We have featured plenty of imaging apps on Conversations over the years but OneShot (£1.49p) is part of a new breed.
It’s one of the first apps published to the Windows Phone Store by an independent developer to take advantage of the Nokia Imaging SDK, which was released this summer.
[do action=”boxout”]Download OneShot
- Press the Search button and tap Vision
- Scan the QR code
- Tap on the link when it appears
- Install the app from the Windows Phone Store
[/do]
OneShot offers advanced camera controls and high quality filters in a lovely user interface that is overlaid on top of your viewfinder. Apply a change, such as a filter, and you can see the difference on your screen in real time.
In many ways, OneShot resembles the Nokia Pro Camera app, which is high praise indeed.
The developer behind OneShot is Andy Stumpp, 29, from Göttingen, Germany, who has been building apps for the Windows Phone ecosystem since the very beginning.
Andy talks to Conversations about how the Nokia Imaging SDK inspired him to create OneShot, smartphones versus digital cameras and why he can’t wait to get his hands on a Nokia Lumia 1020.
What is your current Nokia Lumia?
My current and favourite mobile device is the Nokia Lumia 920. I bought it because it really stands out with the latest technologies like wireless charging, optical image stabilisation and the touch-sensitive screen that you can use with gloves. And of course, because it comes with Windows Phone 8!
What inspired you to build the OneShot app?
The idea of OneShot was born at the same time that I saw the announcement of the Nokia Imaging SDK. I’d been searching for interesting app ideas in that area for a couple of weeks, so when the SDK came out I knew exactly what kind of app I would be building next!
I really enjoy taking beautiful photos, especially when it comes to keeping memories of spontaneous moments. For those situations a smartphone camera is the best device because it’s always available.
What was it like to work with the Nokia Imaging SDK?
It was incredibly easy to use and a lot of fun. The SDK is very comprehensive in its initial version. What I would like for future releases would be some options to tweak the real-time performance for complex filters.
Will phones like the Nokia Lumia 1020, and apps like OneShot, replace the digital camera?
I strongly believe that we need new imaging software to provide us with better opportunities to take high-quality photos on our smartphones. The software needs to make it easier for users to take better photos – just like you can with the superb Lumia 1020.
The great hardware of the Lumia 1020 means there are now many reasons to finally put traditional digital cameras aside.
In comparison to digital cameras, smartphones offer a high amount of apps that extend our photo capturing and editing experiences. Moreover, we always carry smartphones with us, but we don’t do that with digital cameras.
Will you be getting a Nokia Lumia 1020?
Well, the Nokia Imaging SDK has made me even more excited about photo apps, so I want to push my apps to the limit with it.
The Nokia Imaging SDK is a good reason to update these apps with some new integrated image effects!
The Lumia 1020 provides great zooming capabilities with its high resolution, so it opens whole new possibilities for building interesting apps. In short, I definitely have to get one!
Apart from OneShot, what other apps have you created?
My first app was SmartWakeup, an intelligent alarm clock that records your movements during the night and wakes you up when you should do, in order to feel well rested in the morning.
Before OneShot, the latest app I’d done was Hello Friends. This app allows you to decorate your lock screen with automatically changing collages of your friends. You can also pick your favourite friends or members of your family, so that you have a great reminder of the people you really love close at hand. I’ve got another similar app called Lock Buster.