Halide Mark II app for iPhone
Toronto. Those of us who creak getting up – chairs or stairs – can remember the days of film and glass plates when the light sensitivity of silver halides made our art practical. But this post is about a totally different kind of halide.
The most popular camera today – or so facebook (flicker?) says- is the ubiquitous one tucked away in every smartphone. If you are lucky (or just have deep pockets) yours is a new or newish iPhone. The big issue with these amazing “computer in a pocket” gadgets is that the camera is an auto everything device totally suited to today’s “hurry up and stand still” amateur and equally totally UNSUITED to the professional.
The app Halide Mark II (American site) changes everything. The app digs into the guts of the iPhone camera and allows RAW images, manual control, manual focus, and even “zebras” and “loupes”! Do a Google search for halide mark II video tutorials about this app and see just what the amazing tiny camera can do with the right tools.
A bit of a downside may be the annual fee (or a one time fee of about 4x the annual fee that lets the app and updates last for a few years). The Canadian price vs. the American price is slightly higher at $15.99/year vs. $11.99/year. Halide will also work on the newer iPod Touch which after all is just an older smartphone sans the actual phone part. The app deprecates nicely omitting features not supported on older iPhones.
