(tranquil ambient music) - This is our 2021 roundup
and review
of the best camera apps for Android right now
after testing them all out.
I'll share my top recommendation,
the number one app that I'm using on Android right now,
and why.
Hey, it's Justin Brown here from Primal Video,
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and all the links to everything I mention in this video,
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Let's jump into it.
Now with a quick app install,
you can instantly unlock a ton of advanced functionality
to take your results even further with your Android device.
There's a lot of apps out there to choose from,
and they're certainly not all made equal.
So in this video, we're gonna 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.
Now, each of them
does have their advantages and disadvantages,
including different features,
different levels of complexity,
and obviously different pricing models as well.
So make sure you stick around as we run through each one
to make sure that you're ending up with the one
that's the best fit for you.
Now, I just wanna add in here really quickly
that each one of these camera apps that we're gonna cover
will let you unlock professional camera like settings
on your Android device.
Things like shutter speed, ISO, resolution, frame rate,
bit rate.
So we're not gonna mention these things
as we dive into each of the apps,
we're only gonna look at what's different between them.
And remember, depending on the type
or the age of your specific Android device,
some of these features might not be available to you.
So the first app is Open Camera.
Now this is one that we've spoken about
quite a bit on this channel,
we even have a complete step-by-step walkthrough
on how to use it, which I'll link up in the cards.
Now overall Open Camera, it's got a clean interface.
It's easy enough to navigate around.
I will say it's not the nicest, most intuitive interface,
especially compared to some of the options
that we've got coming up, but there is a ton of options
and ton of functionality built into Open Camera.
There's lots of different picture profiles,
lots of different video recording formats,
and you've got great control
over the recording quality and bit rates.
And it can be used not just for creating videos,
but also for taking photos as well.
I really like that you can customize up
the interface as well
so you can have quick access to your most used features.
There's also some really cool
random features in there as well,
like critical battery check,
where it's gonna automatically stop your video recording
if your battery is getting low.
So it doesn't just switch off the phone
and potentially corrupt your video file.
Now as for some of the downsides
or the things to be aware of,
some of the features in here again are device specific
so you may not have access to everything in here.
And given that it's got so many features
and things built into it,
the overall menu system to be able to navigate through
and find everything, it can be pretty complicated,
there's literally menus inside of menus
so finding things quickly can be pretty difficult.
Now in terms of pricing, Open Camera is totally free,
it's open source app,
which means you get access to this amazing app
and all of the functionality totally for free.
So if anyone's looking for a ton of advanced features
and controls and a good level of customization,
then this is where Open Camera could be a great option,
but if you're someone who's more at the beginner end
or someone who appreciates the advanced settings,
but is after something more intuitive and more streamlined
and easier to jump in and get up and running
and jump in and find things as you're recording,
then that's where some of the other options here
might be better for you.
But again,
for what you're getting access to in this app for free,
it's pretty crazy.
The next app option is Manual Camera.
Now this one has again, a huge amount of options,
a huge amount of settings built in,
but I'd say in comparison to Open Camera,
this one has a much easier
and much more intuitive interface.
I really like how easy it is to do simple things like
to lock down your exposure right from that front screen,
or to quickly jump in and dial in
specific settings that you're after,
it's all really intuitive.
And for some of the more advanced settings
that you need to go into the menus for,
everything is really easy to find in there.
You're not going into pages within pages of menus,
everything is laid out really well.
Just like Open Camera, Manual Camera isn't just for video,
you can use it for your photos as well.
But one of the biggest things that stood out for me
was how all of your settings remain almost exactly the same
when you're switching between
the different cameras on your phone.
So if you're switching between
one of the back primary cameras to the front selfie camera,
on this app, things like your white balance,
your shutter speed, your ISO,
all of those settings were kept almost exactly the same
wherever possible, so that everything matched,
and that if you were recording a video,
you don't have to manually key everything in
or set everything up
if you're just gonna switch between the different cameras.
And in Manual Camera,
you also don't need to have all the pro settings,
the professional mode on all the time,
you can actually disable it
and it gives you an even cleaner, more simpler interface.
So if you are creating videos or even taking photos
where you don't need access to all of those things,
and you're just gonna opt for simplicity,
then it's awesome that you can turn that on and off.
Now as for the downside to the things to be aware of,
I have found that the slider area
for when you're manually setting the exposure,
it's pretty small.
Maybe it's just my fat fingers,
but I've definitely tapped out or backed out of that setting
a few times while I'm trying to set it
and then had to go back in to finish the adjustment.
So it's pretty sensitive.
Now, there is a free version
of Manual Camera available called Manual Camera Lite,
it does give you access
to all the features in the paid version,
but there are some restrictions.
