I normally use an Android phone but I was so intrigued by the, iOS only, photography app Hipstamatic that I brought a used iPhone so that I could try it out. Hipstamatic is an app that allows you to select different “equipment”; “lenses”, “films” and “flashes” that control the final look of your photograph. There are a limited number of these available initially but more can be added via in-app purchase.
The earlier version only had an interface that looked like a “toy camera” as can be seen below. The original interface forced the user to select the lens, film and flash before shoting and gave no possibility of changing this later. The app has a “shake to randomise” feature that allow a random selection of the “equipment” from a selected range of lenses, films and flashes.
The latest “300” version of Hipstamatic add many more facilities. There are manual options for the camera (shutter speed, focus, etc.) and the possibility to change the equipment post shooting. There is a new shooting interface to control this (although the old interface is still available if required).
As with all things photographic the real proof of the app is in the photographs that it takes. Below are a selection of my own photographs showing some of the effects that can be created with Hipstamatic.