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Lenovo teases QUAD cameras in its Z5/S5 Pro smartphone

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Just when you already think that three rear cameras in a phone is a bit excessive, Lenovo comes along and teases this. Oh yes, the Z5/S5 Pro will have four cameras. One 2x telephoto, one regular, and two unknowns. Maybe wide-angle, black & white, depth sensor or a telephoto with a longer reach, who knows?

But what we do know is that one of them is a 2x telephoto, and Lenovo has released a few sample photos shot with it. Officially, the phone’s name is the “S5 Pro”, but people are apparently also calling it the Z5 Pro? So, yeah, no idea.

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These are the 10 most important Android apps I use for my photography

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I recently received my shiny new ASUS ZenFone 5, which just went on pre-order in the UK today. As an ASUS Brand Ambassador, I can’t exactly review this phone without it being perceived as a little biased (even if I’m being completely objective), so I’m not posting a review. But what I can do is show you how I use it to help me with my photography and the apps I use to do that.

These apps aren’t specific to the ASUS ZenFone 5. They should be available to users of just about any modern Android device. And some are even available for that other mobile platform. To illustrate the features of some of the apps, I went out over the weekend to shoot a video of them in use. If you want to miss my unboxing and get straight to the apps, then skip ahead to about 4:10.

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The bezel-free Oppo Find X smartphone has weird popup cameras

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It kinda looks like a phone from a decade ago, except it runs a modern Android operating system with a bezel-less design. And that design does look quite sleek. But what makes me immediately think of flip phones and slide out keyboards is that it has these strange popup cameras. That phone is the Oppo Find X.

You might not have heard of Oppo before, but they’re owned by the same company behind the OnePlus You probably have heard of those guys. Oppo is a big smartphone brand in China, and the Oppo Find X is their new flagship phone. A first for Oppo, though, this phone will be launched globally.

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Google finally opens up Visual Core chip for HDR+ to third party apps on the Pixel 2

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Google have now announced the availability of the final Developer Preview of Android 8.1. While the finalised version won’t roll out until December, the new preview features “near-final” system images. The new preview actives the Pixel Visual Core chipset in both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2XL.

Essentially, this is an 8 core system on chip (SOC) which can run three trillion operations per second. Android Central reports that Google’s HDR+ routines will be five times faster using less than a tenth of the energy over using the standard image processor. This means better dynamic range and reduced noise through computational imaging.

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DXO One camera finally comes to Android with better Facebook Live integration and a battery pack

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The DXO One has proven to be very popular amongst its users. Almost everybody who owns one recommends them. The problem until now, though, is that only iPhone users can take advantage of them. That’s all about to change, though, as DXO have announced that the DXO One is to come in a new Android flavour.

They’ve also expanded their accessories list, adding a new battery pack for extended life. The software has also seen an update to perfect Facebok Live Multi-cam streaming. The new software also adds new 4K timelapse features.

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Mobile photo editor Snapseed gets a UI facelift and new perspective correction tool

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Google have released a new version of Snapseed with a drastically overhauled user interface. Version 2.18 is available for both iOS and Android. You know Snapseed, it’s the reason Google bought Nik Software. A company which offered a fantastic suite of desktop tools Google then abandoned.

They say that the new user interface is designed for faster editing and a more efficient workflow. All of the usual features are still there, and a new perspective correction feature has also been added. The new, brighter look is getting some mixed reactions, though. Many aren’t happy about the new, bright grey and white background. I have to admit, I’m not a big fan of it myself.

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The Triggertrap apps for iOS and Android are now Open Source

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When it was announced that Triggertrap would be winding down its business, many users expressed concern. What would happen to the apps? Will they be updated? Or will the hardware they’ve bought and paid for suddenly become useless? The common suggestion was to make it open source.

A couple of weeks ago we reported that the Triggertrap Mobile dongle had indeed been made open source hardware. Now, they’ve followed along with the software. The Triggertrap apps for both iOS and Android have now been released. They’re completely open source and available on Github (iOS / Android).

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5 great tips for shooting with your phone from a vehicle

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I find myself shooting from within cars, trains and other forms of transport quite regularly. When it comes to a car, you’ll be thankful to know I’m not the one doing the driving. And I wouldn’t suggest you try and of these things while you’re behind the wheel, either. Well, except perhaps hyperlapse where you can leave it locked off on some kind of mount doing its own thing. Then you can still concentrate on where you’re going and the other idiots on the road.

This video from new channel MOBCO TV has five tips and tricks for using your phone while moving. They’re probably not things you’ll want to do all the time, but they give you some cool creative options to play with.

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