Chase Jarvis' new iPhone app The Best Camera - A review and open comment...

There's money in that there App Store!

If you're after a simple point, click, auto edit type of functionality, this is possibly a great little application for you. If you're after any degree of control over your editing, you're likely to be a little disappointed by it. Especially given its source... Here's my review/opinion for what it's worth.

Chase has long been established as not only a very good photographer, but a master in the use of new media for self promotion.  has even given lectures for aspiring photographers, both professional and amateur, illustrating in quite some depth how he has gone about using tools such as Twitter, Facebook,  Blogging, You Tube etc etc.

His latest venture, is the release of a new application to the iPhone with an accompanying book. This is being heavily promoted from the get go on Facebook and twitter and getting a very large response both in terms of people downloading the abdication and followers pre-ordering the book. Plus of course snapping and posting away, which is always a good thing.

Now at this point, I want to make something very clear. I'm in no way criticising his approach, as often use similar approaches myself. But, I do wonder if there comes a point where by the very approach one uses to market one's self (and let's be honest, it's for financial gain in the end) starts to have the opposite effect. I question this because I am seeing it with a number of heavy self publicists within the social media who are starting to irritate their followers by the continued onslaught of their messages.

First of all, something which grated me personally was the fact that he has trademarked the saying "the best camera is the one that is with you". Why does this grate me? Two very simple reasons - Firstly it implies it was some kind of idea or concept that he created with some kind of unique intellectual property; the second simple reason is that I have been using it for years and long before I had even heard of Chase Jarvis. And I'm pretty certain that I didn't make it up either. Although I couldn't tell you where I picked it up from if I didn't. I must clarify that my phrasing has always been somewhat different "The best camera in the world is the one that you have with you". And no, I won't be TM'ing that...

So, having got that gripe out of the way, what about the application itself?

Well on the surface of it, it looks like a really good idea and concept with masses of potential as Chase has apparently deeply researched the photography applications currently available from the iPhone, identified where they have fallen short, an integrated a new approach within his new application. Plus integrated the ability to instantly publish these images to your chosen social media - What's even more amazing, is that when it is published to your, well let's say Facebook account, it come pre formatted for you and looks like this... [You can change this apparently - Commenter below let me know - Thanks Dartanyon]

As you can see, it has automatically added "Photo from Chase Jarvis' Best Camera" after my name, which I can't seem to change and created a new folder in my Photos called "Best Cam Photos". If I change it, it will create a new folder called "Best Cam Photos" once again for you.

[Clarified by Dartanyon for me - Thanks!]

Obviously there is no reason why you would want to have your own title or gallery name within your own photo gallery. Why have a title of your own for your very own photo when you can have "Photo from Chase Jarvis' Best Camera" instead! This way you can have thousands of uploaded iPhone pics all saying the same thing, in the same place. And all with Chase Jarvis' name plastered all over them. Sorry, but this alone is a show stopper for me...

Before you get to the point of sharing (interesting omission of Flickr in there - Future aspirations perhaps? - you course first have to create. And like all other iPhone photography applications, you have a very nice little 'camera' button provided for you. Click, asked if you want to use the image or take another and then your rapidly returned to the app to start your editing. 

Now before I give my commentary and opinion on the functionality, here's the enthusiastic demo from from Chase himself on YouTube...

As I eluded to in my opening paragraph - If all you are after is a simplistic easy to use, pretty much automated application for your iPhone then you'll probably really like this one - assuming the included enforced self publicity associated with sharing your images from it doesn't turn you off. [See comment below]

If however, like me, you're interested in a bit more control over your images, this I am afraid is likely to frustrate you. At least in it's initial form as no doubt there will be updates coming as feedback is received and digested. Why - Well, here's the key issues I have:

• No control at all over the intensity of levels, filters or effects applied.
• Square crop is automatic and you have no way inside the app of choosing your own crop. Now to me as a photographer, that's a pretty damn important requirement. The crop can make or kill an image, so I would dearly love to see this added.
• Given it's a hand held device with no image stabilisation to speak of, I would love to see the ability to be able to align the image. If the snap was great, but ruined by the angle taken, not being able to anything about it is frustrating. Again, I'll be amazed if this isn't added in a later update.
• Repeat of the two above. In either Aperture or Lightroom, the rudimentary align and crop (with total control) tools are always at hand as they are one of the most important features. I cannot understand why this wasn't included from the get go as it is such an important part of a photographers workflow.
• The inability to control the degree of an effect you are applying is an omission that does somewhat amaze me from someone who love to apply lovely post processing to his images.
• The enforced branding, or rather, self promotion is simply a no-no! If it was free, then I have no issues with it. If it meant adding a couple of bucks to the price tag, then so be it. But to force it on the customer (they are no longer fans, they have become customers) is not clever in my opinion.

So, there you have it. I'm not impressed to be honest from such a "world renowned" photographer. It feels rushed and smells a little of cashing in from a fan base, especially given that the people who will initially buy it are individuals like me who are passionate about photography and have followed Chase and his work for a while. The whole, 'Chase designed it? - it must rock!' expectation just isn't lived up to. And the enforced 'self' publication on my images and profile is just plain unacceptable form a commercial application.

Expectation 10/10 : Reality of use 4/10 5/10

I'm disappointed! But, don't let that stop you giving it a go. I'm sure it will improve with time. And it is cheap. 

Comments

[Dartanyon]

Howdy!

A little clarification on the Facebook text. If you add any text, or caption at all using the carrot next to facebook in the sharing screen, it replaces that text. It also keeps your text for the next time so you never see that again.

Just thought I'd let you know

[Stewart]

Thanks for the clarification - That was my biggest issue - I'll update the post with your clarification. I so wanted to love it, it's just not quite there yet - Thanks again!

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