Best camera apps for iPhone and Android

Best camera apps for iPhone and Android
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The best camera apps can take your smartphone's image capture to a whole new level! Smartphone cameras have come a long way over the last few years. In fact, even photographers who used to be very sniffy about using them can often be found reaching for their phone as a convenient alternative to a bulky camera. 

That’s partly a testament to how good the image quality is from the average smartphone now, but it’s also because a phone makes it easy to shoot and share an image in an instant and keep your Instagram story up to date.

However, the native camera apps in most smartphones don’t always give you the result that you're looking for. It can sometimes be tricky to get the exposure just right, for example, or the light is having a funny effect on the colour of your images and you need to adjust the white balance. Or perhaps you’re just looking for something a bit more interesting and creative than a ‘straight shot’ from your camera phone?

Thankfully, there’s a wealth of third party camera apps available for both iOS and Android devices to help you get more from the camera in your phone in a range of situations. 

We’ve included apps that give you DSLR-like control along with some that keep things very simple but enable you to apply effects at the shooting stage, saving you time editing your photos later. They also let you preview your images and tweak the settings so that you know you’ve got exactly what you want even before you tap the shutter button.

We’ve included a mixture of ‘serious’ apps to satisfy hardcore photographers as well as some that let you have a bit of fun with your phone when you want to capture those laugh out loud moments.

(Image credit: Angela Nicholson)

1. Adobe Photoshop Camera

Not as serious as it sounds, for quick snapping and fast effects

Specifications

Platform: iOS and Android
Price: Free
Camera controls: Filter effects
Effects: everything from subtle enhancements to crazy pop art effects

Reasons to buy

+
Very simple interface
+
Quick preview to assess the effect
+
Some editing tools, links to Lightroom

Reasons to avoid

-
Some of the effects are very gimmicky

Adobe Photoshop has a reputation as a serious software package for serious photographers, so Adobe Photoshop Camera might come as a bit of a surprise to some users. It’s designed to be very easy to use and there’s a huge range of effects (called Lenses) available. The Lens options are arranged in categories along the bottom of the screen. Just tap on the one you want and then swipe across the screen to see the impact of the available effects. The clever part is that the app uses Adobe’s Sensei artificial intelligence (AI) technology to identify the subject and apply the Lens effects accordingly. There are some crazy effects available but you can also make portraits more flattering and replace dull skies with something more interesting.

Get Photoshop Camera

(Image credit: Angela Nicholson)

2. VSCO

Take control of the exposure, white balance and focus of your photos

Specifications

Platform: iOS and Android
Price: Free (Membership £19.99/$19.99 annually)
Camera controls: Flash, exposure, white balance, focus, ISO, shutter speed
Effects: Huge range of post-capture filter effects

Reasons to buy

+
Good range of controls
+
Extensive range of filters with membership
+
Has its own image-sharing platform

Reasons to avoid

-
Membership is pushed very hard

Although VSCO is free to download you only get access to 10 of the 200+ creative effects and the paid membership is pushed HARD. So it won’t be long before you either abandon it or sign-up for the 7-day free trial. The camera is found in the Studio area. Once the camera is activated you get access to a nice range of controls including a slider that lets you shift the focus forwards and backwards until its exactly where you want it. There are three viewing options available, a clear one, one with a grid to help with composition and a third that has an electronic level to put an end to wonky horizons. Once you’ve captured the image you have the option to apply one of the preset effects and/or publish it to your VSCO account and share it to your connected social media channels.

Get VSCO

(Image credit: Angela Nicholson)

3. Darkr

Recreate the magic of the black and white darkroom with your phone

Specifications

Platform: iOS
Price: Free (in-app purchases)
Camera controls: Camera type, shutter speed, ISO, focus
Effects: shoot in monochrome

Reasons to buy

+
Includes a camera and an editing element
+
Tutorials explain the processes involved

Reasons to avoid

-
Small preview with free pocket-camera
-
Dodging & burning can be too subtle

This app enables you to convert existing colour images into black and white or you can pick a camera to shoot monochrome negatives. The point-and-shot ‘pocket camera’ is available with the free app but you can also buy 'medium' and 'large format' cameras for $1.99/£1.99 each. Once you’ve captured your image you need to open the ‘darkroom’ and select the correct exposure from the ‘test strips’. With that done you’re able to crop the image and use the dodge and burn tools to selectively brighten and darken specific areas of the image. You can even create masks and apply gradients to target the right sections. 

