Art of the iPhone

When Chase Jarvis creates an application for the iPhone, it has a little more credibility than your run-of-the-mill photography app. Jarvis is an acclaimed photographer who launched the Best Camera app ($2.99, iTunes link) in conjunction with his book of iPhone photography, ‘The Best Camera is the One That’s With You.’

Best Camera is a slick app that makes me want to take more pictures with my iPhone. It has two neat features that make it worth a look. First of all, you can easily import pictures from your camera roll — or take pictures directly within the app — and apply creative filters. There are 14 filters to choose from, including color saturation, black & white and other specialized effects created by Jarvis himself.

The filters are easy to work with — simply click one of the 14 filters along the bottom of the app, tap “apply” and you’re done. Some of the filters create very cool effects and transform a quick snapshot into something worth sharing. You can also layer filters to create your own look.

File sharing is another reason why the Best Camera app is worth downloading. The app makes it easy to share your photos via email, Twitter, Facebook or TheBestCamera.com, a website and user community that hosts iPhone photography. Once you are happy with your photo, tap the arrow at the bottom of the page and select where you want to share it. I synced the app with my Facebook account, sent the photo and it was quickly posted to my wall. The app automatically created a photo album on Facebook called ‘Best Cam Photos,’ where it saved all the photos I sent.

The photo filters and file sharing are the main selling points of Best Camera, but you can also view pictures from other users directly in the application. This feature is less exciting than the other two, and I wonder how many people actually use it. Instead of scrolling through the pictures, you have to view a slideshow where one photo flips over at a time. I found it a bit boring and would have preferred to scroll through the pictures at my own speed.

Overall, the Best Camera app is a worthy download and we recommend it if you like to take and share pictures with your iPhone. I have yet to test a photography app that makes it so easy to share your photos online. Serious photographers may find the app a bit limiting, though. These users may prefer the Photogene app, which gives you more control over color correction and file sizing.

Best Camera is a $2.99 download at the iTunes store.