QuickCam Review
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.1
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4
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The standard camera app is a little slow to load, isn't it? It's not a huge thing but I guess I'm impatient and it's convenient to be able to quickly take a snap rather than wait a split second to go. It can only take a matter of milliseconds before that ideal shot has passed, especially when you're dealing with young children or animals. So QuickCam seemed like a pretty good idea to me. It's not bad either but I do wonder if there's enough here to be worth the asking price, even if it is low. The interface is easy to get to grips with. On the bottom left of the screen is a button that toggles video or still photo taking, while the right is the button that takes the shot. Hold the right button down and QuickCam takes a series of shots rapidly, ideal if you've got a child moving around and you're desperate for a good shot to come out. Flashlight and auto-flash buttons are placed at the top, as well as a button to swap cameras if you've got the appropriate kit.
A single tap of the screen sets focus and exposure, while a double tap adjusts exposure separately and a triple tap resets all settings, including zoom. There's also the ability to take photos while you take video at the same time although I found this affected the sound quality of the video, reducing just how useful it is. There are no sharing features or anything you'd expect usually from a photography app, which would most likely just slow things down and ruin the point of QuickCam, but all photos are saved to the camera roll for easy access.
It's all pretty useful but I suspect how vital QuickCam is to you will depend on your situation. In my case, I have no children and admittedly the times I need to take a photo very quickly are fairly rare, so I have the time to line up a shot. If you're a parent though, I can see this being very useful and well worth the $0.99. After all, you don't want to miss a great shot of your young offspring because the standard app took a second too long to load.