- In this video we're gonna review the best
camera apps for Android right now,
and after testing them all out, I'm gonna share
my top recommendation, the app that I'm using right now.
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Hey, it's Justin Brown here from Primal Video
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and all the links to everything we mention
in this video you can find linked
in the description box below.
Let's jump into it.
These days smartphones are capable of shooting
great videos straight out of the box
but with a quick app install you can
instantly unlock a ton of advanced functionality
ant take your results even further.
There's a lot of options out there though,
so in this video we're going to take a look at
each of the best camera apps right now
and then get to my choice for the number one
app after putting them all through their paces.
Let me know down in the comments
what's your favorite camera app for Android
and what's your favorite feature in that app.
Now, like I said, there is lots of options
out there, some of them great
some of them not so great
and not worth your time at all.
So we're going to skip the ones that
aren't worth your time and jump straight
into this short list of the top options.
So from all the apps out there we've narrowed the short list
down to Open Camera, Footej Camera,
HD Camera Pro, Manual Camera, and Filmic Pro.
Now each one of those has their own advantages
and disadvantages including different features
different levels of complexity
and even pricing models
so make sure you stick around as we run through
each of them to make sure you're getting
the best fit for you.
So the first app you've got is Open Camera.
This one has been around for a while,
I think the first video we did on this one
was quite a few years ago.
We've recently updated a tutorial,
a full walkthrough using Open Camera.
I'll link it up in the cards
and in the description
if you want to check that out.
This is a really solid camera app
with an absolute ton of features built in
and it's totally open source
meaning that it's free.
Now the app itself is easy enough to use
and to get up to speed with
but the interface is not as intuitive
or as inviting as some of the other options out there.
Now there's so many options and settings
in here to really allow you to customize this up for you.
You can even change the different items
and things that you wanna have on the main screen,
on the main graphical user interface.
You can customize it all up.
It's probably got the most amount of features
and settings out of all the apps
that we're going to mention here.
But one thing I do want to mention here
that is relevant to most of the other
apps we're going to cover to a point
is that not all of the features
are going to be available on every device.
Some of these apps will remove different features
based on which Android device you are using
so if it doesn't have access to image stabilizer
then you won't have that option
or if your device isn't powerful enough
then they may remove or limit
some of the top end features.
Now while I said that is related
to most of the apps we're gonna cover,
specifically with Open Camera,
they actually have a heap of options
that are missing from different devices,
depending on which device it is that you're using.
One of those things for instance
is the level at which you can control
the bit rate or the quality of the video
recording that you're doing.
With some devices you can go over
100 megabits per second, with others you might be limited
to around 50, so it is device-dependent,
so just keep that in mind.
So rounding this out, Open Camera
is a solid choice for someone who is looking
for a huge amount of features to up their video game
and the amount of control that they have over
the videos they're creating on their Android device
but it doesn't have the best
or the most intuitive interface.
But if you're looking for a heap of control
and functionality you can definitely
get up to speed and really master this app.
The next app is called Footej Camera.
Now this one has a really simple, really clean interface.
It's not overcrowded, it's not overwhelming,
it's really easy to find stuff.
It's actually most like the stock IOS
or stock Android camera apps where you just swipe
across the bottom to access the different modes,
but obviously it's got a ton of extra features
and a ton of more advanced control in there as well.
So there's a decent range of manual controls
that you get access to, things like white balance,
things like shutter speed, ISO,
lots of different camera modes as we said
for things not just for recording video
but things like slow motion
time lapse, shooting in RAW or panorama.
You've got all of these built in there as well.
Another cool little feature that they've got
that's kind of buried in under the settings
is what they call fingerprint gestures
and this is where you can use your fingerprint
reader or fingerprint scanner on your phone
and assign different gestures on that reader
to different tasks in the app.
So whether it's a swipe down on the reader
swipe across, swipe up
you can actually assign those to do
different things within the app.
Now as for some of the downsides
or features that this app is missing,
there is no control over the frame rate options.
So you can't adjust from 24 to 25 to 30 or so on,
you can't make frame rate adjustments in this app.
