You could go out and spend money for a toy camera. Or you could just turn your Smartphone into a Toy Camera with the “Retro Camera” Application currently available in both the Google Play Store and the iTunes Stores.
Now I could try to describe all that you can do with this Application but the Official webpage does it so well, why re-invent the wheel.
From the Retro Camera Webpage:
With Retro Camera you’ll take delicious old-school pics your friends will drool over. 5 cameras, 5 sets of vintage vignetting, film scratch & cross processing effects for that off-the-hip analog look. Inspired by the old Lomo, Holga, Polaroid, Diana & toy cameras whose iconic styles we treasure. Instant Nostalgia now free.
Retro Camera comes with 5 different cameras:
- The Bärbl – An East German classic, naturally faded with a scratched film and medium vignetting, the perfect all-round choice.
- The Little Orange Box – The Soviet Staple with aggressive cross processing and scratched square film. It’s crappy plastic lens leaks in light and exhibits strong vignetting. Black and white option for even more emotion.
- Xolaroid 2000 – Its inspiration is obvious! We love the candid snapshots this camera produces – you simply can’t fail, every shot is a keeper. Blue / Green cross processing effects and timeless contrast. Black and white option for that classic touch.
- The Pinhole Camera – A DIY gem and more unpredictable than Schrödinger’s cat. Full bleed developing and vignetting through the roof, be sure to give this cardboard chimera a go.
- The FudgeCan – The perfect rig for outdoors; developed on square film that wasn’t quite stored… or developed right. But therein lies the charm that’ll make your pics with this beauty, memorable and instantly nostalgic.
I’ve tried them all but so far my favorite is The Little Orange Box camera. In fact, I love this toy camera so much that I am using this Application as the Exclusive camera for this years Project 365. Some other reviewers have complained about the slow processing time which is usually about 30 seconds for each photo on my LG Ally Smartphone. But come on, even in Photoshop it takes a few moments to apply several actions to an image.
In the Google Play Store, there are two versions of this App. First you have the Retro Camera which is Free.
Or if you want to get rid of the ads within the application, you can shell out $2.99 for the Retro Camera Plus which removes those ads.
I ignore the ads usually so I have the free version.
Overall this is a wonderful Application created by Urbian. And the price is right!