Camera FV-5 Brings DSLR Like Features to Android Phones

Envy iPhone users for their superb camera quality? Well, Android users now have something to brag about – a phone with real DSLR features.

Camera FV-5 is a camera application for Android 2.2 and above that features manual camera controls typically found on DSLR cameras. Things like exposure compensation, ISO, light metering mode, shutter priority mode and such, which are usually off-bounds to phone camera, are brought to your fingertips, literally.

While a DSLR would have hardware buttons for these controls, Camera FV-5 has dedicated on-screen buttons arranged around the screen. The buttons are optimally placed and easy to reach so that changing settings on the fly is quick and easy. And if you miss a dedicated shutter release button on your phone, you can assign the volume rocker key to release shutter or perform various other functions like change ISO speed and exposure. This is actually comparable to the user programmable Function key on DSLR cameras.

Here is what you get from Camera FV-5:

• Adjustable photographic parameters - exposure compensation, ISO, light metering mode, focus mode, white balance and shutter speed.
• DSLR-like viewfinder display: see exposure time, aperture and stops display with EV and bracketing settings.
• Full fledged exposure bracketing: from 3 to 7 frames, unlimited stops spacing, plus custom EV shifting.
• Built-in intervalometer: make stunning timelapses (even bracketed/HDR timelapses) and time-controlled picture series.
• Program and Speed-priority modes.
• Long exposure support: take beautiful night photos and light trails with long exposure times up to 30 seconds.
• Save images as JPEG as well as PNG image formats for lossless photo capturing
• All camera functions can be assigned to volume keys. You can adjust EV, ISO, color temperature and more using volume keys. Devices with hardware camera shutter key are also supported.
• EXIF and XMP sidecar metadata support.
• Self timer for delayed shooting.
• Autofocus, macro, touch-to-focus and infinity focus modes, plus a focus lock switch (AF-L).
• Autoexposure (AE-L) and auto white balance (AWB-L) locks in Android 4.0+.
• In background photo developing and processing allows a smooth, uninterrupted camera operation.
• Digital zoom using multitouch pinch gesture. Also shows 35mm equivalent focal length!

Camera FV-5 completely avoids cheap tricks like filters and scene modes, instead you get full manual control over all photographic parameters, just like you do with a reflex camera. If you want to have more control over the way the camera shoots pictures, this is the app for you. Of course, you won’t get DSLR-like image quality because of the inherent limitation of small sensors. But the quality of camera phones is fast approaching that of point-and-shoot cameras, and an app like Camera FV-5 is essential to get the most out of it.

Camera FV-5 Lite is available for free but saves images at only 640x480 resolution. To shoot images at the full resolution of the camera, you’ll have to shell out $3.99 for the Pro edition.