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The Hipstamatic iPhone Camera App

Right now my favorite iPhone camera app is the Hipstamatic. You can purchase this badboy for the price of a can of Papst at your favorite dive bar. Ok, that’s the first and last bad name related pun I’ll use in this post. So yeah, it’s $2. Worth every penny too.

Take all the fun effects your toy cameras can produce and bottle them into a wonderful little user interface and you have Hipstamatic. You can easily scroll through lenses, film, and flash-gel effect options by swiping your finger accross the camera.

Take a peek at this quick little demo of the user interface below:

But what is really amazing about this is the revenue generating model they created with the HipstaMart, which utilizes regular releases of new features available for download in packages called HipstaPaks. Of course you’re going to want to buy the new Roboto Glitter Lens once you’ve seen how cool your photos look with the default John S or Jimmy Lens. Brilliant!

I know some of you are sitting there saying, “Man, I gotta shell out $2 for the app and then an extra $1 for added features?” And you have every right to gripe considering in the good ol’ days of CameraBag, updates including new filters were free. Well trust me when I say Hipstamatic will replace your love for CameraBag in a swipe of a finger.

These purchases are worth the investment, but some are definitely better than others. One of Hipstamatic’s first upgrades was the Williamsburg HipstaPak, featuring the Helga Viking Lens, Pistil Film, and three flash gels. I’ve had two friends stop purchasing new packs after being disappointed with the Helga Viking Lens. It isn’t my favorite lens. Although, the three flash gels that come with it are pretty handy and easily justify the price. Below I provided some examples of images you can expect from the additional HipstaPaks so you can make educated purchases.

Thankfully you can see all the combinations thanks to Photojojo’s ultimate guide.

Below are two interesting combos. If you are going for a grimy, dirty look with a good amount of texture I recommend the John S Lens with the Float Film and the Laser Lemon Gel. Also, teaming the Roboto Glitter Lens with the Berry Pop Flash and the Ina’s 1969 Film never did me wrong. The Berry Pop Flash’s magenta coloring works nicely with the Roboto Glitter Lens’s cyan tone and radiant textures. It also works well when your subject matter is center aligned.

With all this said, I know that there isn’t an iPhone app that can replace the feeling analog toy cameras can produce. They capture some of the most beautiful images and at the end of the day you can actually hold the photographs in your hand. But the Hipstamatic iPhone app does offer availability and convenience. And lets face it, there’s no way you can pry a toy camera into those skin tight jeans. Sorry, I couldn’t hold back the Hipster jokes any longer.

Here are a few favorites taken over the last couple months. You can also view the full Hardly Square Hipstamatic Flickr Set for more photos. We were also featured on ReadyMade.