Are you tired of over-edited photos? New Android app joins ‘anti-AI’ alternatives that shoot like old-fashioned digital cameras

1 week ago

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Are you tired of over-edited photos? New Android app joins ‘anti-AI’ alternatives that shoot like old-fashioned digital cameras

New Zerocam app lands on Android and promises ‘natural photography’
App calls itself an ‘anti-AI’ camera app that removes ‘artificial effects’
The app requires a subscription for full access and unlimited photos

A new Android app called Zerocam has just launched to give photographers a more natural alternative to the over-processed snaps that many phones take by default.

Zerocam is already available on iOS, but has now come out of beta for Android. The app has a simple, stripped-down interface and shoots in raw format – an option already available in many other camera apps.

However, like Halide’s Process Zero feature (which is only available for iOS), Zerocam sets itself apart from other apps in its handling of that raw photo. If left unchecked, the raw file will look flat and lifeless. That’s why Zerocam applies a custom-made LUT (Look Up Table), which is similar to a preset or filter. This promises to be much less demanding than the arithmetic that most phones automatically apply.

Rather than an overly sharp or over-processed shot, Zerocam told us the idea is to capture more subtle shots, like those from “small digital cameras.” The app also applies noise reduction and lens corrections to achieve that look.

The downside is that you have to pay a subscription to fully unlock Zerocam and take unlimited photos – $0.99/month or $10.99 per year. So you’ll have to weigh whether its simplicity is worth the automation of adjustments you can achieve manually in some of the best camera apps.

Analysis: Cook to taste

The Halide iPhone photography app with the Process Zero feature highlighted.

The Halide app’s Process Zero mode (above) has a similar, stripped-down philosophy to Zerocam, but is iOS-only. (Image credit: Lux Camera)

Rather than being ‘anti-AI’, apps like Zerocam are actually more anti-computational photography. Since the Google Pixel 4, computational processing has revolutionized the best camera phones and taken them to new heights, but for many it’s now going too far and producing unrealistic, flat photos that fall apart when you crop into them.

There are ways to get simpler, more camera-like photos from your phone, but usually this involves shooting in the raw format and manually editing your snap to taste with apps like Snapseed or Lightroom. Apps like Zerocam and Halide’s Process Zero feature are there to fill that gap, albeit at a price.

It’s a similar trend to that of the return of film cameras – instead of trying to mask the limitations of smaller, cheaper cameras; these apps encourage users to embrace the physical drawbacks of smaller sensors and take photos like the cameras of the past.

Whether you prefer that or the incredible processing skills of the best Android phones, it’s a matter of taste, and there’s no right answer. But computational photography certainly doesn’t lead anywhere, so it’s good to have alternative options – even if, unfortunately, they come with a subscription fee.