Recently, I've become interested in the photographic possibilities that the iPhone App, Hipstamatic presents. After some deliberation, I decided to get off the side line and give it a go. Today I downloaded the App for the cost of €1.59 and took a few experimental shots. On the phone, the results have a certain aesthetic visual appealing but the quality does not stand up to close scrutiny. There are most likely three reasons for this; firstly, the iPhone camera is very poor, having an image sensor much smaller than other smart phones in it's class. Second, the lens elements are not great either. Finally, judging by the Hipstamatic images, the App gives them a hell of a work out in the compression chamber! At this point, I have not printed any of the images, nor am I likely to do so - in High Quality mode, Hipstamatic images are 1200 x 1200 pixels and generate a file size of under 500kbs. In lay-mans terms, at 300dpi, you will get a 4 x 4 inch print.
In the weeks ahead I intend to embark on a Hipstamatic voyage of discovery and will be sharing images and critique on the HIPSTAMATIC PAGE.
Photos; Taken using an iPhone 3G. Images are captured through the Hipstamatic Application using John S Lens and Ina's 1969 Film settings.