Get Darkr for iOS

(Image credit: Angela Nicholson)

4. Pro Camera by Moment

DSLR-like camera controls and raw file shooting on a smartphone

Specifications

Platform: iOS and Android
Price: $4.99/£4.99 iOS $3.99/£3.59 Android
Camera controls: shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation, white balance, focus
Effects: traditional camera effects

Reasons to buy

+
Range of exposure and focus controls
+
Slow shutter and time lapse add-ons
+
Focus peaking, histogram, clipping views 

Reasons to avoid

-
*Android version no longer developed

Designed to complement Moment’s range of smartphone lenses, Pro Camera by Moment offers control over aspects such as shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation, focusing and white balance. The sliding controls are easy to use with haptic feedback adding to the experience. The focus peaking is useful for keeping an eye on the sharpest areas of the image while highlight and shadow clipping can also be activated to help ensure you get the best exposure. In really tricky conditions, the automatic exposure bracketing is useful, enabling you to take 3 differently exposed shots with one tap of the shutter release.

Get Pro Camera for iOS

(Image credit: Angela Nicholson)

5. Instagram

Create great Instagram stories at the shooting stage

Specifications

Platform: iOS and Android
Price: Free
Camera controls: Filter effects
Effects: Quirky stickers and Boomerang video

Reasons to buy

+
Very easy to use
+
Lets you show support for campaigns 
+
Lots of free effects

Reasons to avoid

-
Limited camera control

Instagram is best known as a social media platform for sharing images, but it also has a camera element that lets you create Instagram stories (images and video that are only visible for 24 hours) from within the app. You can shoot and post unadulterated, fully-automatic snapshots and add tags, text, mentions and GIFs, but there’s also a hug range of effects that you can apply as you take the shot. There’s everything from beautifying filters to cute animated bunny ear stickers and pride colour filters or campaign slogans. Once you’ve got the shot nailed and added any tags etc that you want, hit ‘Your stories’ to share it with the world.

Get Instagram for iOS
Get Instagram for Android

(Image credit: Angela Nicholson)

6. Candy Camera

Shoot an Instagram-ready selfie in double-quick time

Specifications

Platform: iOS and Android
Price: Free
Camera controls: Filter effects
Effects: Preset filters plus Skin perfecter and Facelift

Reasons to buy

+
Very quick preset filter selection
+
Random filter selection option available

Reasons to avoid

-
Not possible to customise the effects
-
The in-app ads get a bit tedious

Created for selfie and portrait-shooters, Candy Camera offers a long list of preset filter effects that can be applied with a tap on a thumbnail image. Unfortunately, the effect thumbnails are very small and they have names like EV01 and JB02 that leave you guessing, so you have to tap a few to find one you like, but the results are more flattering than a standard selfie. There’s not much in the way of control but you can adjust the degree of effect applied and use the Skin perfecter and Facelift controls to make the camera kinder. There’s also a neat layout control that makes it easy to create a grid of images as you shoot them.

Get Candy Camera for iOS
Get Candy Camera for Android

(Image credit: Angela Nicholson)

7. Focos

Take control of the focus zone for blurred or sharp backgrounds

Specifications

Platform: iOS
Price: Free
Camera controls: Aperture
Effects: Adjust the degree of background blur, plus aspect ratio, flash and exposure compensation/bias

Reasons to buy

+
Couldn’t be easier to use
+
Electronic level for straight horizons
+
Some useful aspect ratio options

Reasons to avoid

-
No color effects or filters

With a DSLR, the aperture is used to control depth of field – the size of the sharp area in front of and behind the subject. Focos replicates that control with a simple slider to enable you to capture blurred or sharp backgrounds. It’s great for making your subject stand out from its surroundings or reducing the impact of a messy background. The app also lets you turn the flash on or off (or set it to auto),  adjust the exposure bias (aka compensation) and shift the white balance from cool to warm. The icing on the cake is a collection of aspect ratios (including the cinematic 2.35:1) and an electronic level that helps you get the horizon straight.

