Video Tour of iPhone Apps for Photographers
I don’t want to sound like a commercial for the iPhone, but having a GPS capable version of Google Maps in your pocket is incredibly useful. Yesterday I was photographing over in Marin, and then heading to an event in San Rafael in the afternoon. I got directions to the trailhead, used Yelp to find a great burrito place after the hike, searched for the nearest bank because I was running low on cash, got smoothly from the bank to the event, and was able to check the traffic before heading home. Excellent.
There are a few really useful iPhone apps for photographers. Below is a short video tour of some of my favorites: Emerald Chronometer, PhotoCalc, and iCSC (Clear Sky Chart). You’ll also get a useful setup tip, and a quick overview of some free apps for movies, food, and music. Please feel free to leave a comment with your favorite iPhone apps. If anyone has used one of the two popular astronomy apps, Starmap or GoSkyWatch, I’d love to hear what you think!
One key feature of the iPhone that’s not in the video, is having a portfolio of your best images with you at all times. The iPhone’s screen and interface are superb for impromptu image sharing while you’re out and about.
Brad:
Hey Joe…
Cool review. We ought to compare iPhone Apps sometime…
One I really like is Recorder. It’s a sound recorder that’s really simple to use. Great for notes, interviews, etc. Collected files can be uploaded to the company’s server, and then a web link is returned so you can later download. That gets around the 3-5 MB limitation most email clients have. Or you can do WiFi directly to your computer.
Here’s a recording I made of a small Indian protest a couple weeks ago at Ocean Beach – click the green play button:
http://www.citysnaps.net/blog/?p=93
There are also a couple neat angle measuring apps; Tilt Meter and Clinometer. Good for leveling things like cameras, picture frames, etc. Probably good for leveling pano heads, too.
BTW, GPS and Google Maps (in Satellite view) is awesome. Helped to quickly get me back on trail when I got diverted when going up to the Wolf Ridge site in the Headlands last month. Seeing an actual close-up picture of the terrain and landmarks along with your location sure beats maps… Will be even more impressive when the even higher resolution imagery from GeoEye-1 launched last month, is available.
7 October 2008, 8:27 amChris:
Hi Joe,
I’m the author of PhotoCalc, it was pretty cool to see a “video review” of the app! Good stuff!
Cheers,
7 October 2008, 1:53 pmChris
Steve W:
Thanks for the video review, Joe.
PhotoCalc is great stuff. Add moonrise, moonset, and % of moon visible and it would be perfect. AirSharing is useful for transferring location info, like PDFs of maps for example, from your desktop to the phone. TideGraph is good to have if you shoot on the coast. I haven’t tried Flashlight in the field yet (next moon!), but it’s always nice to have a spare light, especially one you can add a red filter to with the swipe of a finger.
7 October 2008, 9:25 pmjoe:
Brad – dig your use of Recorder in the field at Ocean Beach. Will check out the leveling apps.
Chris – thanks for stopping by! PhotoCalc is great.
Steve – Air Sharing does look useful. Maybe try phonesaber instead of just the standard flashlight. Kidding!
8 October 2008, 7:49 amJay Watson:
Nice job on the review JR!
8 October 2008, 9:20 pmjoe:
Thanks J-dub! After checking out your phone, I knew it was only a matter of time…
9 October 2008, 10:34 amSteve W:
Here’s the perfect app for you, Joe:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=288244244&mt=8
(link opens to iTunes)
No sheets required!
23 October 2008, 10:16 pmMike:
Excellent video!!! Looks like you got a new toy.
If it can help find your dream home in Trona, then everybody needs one!
24 October 2008, 4:03 pm