Skip to main content



PORTLAND, OR, USA – Having a Nokia N8 in my pocket means I constantly have a little camera powerhouse with me as well. As a father of two daughters who are constantly doing adorable things, having a good camera on me at all times is a huge reason the N8 is my phone of choice. Also, I’m constantly looking for ways to get more out of my images.

For camera apps, there are quite a few in the Ovi Store that bring enhancements to the photo-taking experience. Perhaps the most notable is CameraPro N8, which offers an alternative to the onboard camera app, bringing a new user interface to the photo-taking experience.

The newest one to catch my eye is ShutterPro Premium, because it was a winner in the recent Calling All Innovators competition that wrapped up last month. This post will look at both applications and highlight enhancements that make each a good choice for shutterbugs who happen to own the Nokia N8.

CameraPro N8

CameraPro is the photo app for photo geeks. For most, the default settings in the Camera application will result in amazing photographs. However, what if you want to get easy access to all the settings your Nokia N8 is capable of? CameraPro is the application for you.

In short, CameraPro N8 lets you get fast access to the N8’s amazing capabilities including raw jpeg, bracket (HDR) photos, continuous autofocus, macromode, face detection, and custom ISO and anti-shake capabilities. In that list of capabilities, the one I enjoy most is the custom ISO settings. With a higher ISO set, I can shoot in low-light situations with more clarity without having to involve a flash.

CameraPro N8 can run on phones such as the Nokia N8, C7, E7, C6-01 and Symbian 5th Edition and 3rd Edition running FP2.

ShutterPro Premium

Whereas CameraPro N8 is a geek’s photo application, ShutterPro Premium tries to bring some advanced functions to more novice users. This Qt app is meant for those who want to add cool effects and tools to their photos. ShutterPro Premium has a very easy to use interface, one that lets you access Exposure, Flash, Program, White Balance, ISO, Face Recognition, a histogram and Tilt shift, HDR, Antishake, delay and other.

In my curiosity, I tried out ShutterPro in HDR mode to see how these photos would turn out. Unfortunately, as you can see in the photo below, there were some weird artifacts left behind that take away from the image.

Another complaint about ShutterPro Premium was that on my N8, even when I only had one other application running, it complained of not having enough RAM. The application crashed on me a few times without warning, I’m guessing because of memory errors.

Conclusion

Even though I think ShutterPro Premium is a more usable app and brings a great user interface to the party, CameraPro N8 wins all around. This application may be more difficult to utilize, but controls I need to access are a mere one or two clicks away and the resulting images speak for themselves. ShutterPro holds promise, but until the memory errors are addressed, this app is hindered.

What are your thoughts – what camera app has you snapping like a pro?