My favourite thing about Hipstamatic -- apart from the unusual and interesting pictures, obviously -- is the noises it makes. I think the shutter click is the same as the one made by the usual iPhone camera, but there's also a little flash button which makes a tiny electronic whine when you activate it, a spot-on perfect copy of the noise old cameras made which I haven't heard in years. The first day I had the app, I kept opening it just to make it do that noise.
However, there is a lack of clarity about the choice of lenses and films on offer. The app comes with a small selection and you're encouraged to buy more at the Hipstamatic online store. But click on that link and look at the product descriptions. For example: 'Ina’s 1969 Film: Ina has a bakery today but 40 years ago she was rocking some pretty serious instant film. Peel away the boring with this fine film.' What on EARTH is that supposed to mean? They're all like that. 'Jimmy Lens: James was cool, but Jimmy could walk through flames. This lens rocks the daylight, the nightife, and everything in between.' So... what -- rounded edges, or...?
And there aren't any big, clear examples of what effect each bit of equipment will have on your photographs, so when the text lets you down, you can't turn to the visual either. You can download an 'owner's manual' PDF which is slightly better, but that still leaves much to be desired too. Answering the questions 'what are you selling, and why should I buy it?' seem like marketing basics to me.
If you Google about, you can find fans of the app who've posted their own demo sheets, comparing all the different lens and film combinations (er, I found one the other day and will link to it if I can find it again) but I think you should be able to find that easily at the shop.
Anyway, I didn't set out to do a proper review, so I'll cut off here -- this is a fun toy, I love how it makes my own photos surprise me, and I can see myself using it quite a lot in future.
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