Windows Phone Photography

BLINK is a fun little camera app that came out of a summer project at Microsoft Research. It was demonstrated during the lead up to the release of Windows Phone 8 and was eventually released to the Store, receiving numerous updates over the past few months to improve things.

Today, version 2.0 has landed bringing with it a bunch of new features and new functionality. In short, it has basically become a ‘cinemagraph’ app now in addition to being able to grab the “perfect shot” as before.

Head past the break for the full change log and our quick video hands on for a tour of the new features!

Okay folks, it’s been awhile since we gave away a brand new Windows Phone. So today we’re announcing a US-only contest (sorry!) with a chance to win a brand new, Nokia Lumia 928 for the Verizon network.

How to win? It’s simple…

We briefly mentioned the Windows Phone partnership with We Are JUXT, a community of mobile photography enthusiasts (www.wearejuxt.com). Recently, ten of the most influential members of the We Are JUXT community were challenged to shoot exclusively with a Nokia Lumia 920. 

The group were asked to shoot exclusively with the Windows Phone for an eight day period and share a few tips on how to take the best pictures. The end result: a respectable collection of tips on not only how to take better photos but how to approach mobile photography as a whole.

Read on for these great tricks on how to better hone your mobile photo skills!

One of the big new features of the Lumia 925, which is now actually in people’s hands for purchase in the UK and a select few other territories, is the updated camera algorithms and new functionality. All of that is encompassed in the so-called ‘Amber update’, which is Nokia’s name for their inbound firmware change destined for all Windows Phone 8 Lumias later this summer.

One of those new features is the ability to run the Smart Cam app, which enables such cool camera tricks as motion blur, 10-frame action shots and more.

The good news is that app is now available in the Nokia Collection and yes, you can download it right now for your Lumia phone. The bad news is when launched, you’ll be greeted with a reminder that this app can’t quite run on your non-Lumia 925 just yet, because you don’t have that firmware update.

Instagraph is a feature rich, unofficial Instagram client for our Windows Phones. You can create accounts, modify your profile, upload images, enjoy Metrogram integration, and more. The app was recently updated to version 2.5 which most notably brings Tagsdagram integration.

Tagsdagram is one of the top Instagram #tags listing sites and the integration helps finding the right #tag a lot easier.

Camera360 is a Windows Phone 8 camera app that has a minimal approach to the viewfinder layout. Camera360 has a set of filters that can be easily applied to photos, that in turn can be shared via social networks.

The app was updated today to version 1.0 which adds a "touch shoot" feature, a few new photo editing options and a few performance optimizations.

Additionally, Camera360 has been ranked #2 by the Fortune Global Forum in the Best Startups category. The Fortune Global Forum is an invitation only type event, attended by the CEOs of the Fortune Global 500 companies. Receiving recognition from such an event is rather impressive.

The Nokia Lumia 521 is a very nice, budget oriented Windows Phone. To keep cost low, Nokia trimmed back some of the features part of which was the camera light.

Admittedly, I've yet to meet a camera light that performed very well. They often lack the power to distribute enough light to your subjects or create a blue color cast. While I'm not particularly fond of these lights, others may feel differently. Which brings us to this comparison.

In low lighting situations how does the Lumia 521 measure up against a comparable camera that is fitted with a light?

We're already aware of just how effective the camera on the Lumia 920 is, but here are some shots taken by Fabian Pimminger in Vienna, Austria. Yes, they look that good. Now we understand that a fairly expensive camera will take just as good (if not better) shots, but we're talking about a Windows Phone here. You know, a device that you use for making calls and playing some Angry Birds when work becomes rather boring.