for Zoom or Portrait fashion, HDR+ in the case of Google, and Monochrome on some Huawei models. So it is worth learning what your stock Camera app does particularly well, as yous may want to switch dorsum to it for specific situations.

For the adventurous, Google's Photographic camera app (stock on its Pixel phones) has been ported to a variety of other loftier-end and even some midrange phones. Typically, though, only some functionality works, and the ports are of varying quality. They're easiest to find in the forum for your device on xda-developers.com. I've used several incarnations of it on my OnePlus v, and it'due south been a mixed bag. I got to utilize some previously Pixel-specific features, merely they didn't always work right, so I sometimes had to switch to another camera app. Not always fun if you're trying to quickly capture a special moment.

Photographic camera FV-5 (3.eight)

Camera FV-5 provides a very DSLR-like interfaceIf you lot're yearning for the controls on your DSLR, then FV-v may be for you lot. It not only offers many of the same manual controls you get on a standalone camera, just even uses similar icons to represent features like exposure compensation. Some squeamish extras are a long exposure mode and an intervalometer. The information overlays, including an optional RGB Histogram, are also helpful if y'all want to get the most out of your camera. FV-5 was my "goto" camera app until recently when I got addicted to the RAW HDR capability of the Lightroom Mobile Camera and the simplicity of Google'southward own HDR+ betoken and shoot for quick captures.

Open up Photographic camera (four.3)

If you lot want to feel involved with your camera app, Open Camera is unique every bit a total-featured, open source camera app for Android. Like many open source projects, information technology includes a diverseness of funky features like beingness able to use your vocalism to capture images — recall "Cheese!" Because the app is a small-scale donationware endeavour, information technology doesn't get tested on every smartphone, so you'll have to see if it works on yours.

Lightroom CC Mobile (four.three)

If you're an Adobe Cloud or Lightroom user, the Lightroom app'due south Camera is a great choice. Offset, it offers the aforementioned RAW HDR adequacy, which provides remarkable dynamic range in the course of a high-fleck-depth (really floating indicate) RAW file automatically created from as many individual frames as are needed to capture the highlights and shadows in a scene. Right at present only Adobe's own tools seem to exist able to edit these files, then you'll probably need to apply either Lightroom or Photoshop with them. They also take a picayune longer to capture than Google'southward HDR+ photos, so they're more sensitive to motion in the scene or of the camera.

Images yous shoot with the camera in Lightroom are also automatically synced to your desktop version of Lightroom, and to your other mobile devices that use Lightroom. I had expert success pairing a Pixel ii with a Pixelbook as a complete mobile workflow, for example. Annotation that in the Play Store the app is called Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC.

A Better Photographic camera (3.8)

This app's name is a pretty proficient description of its capabilities. Information technology comes with tons of features, and rafts of settings screens to customize its various modes. For a while it was my become-to camera app, but it seems to accept fallen behind. For instance, I couldn't get it to record RAW (.DNG) captures with either a OnePlus five or a Pixel 2, fifty-fifty though both those phones conspicuously support that capability.

VSCO (four.4)

VSCO has nearly endless sets of looks and presets you can purchase as add-on packs for the main appMore than most of the other camera apps, VSCO focuses on options for editing your images after you capture them. Its editing tools aren't quite as powerful as those in Lightroom Mobile, but go beyond simply about whatever other mobile app. Film photography buffs will appreciate its variety of film-look presets likewise.

More chiefly, VSCO really wants you to be office of its photograph storage and sharing community ($20 per twelvemonth). If you lot're already hooked on Google Photos, or Lightroom's cloud, and then the final thing you need is some other app tied to its own back terminate. But if you lot're looking for a sharing solution, and don't like your other options, VSCO may exist worth exploring.

Camera Zoom FX Premium (4.iii)

Many photographic camera apps focus on either lots of shooting options, or a bunch of stylized post-processing filters. Camera Zoom FX Premium does both. It has a highly customizable user interface and all the controls you'll demand. If you miss the tiled interface of Windows Mobile, you'll see information technology echoed in the settings controls. One very slick characteristic it includes is a "Stable Shot" mode, where you press the shutter and the camera waits until a period when the telephone is steady, and then captures the image. It besides has a "All-time Shot" way, which captures a burst of images and selects one for you.

Special Mention: Huawei Camera

The camera app on the Mate 10 Pro takes full advantage of the phone's monochrome cameraAs far equally stock photographic camera apps get, the Huawei Camera app on its Mate x Pro is particularly skillful. It combines a clean interface with easy admission to manual controls in its Pro manner for starters. But it also offers quite a variety of specialty modes, many of which use the telephone'south dedicated AI bit for enhanced processing. For example, it does a great job of zooming in using its two cameras and multi-frame processing for improved resolution. In that location'due south fifty-fifty a Monochrome mode that takes reward of the device's unique 20MP black and white sensor, and a "wide-aperture" way that allows refocusing afterwards the fact. The only drawback is that I haven't constitute a way to shoot RAW with the monochrome camera yet. It likewise looks like at that place may be more specialty modes planned, as an interface for loading boosted ones already features a few "goodies."

Summary: Horses for Courses

If you're serious about using your smartphone for more than just taking a few snapshots, you're likely to wind up with more than one Camera app. There are literally dozens to choose from, and each i has different strengths and weaknesses. Their relative merit can also change speedily, depending on whether they keep up with the latest Android features, or take advantage of the unique capabilities of your particular telephone. The good news is that most of them have a costless version you tin can try, and well-nigh all of them cost less than $v, fifty-fifty for their premium version. So it isn't hard to experiment with a few and see which one or ones best see your needs.

[Image credit: David Cardinal]