Hey guys today we are gonna look at the best camera apps that have manual controls.
So this article is for anyone who wants to take their mobile photography or videography to the next level.
Just a disclaimer. I'm using my Oneplus 8 for demo.
So of course the video and photo quality will be dependent on the device you are using.
Some features in these apps will only be available on selected devices. Just keep that in mind.
1. Filmic pro
First one on the list is Filmic pro. It is the best of the best camera apps if you want to shoot videos just using your phone.
It is perfect for those who want to start a YouTube channel, but can't afford to buy a good camera.
Filmic pro offers amazing features that even some of the higher end cameras don't have.
Some of these features include manual focus and exposure, the ability to shoot in log format, cinematic aspect ratios, manual white balance tuning, manual setting for noise reduction.
It offers 100mbps recording, and there are various other features such as zebra and focus peaking.
This is the app that i used for recording about 3-4 videos while my camera was getting repaired.
It is the most feature packed camera app that you will find.
2. Proshot
Proshot is an app that has been around for a long time ever since the api for manual controls for android came out.
From that point onwards this app has improved a lot in terms of features and stability.
So this app is primarily used for taking photos, but you can also take videos as well.
This app includes usual manual controls for shutter, iso, white balance, focus etc.
And one of the cool features in this app is the ability to shoot in raw, as well as you can change the jpeg quality.
Super nice app with some amazing and easy to use controls that i have seen in a camera app of this sort.
3. Mcpro24fps - Professional video recording app
So the next thing I'm about to show you will be the weird looking app in this list, but it's so good.
Meet mcpro24fps, the app might look too unpolished, that's just to deceive you.
So this app has all the manual controls that you would find in a production level camera.
But the ui is a bit of a mess.
Its pretty much like operating an ultra complicated machine.
So the features of this app include, the ability to shoot in 4k, at pretty much any bitrate, frame rate resolution combination.
You can turn on and off noise reduction as well as a lot of advanced settings that I haven't even heard about.
You also have this control over audio as well. In this app you can make custom picture profiles.
A to b focus pulls. Manual white balance. A lot of features are buried under different menus.
So if any of the developers of this app are reading please make the UI a lit bit nice.
That's all this app needs. You can try to imitate a mirrorless camera ui, that will make using this app 1000 times better.
4. Protake
Protake is the next app on this list, this is by far the best looking simple camera app that anyone could use without any prior knowledge about cameras.
So the auto mode is free which alone is a decent camera app, but when you switch to pro mode, you get a ton of features, the usuals, ability to change ios, shutter white balance, focus as well as a lens switch if you have multiple cameras.
You also have the options such as custom aspect ratios, safe area, couple of good grid options to better frame your shot, as well as features such as zebra and focus peaking and you can also shoot in a variety of luts as well.
There are a lot of features. I hate repeating myself, but all the features you probably need are there in this app.
It's a very good app to shoot for YouTube, if you don't want to use a overly complicated app.
5. Camera Fv-5
This whole list mainly focuses on video, but for those who clicked on this video hoping to find a good camera app to click pictures then camera fv-5 might be a good choice.
It has the usual manual controls such as focus, white balance, shutter speed and iso.
Apart from those it has a couple of interesting modes as well, bracketing, burst, intervalometer and synthetic exposure.
It also can capture in raw just like every other app on this list. So a good choice nonetheless.
6. ProCam X
ProcamX is a very well designed camera app that focus on both video and photo.
There is a free version available which is an amazing app with limits on settings and features.
If you get the full version you can record videos at 4K, Maximum bitrate and features such as focus peaking and zebra will be unlocked as well.
It has all the usual manual control along with a scene selection menu to quickly switch to an appropriate setting.
The photo mode also has all of the above mentioned features as well.
So there are 6 apps on this list, each of them are identical up to a point.
Only thing that differentiates each app is its UI and price.
So this is what i recommend. Most of the apps in this video have a free limited version.
Use it, and see what works best for you and purchase the one that you Like.