Film photos have made a big comeback in the last couple of years for many reasons such as room decor, Instagram aesthetics, or simply saving memories. In this day and age, everything is digital right at the edge of our fingertips so many people are not willing to buy multiple disposables at Walgreens or invest in professional film cameras that run upwards of $400. (Don’t worry, I’m that kind of person too..) But which of these free apps are worth wasting 10 seconds of your time to download on the AppStore, you may ask? Well, that’s why I am here. These are my ratings of some of the most popular film camera apps!
- Calla: CALLA CAM is a film photo editing app developed by CHUNGNYUG KANG. Pros: The app has focus settings that work with your camera lense the same way you would adjust focus on a digital camera, you can use the front and back cameras of your phone to take photos on the app, and you can import photos from your camera roll to apply film editing! Cons: I feel like the app layout is a little confusing for navigation and would take some time to get used to, new filters require in-app purchases or require downloading another app from the developer, photos imported from your camera roll are edited differently than photos taken with the app’s camera, and you cannot remove the time stamp from the photos. I would give Calla an overall rating of 6/10 as there is an equal amount of pros and cons but I like how the photos turned out.
2. Dispo: Dispo is a Film Camera app developed by Dispo Inc (a.k.a. David Dobrik) Pros: The app produces good quality photos that have an accurate film effect, the filter looks good with and without flash which can be rare for film camera apps, and there is no timestamp (this is a personal preference, I prefer no time stamp so this is a “pro” for me). Cons: You cannot import photos from your camera roll so photos must be taken within the app’s camera, and no matter when the photo is taken you must wait till 9 a.m. the next morning to access the fully “developed” photo. Overall I rate Dispo a 7/10 because the pros outweigh the cons and I think that it has the closest look to actual film!
3. Fimo: FIMO – Analog Camera is a vintage film editing app developed by JUSTMAE Technology. Pros: the app is super interactive and has a lot of cool features that make it feel like you are using a real camera, you get five film “rolls” (filters) for free, you can import photos from your own camera roll (and they will look just as good!), you can utilize your phones front and back camera, and there are brightness, timer, and zoom adjustments like a real camera! Cons: You cannot remove the light leaks and time stamps that come with some of the filters. I am gonna give Fimo a 9/10 because I feel like it has the best layout and has the most to offer!
4. Gudak: Gudak is a film camera app developed by Screw Bar Inc. Pros: The layout of the app gives the effect of a disposable camera and the time stamp option is optional. Cons: You must take 24 photos in the app before you can look at them, you have to use the full 24 photo roll before you can switch to a new roll/filter, the development process takes 3 days, and it doesn’t really give off a film-like effect (it gives off a rainbow color blur effect but that’s about it). This app definitely was not my favorite so I will give it a 3/10 rating because the development did not work so I could not see the photos I took. The following example photos do not belong to me and were found publicly on Pinterest.
Try out some of these apps for yourself and let me know which one is your favorite!