Retro Camera (an Android phone App by Urbian)

There's 5 cameras to choose from: The Bärbl, Little Orange Box, Xolaroid 2000, Pinhole Camera, and FudgeCan. Each has its own unique style. If you want something to look like a polaroid, use Xolaroid. If you like a picture to have a lot of vignette and be unpredictable, the Pinhole is for you. Pinhole photos still have the holes like a negative film, but has the same kind of funky coloring as the other cameras. I just personally find the holes at the top and bottom of each photo distracting. And I feel the same about using the Xolaroid camera. The beauty of the thicker border at the bottom of a polaroid is when you physically hold and touch a real polaroid so I don't have the desire to mimic that in a digital photo I'm going to view online. The FudgeCan has a nice look to it. The colors are muted and the picture doesn't have the distressed look like some of the other cameras. . 

I prefer the look of the Bärbl and Little Orange Box most of the 5 cameras. I flip between the two, although I've probably taken more with the Orange Box because it adds more color contrast to the pictures. Bärbl is kind of muted like the FudgeCan. Both of those mimic an old film style paper edging, making a nice frame around photographs, although the Bärbl's is more realistic looking film stock edging. Little Orange Box does great with bright colorful subjects, like if you're taking pictures of something with colorful lights like a concert or sunset. It will enhance the saturation and contrast the most of all of the cameras and can really make everyday object eye-catching. The Bärbl on the other hand is much more subdued with colors. It will have a more uniform yet retro look in its photos. 

The interface of Retro Camera is a bit clunky. It takes a lot of steps to get to anything. To take a picture you have to switch to a different menu page and then flip to the camera you want. And then you can take a picture. And to view your pics it takes a few steps too many, in my opinion. I think they could streamline the way you get around within the app. The nice thing about the interface is that the app mimics hanging a picture in a darkroom (see far right picture at the top of the page). And each camera's screen mimics the look of its respective camera. So even though you're well aware you're using a phone to take a picture, it at least looks kind of like a pinhole camera or a polaroid, etc. (see the middle picture up above). The downside to this is that the screen through which you see what you're photographing is small, too small, so it's not very practical in a dark room. But it looks cool, which is the whole purpose of the app. To mimic the old and make it cool again. It's hip to be square…square film stock I mean.

My pics from a concert @Trees Dallas. (Left: The Little Orange Box...Right: The Bärbl)

There is an upgrade to this app that is $2.99. It is exactly the same thing it just has no annoying advertising. 

                                                                               Retro Camera Plus