This used to be a 5-star app.

I have loved this app for years, and have bought many packs over the years. Ever since the big update however, this app has become almost unusable. Here are a few of the issues:

1. It crashes. A lot.

2. It refuses to focus. If I use tap-to-focus (like Ive been doing for years), the app will either focus on anything but my subject, or it will blur the entire picture. This is not user error. Ive been using this function for years, and suddenly it no longer works. The only way to get a picture in focus is to let the app decide what to focus on. Sometimes it focuses on my subject, and sometimes it doesnt. In either case, I no longer have control over whats in focus, and whats completely blurred.

3. Almost every time I switch lenses or films, the camera view turns upside down. If I rotate the phone a few times, sometimes this issue will sort itself out, but sometimes it wont.

4. Sometimes the app wont take a picture at all. This is my favorite one. I will open the app, press the shutter button, and the app will act like it took a picture. Yet no photo ever appears in my library. This is especially annoying when Im shooting a moving scene, like a soccer game, or a my dog, or anything else that doesnt sit perfectly still while I wait for my camera app to catch up. This is a total deal breaker, for obvious reasons.

I used to love this app. I still want to love this app. The beauty of Hipstamatic in fact was that it challenged me to take a good photo without the aid of post-processing. I liked the fact that what I saw was what I got. It actually helped me to focus on my photography skills as opposed to thinking I would fix my mistakes later in post. I wish Hipstamatic would go back to what it was originally. I was excited at first about the thought of being able to edit photos, but even without the glitches, Ive enjoyed this app far less now that it has become an editing app. I just want the old Hipstamatic back.

Hipstamatic team: I know youre probably not going to revert to the way things were. And yes, I have my app in Classic mode, but the glitches persist. So if you could at least clear up these glitches, and make this app usable again, I would so appreciate it. Ive spent a lot of money on your product over the years, and its an app I just cant rely on anymore to take a picture when I need it to. Fix the basics. This is a photo app. It should take pictures, right-side-up, in focus. Honestly. After that, you can add your bells and whistles. Just make it so Hipstamatic can take reliable pictures again. Please.

Thanks for reading.

The_Starhorse about Classic Camera by Hipstamatic, v322