One of the major annoyances of the iPhone’s camera is that its touchscreen shutter button makes it hard to take self portraits. There are lots of apps that solve the problem by offering a timer. But there was only one free one that I could find.
Shansa Phi Free (free, iTunes link) offers a camera timer of up to 30 seconds. Tap the Shoot button, hold the iPhone to take a self-portrait, and the app will beep for each second it counts down.
There are 6 image effects that can be applied to your pictures: black & white, sepia tone, negative, x-ray, rustic, and rustic monochrome. The app also offers minimal image editing that lets you shrink, expand, or crop the photo.
I tried out Shansa Phi Free, and the timer works as advertised, but there are a few tips you’ll need to follow. When using the timer, you should hold the iPhone steady for a few seconds after the timer goes off, as it takes a while for the camera to actually capture the picture. Also, the image effects, once applied, aren’t viewable inside the app. You’ll have to go to the iPhone’s Camera app to view the final pictures.
Shansa Phi Free is a free download in the iTunes App Store.