ProShot for iOS ($2.99, £2.29, AU$3.79) is a camera app built for capturing the best photos possible using advanced controls, but you have to know what you're doing.
Before iOS 8, developers could only create photo apps with access limited to snapping a picture. This is why we got so many photo filters apps initially -- developers couldn't access the inner workings of the camera itself. Now that Apple has given over more control to developers, we're seeing more apps like ProShot that give you controls for manual exposure, focus and other advanced functions.
The only problem is, if the developer doesn't outline how all these features work, only advanced photogs will know how to use them.
Getting started
There's no setup required with ProShot. Launching the app after installation prompts you for location access, then gives you the choice to view a guided tutorial, view a field guide or begin using the app.
The automated tutorial walks you through eight different aspects of the app, from adjusting manual controls to selecting automatic mode and fine-tuning a focal point. The field guide is like a overlay of the app, with arrows pointing to the various onscreen controls.
Navigating the controls
The main screen, like most camera apps, is the view finder. Adorning all four edges of the screen are various controls. Holding your iOS device in a landscape orientation puts the exposure adjustment along the bottom, with the shutter button, mode selection, capture setting and focus controls to the right. Along the top is where you can switch between 16:9, 4:3 or 1:1 size ratio for the photo. And on the left is a button to view your photo gallery.
When you select one of the controls, its options are placed atop the view finder in a semi-transparent box. Even with a bright background, I was still able to see the controls and select what I wanted without issue.
I found the location of the controls to be placed within easy reach of either thumb, even on the iPhone 6 Plus. This allowed me to adjust a photo on the fly, without forcing me to frame, adjust, then reframe a shot.
On a few occasions I would attempt to adjust the focus, which is done via a slider located next to the shutter button, and inadvertently trigger the zoom control. To zoom, you place your finger anywhere on the screen and slide it up or down. Up zooms in, down zooms out. It's the same way you control focus, only the focus control apparently requires a very precise touch. It would have been better to have a well defined area for zoom, with another for focus.
Advanced camera controls, with frustrating features
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