Armed with a clever name and a handful of neat effects, the $1.99 Camera Sutra iPhone app could be an fine addition to a novice photographer’s app collection.
Don’t be misled though — despite sharing part of its name with the classic sexuality text, the Kama Sutra, there’s nothing scandalous about Camera Sutra. It is simply a no-frills photo effects app designed primarily for folks unaccustomed to putting filters on their pictures.
Camera Sutra’s interface could not be simpler. Once you open up the app, it looks like just the iPhone’s camera. Tapping anywhere on the screen opens up the wheel of effects you can use for your photo, and selecting an effect is as easy as sliding the wheel to the effect you want.
Camera Sutra contains filters to make your photos appear with a variety of effects, including sepia toned, infrared, thermal, twirl, stretch, and mirror; there are also other effects iPhone shutterbugs can use on their pictures. Anyone who just wants to take some unique pictures can jump in and use this app right away.
That ease of use is great, but folks who are interested in more advanced filtering options will have to look elsewhere. Camera Sutra does not have the most robust of feature sets, especially for a $2 app.
Additionally, users won’t be able to touch up previously taken photos — unlike the SwankoLab photo app, which lets you apply effects to photos already on your iPhone.
If you’re looking for a photography app that’s incredibly easy to use and provides the more obvious photo filter options, then Camera Sutra might be just what you’re looking for. If you want something a bit quirkier or more advanced, this app is far from picture perfect.