There's also no specific bit rate or quality options
for the videos that you're creating either.
They do have basic settings so you adjust
high, medium, or low quality
but there's no specific bit rate
or megabits per second setting in here
to really dial in that quality setting
like you get in most of the other apps
that we are covering here.
So besides that it is definitely a great app
it's easy to use, it would be perfect
for someone that wants the manual camera controls
without the need or or the want for those quality controls.
The pro version upgrade is $2.99,
and that's definitely recommended.
That's going to let you record videos
for longer than five minutes,
and it's also going to enable a ton of extra features,
things like antibanding to remove any flickering
in your shot, plus a heap of other features as well,
so if you're looking at this app
I would strongly recommend upgrading
and paying the $2.99 to get the pro version.
The next app in our recommended list is HD Camera Pro.
Now just be careful because when you're looking
in the App Store, there are two apps
called HD Camera Pro, so make sure
you're getting the right one.
The right one is from a company called Intermedia INC
and again, there will be links in the description below.
Now just like pretty much all of the other apps
in here this one has a full suite
of manual options covering you white balance,
your shutter speed, your ISO.
This one also allows quality or bit rate settings
of up to 100 megabits per second
but there is no option to change
or adjust the video frame rate.
So whatever it's recording at,
I'm assuming it's 30 frames per second,
you have no option to change that at this point.
The other thing I would say that this app
doesn't have that a lot of the others do
is just a ton of settings and features
to be able to control and customize the app up
and to be able to really get a lot of control
over the videos you're creating.
The settings and things that you can control,
yes, they're important ones, yes, they're good ones,
but you don't have pages and pages of settings
to really tailor this up like you do
in some of the other apps.
This interface on this one definitely
isn't going to scare you
it's really clean, all the text is really big,
the icons are big, it's so easy to find everything
but it's probably not as sleek
and intuitive as the Footej app.
I think that one's kind of winning hands down
at the moment with the coolest interface.
Now there is a free version of this app available
or a lite version but it does have limitations
around the quality or the resolutions
that you can record your videos at.
So I would strongly recommend that you purchase
the pro version, the unrestricted version for just $4.99.
So this app will be great for someone
who is looking for a lot of those manual controls
and manual features without the overwhelm
or without the need to go into full pages
and pages of settings and things to customize everything up.
This is a much more straightforward app.
It's got some solid features
but it doesn't have an abundance of settings
and controls that might overwhelm you.
And if you're after options like that,
then that's where something like Open Camera
or even the next two that we're gonna jump into,
they'll fit that box for you.
So the next option then is called Manual Camera.
Once again, this is an easy app to use.
It's got a solid interface, again, really intuitive,
really easy to find things,
really easy to get up to speed using it
and to start getting great results with it.
This one does support control over your video
bit rate, over the quality of the recordings.
You've also got full control over your frame rates.
Everything from 15 frames per second
right up to a 120, or depending on your device,
you might even be able to select higher than that.
Now this app really packs a punch
when it comes to settings.
Just scrolling through the menu now,
you can start to see the amount of control
that you have over setting this app up
and controlling the videos that you're recording.
But what I like about this is that it's still
easy to find things.
So you can quickly scroll through
and see the options that are available to you,
turn on the ones that you need,
ignore the ones that you don't
without having to go through menus upon menus
in a big hierarchy of settings like you do in Open Camera
which can be pretty confusing
and pretty overwhelming for people.
Now you definitely want to make sure
with this one again that you are getting
the paid version for $4.99
and that you're not just using the lite version
that will limit your recording time to five minutes.
It also limits your camera resolution
or the quality that you can record at, and it's got ads.
Who wants ads when you're recording videos?
One of the things that I really like
that stood out to me almost straightaway when I first
started using this app was how easy
it is to lock everything down in manual.
Yes you can do it quite easily
in a lot of the other apps that we've mentioned as well,
but I really like how easy it is and how fast it is
to do it in this app.
Once you tap on the exposure button,
you get direct access immediately to both
the shutter speed and your ISO from within
that one window without the need
to set one of them and then go and set the other one
in a different place or under a different menu setting.
