"The Best Camera Is The One That's With You, but it's also an inspirational 3-part "ecosystem" created by world-renowned photographer, Chase Jarvis. Introducing an iPhone app that allows you to shoot, edit and share your images; a book that celebrates photography with any camera; AND a thriving, online community made of iPhone images from around the world."
Today we are looking at an app, a book and a community. In short, an aesthetic movement, or as Mr. Jarvis puts it - "an ecosystem."
The Juice
APP -- With Best Camera (US$2.99) for the iPhone you can utilize a single filter or layer several filters to create a unique, more advanced effect for your pictures. This app makes it simple and easy. With a palette of 14 filters from which to choose. you can change your image to black and white, saturate your colors, create a cinematic look, brighten, darken, or crop your picture on the fly. "There are four "signature" filters that can be identified by the flags - they offer the slickest one-touch option for a filter. Further to the right on the dock, you'll find an assortment of 10 additional filters that can act as one-touch filters, or are great "tools" to correct images that were poorly captured originally."
COMMUNITY - With the simplicity that we've come to expect with instant messengers, Best Camera shares your photos with the same services that help you stay in touch with your friends at Facebook, Twitter, email, or www.thebestcamera.com. With the simple check of a box, you can decide where you want share your image(s). It's that simple.
BOOK - If you’re looking for visual inspiration or just want to see what’s possible with mobile phone photography, pickup a copy of The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You™. It’s the world’s first photo book featuring exclusively images from a mobile phone, although you wouldn't know their origins from the results.
The Pulp
Best Camera delivers as promised. I sat for over one hour trying a multitude of settings on a single portrait. And when I was finished, I had three different versions that I found hard to choose from.
The Book is worth buying on its own, even without the app. Mr. Jarvis has a tremendous eye for composition. And the pictures in his book will most definitely get you to pick up your iPhone and start looking at your surrounding environs with a different eye.
The Rind
I would like to see a single slider with each filter to give me a smidgen more control. But it's not a deal breaker by any means.
Summary
Even at such low prices, there are few apps that I consider a no-brainer, a must have. This is one of those rare exceptions. If you have an iPhone, you HAVE to have this app in your arsenal.
Now, turn off the computer, get off your butt and surprise yourself.
Macsimum rating: 10 of 10
©2010 Frank Petrie