There's currently a maximum photo limit
of up to eight megapixels,
and the limit for video is 10ADP,
so no 4K recording in the free one,
and there's a maximum video recording length
of five minutes as well,
but to remove those restrictions
and to unlock all the functionality of the app,
you will want the full version, which sells for $4.99.
So overall I think Manual Camera is an amazing camera app,
I think it's gonna be really easy for someone
who is an absolute beginner to be able to jump in
and figure out where everything is
right through to someone at the more professional end
wanting to lock everything down
and wanting to control everything.
And I think at that price point too,
it's a really compelling offer,
it's crazy cheap considering what you're getting access to
and how easy everything is to use.
So the next app then is one
that we've mentioned quite a bit on this channel as well,
this one is FiLMiC Pro.
This is really the OG when it comes to advanced
or third-party camera apps on Android and iOS.
I really like that it's got a clean, simple interface
yet packing in a ton of functionality as well.
Everything is so well laid out
so you've got quick access to all the important stuff
right from that front screen,
but also that you can easily monitor the important stuff
like your volume levels, your battery,
how much storage you've got left
all from that front screen as well,
and all in an intuitive way
without taking up too much space.
They make it really easy to do things like
lock down your focus and exposure
just by tapping on the screen
and moving the box and the circle around.
Or if you want more granular control,
then with another button press,
you're into the more advanced settings.
It's got a really simple logical menu system.
It's easy to dive in and find the settings that you need
without needing to go through menus upon menus
to find everything.
Now, FiLMiC Pro
also has the largest range of hardware support
for things like external lenses or gimbals and stabilizers.
And if you are gonna be using things like
anamorphic lenses for that really cinematic look,
then you get to choose whether you just wanna preview
the end result, the de-squeezed result,
or actually save a de-squeezed version,
but you also have the option to crop your videos
to those ratios as well,
making it really easy to create your videos
in the format that you want the end video to be released in.
You also have the ability to easily create
and save presets for your most used settings.
So you could create some presets
for when you're shooting in 4K, others for 1080,
others for slow-mo,
so that you can easily switch between them
while you're filming.
Now, if your phone support HDMI output,
you can also output a clean
HDMI video feed from your device
to be able to either monitor what you're recording
on an external monitor,
or even hook it up to a computer for live streaming.
There's also support for the FiLMiC Remote app,
which you can get to remotely monitor
and control your recording from another device.
And if you wanna be shooting your videos in a log
or a flat color profile,
then there is an in-app purchase
to unlock the cinematographer kit,
which will give you that functionality.
Now as for the downsides or the things to be aware of,
unlike the other two apps I've mentioned,
FiLMiC Pro is just for videos, not for photos.
Again, not really a deal breaker,
just something to be aware of.
I think the slider to manually control your volume levels,
it's pretty hidden,
and it's not easy to find on the front screen.
Pro tip, it's down the bottom middle,
but this is something
that I think that they could call out a little bit better
because we see a lot of people miss this.
Now FiLMiC Pro also doesn't tell you this specific bit rate
or quality that you're creating your videos at.
Instead of giving you a specific megabit per second rating,
like 50 megabits per second, 100 megabits per second,
it instead gives you the options of "Economy", "Standard",
"FiLMiC Quality" or "FiLMiC Extreme".
So while each of those settings
will be recording at different bit rates,
they don't specifically tell you what those bit rates are.
And also that it's the most expensive app
that we're mentioning in this video,
but I don't think that's a deal breaker.
So speaking of pricing, FiLMiC Pro sells for $14.99
as an outright one-time purchase.
If you wanna unlock the cinematographer kit
and film in log or flat color profiles,
that's an extra $13.99.
And for the FiLMiC Remote app, that's $9.99.
So again, even though this is the most expensive app
that I'm covering in this video,
I still think it's crazy cheap
having access to all of those features
and that functionality
to help you create amazing videos from your phone.
Now I'd say that FiLMiC Pro
is gonna be great for someone right through from a beginner
through to someone right at the top level,
advanced side as well, given that it is so intuitive,
it is so easy to use and having access
to all of those pro level features in there,
it really is an amazing, easy app to use.
And obviously if you're someone
who's looking to use some of those pieces of hardware,
like the gimbal stabilizers or the external lenses,
then it's really gonna make this
a no-brainer for you as well.
Now, if I had to pick just one winner,
one top app from these three,
it really is gonna go again to FiLMiC Pro,
even though Open Camera is really powerful and it's free
and Manual Camera has got a ton of functionality in it,
it's a lot cheaper than FiLMiC Pro,
I really think that FiLMiC Pro is the complete package.
So now that you've got your camera app sorted,
if you're looking to level up
the rest of your filming process,
when you're creating videos with your Android device,
then check out the video linked on screen
where we take you through our process.
And I'll see you in the next one.