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Just picked it up. It's funny cause I was about to get it yesterday and thought, meh, it's December, I'm sure it'll go on sale. I'M PSYCHIC. Anyways, I love how the photos turn out. Recommended.
How does this compare to Camera+? I'm very happy with Camera+ and don't really need two photography apps of this type.
Camera+ feels like more of an improvement on Apple's camera app, while Hipstamatic focuses more on stylized, retro images. I'm inclined to call it a novelty app, but that makes it sound a lot cheaper than it really is. You can't do any post processing on your photos either, you need to choose your lens, film, flash before shooting. It's a great quality app though, one of the most popular along with Camera+, but beware... it's also full of IAP.
But... what makes it better? It'd be great if you could tell us a bit more about the app. I've actually scooped up tons of similar apps as they've gone free over the year, although generally they're all kinda' crappy and hard to use. Is there anything particular about Hipstamatic that puts it ahead of the crowd? Or is it just due to the fact that it was one of the first apps of its kind? .99 isn't too much to find out. I'd just rather save myself the disappointment of another weird retro-style camera app that doesn't really do much differently from all the other free ones that I never found a use for.
It was actually the first one I got, so that could be a part of it. To be honest I think the best way to decide is by looking at the results. There are some good examples here: http://community.hipstamatic.com/contests/69/recent_submissions
Alright here is what I got for you on Hipstamatic.... I take photos and post process them. I like taking photos "clean" and adding effects I can control. I was hesitant to get Hiptamatic. I got it. I got add on lenses and film. I LOVE the surprises that I get from the app. There are tons of combinations and tons of surprises. Sure I take several combos of the same scene, but they all turn out differently. It's not weird but it is a retro style app. One of the better ones. If you take photos for practicality, you won't find a use for this app. But if you take photos for the composition and art you will find TONS of use of it. You will find yourself experimenting and still not scratching the surface. You will find yourself hooked. You won't care you don't' have a "clean" original any more cuz the ones you get will be far artier than anything you could app yourself. So bottom line - looking for a camera app to take everyday people place and memory photos? Not for you. Looking for some artistic fun? You should give this app a try. Want some crazy effect:
Here is a chart with all the combos: http://moderniphoneographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/hipstamatic_matrix.jpg I don't think they have the last couple lenses released though on there
I have a lot of apps where I can post edit photos but in Hipstamatic it's more like a toy camera. You select your film/lens/flash and see what you get. With some combinations there a degree of predictability but others have elements of surprise. The total package is so polished. And every month or two they add another set of film/lens combinations, some free and some a dollar. Some are only a short release. They have contests monthly and you can submit photos from within the app. Almost like a community. Really, if your hedging, your gonna love it, but like Midian said, you'll get sucked in and have to get all the lenses!
I believe Pudding Cam (korean) and ClassicTOY are both free if you want to try a free toy camera first. Not quite the polish but still fun to play with.
For me personally Hipstamatic is overhyped as well as Camera+. And the retro effects are going really OLD in the meantime as every second TV ad spot uses them (as well as the tilt shift effect). You have no clean document with Hipstamatic. It's a "try and error" random photo making game what becomes boring after one hour or two. Camera+ is maybe a stylish app but way too slow and playful as well. Nothing for profs, but nice for some popular divertimento maybe. I wouldn't give a dime for those apps.
I think the trial and error aspect is somewhat intentional, as that's how these old analog cameras worked anyway. Half the fun was finding you'd accidentally caught an amazing effect on film. It's obviously only good for casual situations, if you're desperate to capture a poingant moment reliably you'd use an app which gives you a clean image.