I just thought it was pretty clever
and pretty intuitive on how they've got them
right next to each other which just makes sense
and I know it's little thing
but if this is something that you wanna adjust
on the fly when you're out filming
and especially if you're creating videos where
you're moving around a lot, run and gun style,
and you quickly wanna lock things down,
I just thought that was a cool little addition.
So Manual Camera Pro is a great option
for someone who is looking for that full range
of manual control.
Everything from your high video bit rates
to being able to adjust your frame rates
as I said right up to 120 frames per second or higher.
To have access to a heap of extra settings
to dial everything in the way that you want it
without being overwhelmed with a clunky interface
so something that's going to be hard to use.
And the last option is Filmic Pro.
Now this is really kind of the app that started it all.
This app has been around since almost day one
when it comes to third party or aftermarket
camera apps to be able to unlock DSLR-like settings
or professional camera-like settings
on our smartphones to unlock the true potential
of what these things are capable of,
and it is still one of the best options out there
today when it comes to these sorts of apps.
In Filmic Pro you get a huge amount of control
over pretty much everything.
You've got a huge range of frame rates,
you've got a huge range of bit rates,
video recording sizes, you can even set cropping regions
on the videos that you're creating to create
different cinematic looks or create different
versions of your videos.
But even with all of that there's a few
stand-out features that none of the other apps have.
The first one is direct hardware integration
with a lot of accessories.
You can connect this thing up and pair it
and run it natively with gimbal stabilizers
like DJI OSMO Mobile and OSMO Mobile 2
and also the Zhiyun or Zhiyun Smooth 4.
You can have full access and integration
with those devices from within Filmic Pro.
It also supports the Movi Camera Robot,
Moondog Animorphic lenses, and 35 millimeter
adapters as well, literally at a button press.
The second thing you've got access
to in Filimc Pro is what they call
their cinematographer kit.
Now this will enable a heap of extra control
over the color profiles and all the settings
to help you enable things like log mode
or to really dial in the color and the color
profiles that you're using to shoot your videos.
Now the overall interface itself
and the user experience, I would say
it's definitely on the more complicated ends of things
especially when you're comparing it
to some of the other apps in this video
but it's definitely something you can
play around with and get up to speed fast.
Now we do have a tutorial which I'll link
up in the cards taking you through
that entire process and also showing off
a lot of the features inside of Filmic Pro.
Now in regards to pricing, Filmic Pro is the most
expensive app that we've mentioned in this video.
It cost 14.99 to buy the license to Filmic Pro.
That is a one-time fee, and I personally think
that given all the advanced features and control
and everything in it, I think that's an absolute
no brainer, but you also need to be aware
that if you do wanna unlock that cinematographer kit
to enable all of the log pro files and the advanced
color control, then that is an additional
one-time purchase of 13.99.
Again, I still think it's a no brainer,
given the amount of features and control
that this thing is going to let you have access to.
So I think if you're someone who is looking
for the most amount of control, the most amount of features,
you probably aren't looking for
the most super intuitive interface,
then Filmic Pro is really going to be where it's at.
There is everything in this app,
there's all the advanced focus peaking,
there's all the histograms and control over your color.
This thing really has everything in there.
And they're actively growing it
and adding new features and things all the time.
But really, with any of the apps
that we have mentioned in this video,
these are all gonna be a massive step up
from the built-in camera apps on your phone.
They're gonna unlock a heap of extra power,
a heap of extra potential, and hopefully
a heap of extra creative ability for you
to be able to create better videos.
You will be able to get great results
with any one of these, but in regards to which app
I currently use the most, if I'm looking
for some advanced controls or I really
wanna dial in the shot that I'm capturing,
I'd generally just go straight for Filmic Pro,
because I know that everything I want is in there,
but if I'm just trying to capture something
really quickly and there's no need
to lock anything down or to tweak any settings
or anything, then I'm just gonna use
the built-in camera on my device.
So now that you have your camera app sorted,
check out the video linked on screen
showing you how you can create professional-looking videos
using your Android device, and I'll see you in the next one.