Free instead of $4.99: Take full control of your phone's camera
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With smartphones essentially replacing point-and-shoot cameras with excellent automatic modes, true shutterbugs may feel neglected. Today, however, the Manual Camera: DSLR app is temporarily free, offering a plethora of manual controls to harness your phone's camera hardware to its full potential. Check it out.
Better yet, Manual Camera not only plays a role in photo-taking but also for videos that can be recorded in 4K resolution, depending on the specifications of your smartphone and its respective camera sensor. The app normally costs $4.99 a pop, but it can be downloaded for free for a limited time only.
- Download Manual Camera: DSLR for free from the Google Play Store
- Looking for more recommendations? Check out our 5 other apps of the week
Why Manual Camera: DSLR is worth downloading
We've already highlighted apps like ProShot, ProCam X, and if there's one thing we've learned over time, it's that the original smartphone app doesn't normally take full advantage of the potential of the camera hardware in your smartphone. Whether it is a matter of simplifying the user experience or perhaps the amount of effort required to adjust the app, entry-level devices tend to offer the bare minimum options when taking photos.
The Manual Camera: DSLR app offers (based on the device hardware) options such as white balance, different focus options- automatic, manual, continuous, infinity, exposure time, ISO, HDR, scene modes, timer, continuous mode, time-lapse, and more. All this in a reasonably simple interface, accompanied by large icons and well-organized menus.
And of course, Manual Camera: DSLR is also compatible with multiple cameras, be they rear or front, though it identifies them simply as "CAM 1/2/3", flash control, and RAW mode recording.
For video recording purposes, you can select the bitrate and framerate, capture slow or fast-motion footage, and even use the image stabilization system available on the handset itself.
Does Manual Camera: DSLR respect your privacy?
In their privacy policy, the developers explained that they use telemetry services and third-party ads, which may collect information about app usage. It is noteworthy that the Pro version in the promotion does not include advertisements and I also did not run into any in-app purchases.
According to the Exodus privacy platform, Manual Camera: DSLR includes two trackers, both of them from Google. One for ads and the other for analytics. Already, the permissions requested are within the expectations for a camera app, with requests for camera, microphone, geolocation (for metadata, optional), and external storage access.
Did you like our app suggestion? Are you looking for other types of apps? Feel free to give us your opinion on Manual Camera: DSLR or suggest different app options in the comments.
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