Get Focos for iOS

(Image credit: Angela Nicholson)

8. I Love Film

If you love(d) shooting on film, this could be the app for you

Specifications

Platform: iOS
Price: Free (in-app purchases)
Camera controls: Film type and ISO
Effects: Replicates the look of traditional film emulsions

Reasons to buy

+
Create a retro look with a single tap
+
Additional film effects with the Pro version
+
Preview the additional film for free

Reasons to avoid

-
Limited control over the final image

It’s from the same developer as Darkr, but this app is a little simpler to use. After opening the camera, the first step is to select the type of film that you want to use from Color, Slide, B&W, Instant and Infra Red (spoiler – there are no free Infra Red films available). Then you can choose the specific film emulsion that you want to use, tapping on the thumbnail to see a preview of your scene with the effect applied. Tapping the thumbnail a second time lets you adjust the ISO – but that’s it. Any effects marked ‘Pro’ are only available if you upgrade to the Pro account (£4.99), alternatively, you can buy the elements separately – 130+ films for $3.99/£3.99 and $1.99/ £1.99 to be able to add dust and light leaks or change the bokeh.

Get I Love Film for iOS

(Image credit: Angela Nicholson)

9. Camera FV-5

Turns your Android smartphone into a ‘real camera’

Specifications

Platform: Android
Price: $3.95/£2.49
Camera controls: White balance, AF, ISO, exposure compensation, flash, raw/JPEG
Effects: Traditional camera controls

Reasons to buy

+
Gives key camera controls
+
Icons rotate for portrait and landscape 
+
There’s a histogram to guide exposure

Reasons to avoid

-
No depth of field control

If you’ve got an Android phone and you want DSLR-like control over the camera, Camera FV-5 is the go-to app. And if your phone supports it, you can even shoot 16-bit DNG raw files for more scope for post-capture adjustment. Although there’s no control over background blur, there are some great features like face-detection autofocus, macro and infinity focusing, a histogram view that lets you check for burned highlights, a self-timer and long exposure shooting up to 60 seconds. There’s also a built-in intervalometer that takes the maths out of creating time lapses, but it’s down to you to convert the stills to video.

Get Camera FV-5 for Android

(Image credit: Angela Nicholson)

10. Black and White Camera

A quick and easy-to-use monochrome camera app for Android phones

Specifications

Platform: Android
Price: $4.00/£4.29
Camera controls: Effects and self-timer
Effects: Monochrome images and textures

Reasons to buy

+
Very easy to use
+
Creates attractive images quickly

Reasons to avoid

-
Minimal control, no effects customisation
-
High price for the level of control

There are lots of black and white conversion apps but Black and White Camera lets you shoot in monochrome and convert existing images. Although the app is free you need to pay to get the full app to avoid a watermark from spoiling your images. It’s a very straightforward app to use, just select ‘Camera’ and then pick from the 25+ effects that you want to apply. The first few, Tonal, Mono, Hipster, Grey and Pop produce subtly different results that look good. Scroll on further and you’ll find the low saturation Burnt filter and a selection of options that have vignettes, textures (bullet holes anyone?) and light leak effects. If you’re not sure what to go for, try tapping the randomiser button.

Get Black and White Camera for Android

Read more:

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The best camera phones
Best iPhone for photography
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Angela Nicholson

Angela has been testing camera gear from all the major manufacturers since January 2004 and has been Amateur Photographer’s Technical Editor and Head of Testing for Future Publishing’s photography portfolio (Digital Camera MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon MagazineN-PhotoPractical PhotoshopPhotography Week and Professional Photography magazines, as well as the Digital Camera World and TechRadar websites). She is the founder of SheClicks - a community group that encourages and supports female photographers.