Top 10 Android Camera Apps

These are the best camera apps for Android that will improve your photography. The best camera you have is usually your phone in your pocket. And while most Android phones come with a pretty capable camera app, these Android camera apps will offer more options and better results.

It’s not about megapixels either, camera software is half the battle, as we saw with Google’s capable single-camera system on the Pixel 3 XL. Getting a good camera app can add new features, different shooting modes, GIFs, and even compositing layers. Have you seen the benefits?

Whether you’re looking for more features, pro mode, extra filters, or just want to try something else, a new camera app is a great place to start. These are some of our favorites and what each has to offer. We help you take your photography skills to the next level in 2019.

Best Camera Apps for Android

If you have a new phone like the Galaxy S9+ or LG V40, you already have a capable camera and great software. However, depending on the situation, some of these may still benefit your use. Then again, those with older phones can really benefit from trying a 3rd party app.

Our list is in no particular order, as each camera app has different strengths or features. These are Android camera app replacements that are worth considering or spending a few bucks on.

Camera Zoom Effect

The first is Camera Zoom FX, an app that has been on the Google Play Store for over a few years and has a huge number of fans here. Zoom FX is perfect for those who want a simple camera experience and more serious stuff at the same time. It has a clean interface, nice controls and a big shutter button.

With Camera Zoom FX you will get your typical filters, HDR options and multiple photo modes. Next, more experienced users will enjoy manual controls such as ISO, shutter speed, exposure levels and other minor adjustments. This app has more features than most, and you can unlock more in the pro version for just $3.49.

Google Camera

Of course, we had to include Google’s Camera app in our summary. Not just because it comes from Google, but because it’s actually a pretty capable and powerful camera app. I mean, what the highest rated smartphone camera on the market uses is the Pixel 3 XL.

Google Camera offers an extremely clean and simple experience with some nice features sprinkled throughout. These include lens blur mode, slow motion (on supported devices), photo spheres, video stabilization, Night Sight, and auto HDR. This app allows the Pixel 3 single camera to do what Apple and other manufacturers need dual or even triple cameras to achieve.

However, only certain devices can benefit from everything, and if your device is very old and running software older than Android 7.1.1 Nougat, it will not benefit from Google Camera. That said, it’s still a good app for features and anyone can benefit by trying it out.

Camera FV-5

If you’re looking for a camera with fully manual DSLR-type controls, this is our first recommendation. Camera FV-5 is pretty powerful and has almost too many options. Basically, you’ll want to know what you’re doing before paying $3 for the Pro version of this app.

Skip the free version and go straight to the FV-5 Pro for $3.95 and enjoy all the benefits. You’ll have full manual controls and the option to shoot in RAW. Then use fully automatic exposure bracketing, composition grids, exposure controls, ISO levels, time lapse, burst mode and other options. Yes, you can do a little bit of everything or keep it simple with a quality auto mod.

cymera

Everyone wants to take great selfies, right? Cymera offers thousands of filters, stickers, collages, frames and other effects to beautify your selfie game. Perfect for the selfie and portrait mode stage of 2017-18.

The biggest reason people download Cymera is the Beauty mode, which instantly changes skin tone, similar to the popular effects on Samsung smartphones. It makes you more beautiful with silky smooth skin. You can also add a mole, remove moles or freckles, or remove red marks from your face and body.

camera MX

Another hugely popular camera, probably one of the best, is Camera MX. A simple point-and-shoot camera app for Android, but later they packed it with lots of extra features. Take time-lapse photos or videos, share and create GIFs, add filters (live filters) and much more.

We enjoy the built-in photo editor, creating GIFs and lots of filters. Pretty comprehensive all-in-one camera app that does a little bit of everything. Camera MX is also one of the highest rated options on the Play Store.

Open the camera

We also recommend Open camera for professional photographers or those who need more features than most. In fact, it’s pretty complete, free, and even has a remote app for those who need remote control access to take the perfect photos.

Open camera gives you most of the advanced controls of other cameras and a few extras. These include manual mode, exposure and brackets, timers, display modes, color effects, white balance, ISO and in some cases even external microphones.

As the name suggests, it is completely open source. So other versions with different features can probably be found on Github or other popular sites. Give it a try today.

DSLR Camera Pro

As the name suggests, if you’re looking for professional-grade DSLR controls, this app is for you. One of our favorite features is the two-stage shutter controls. Press to focus and release to take the photo. It gives you extra control over what, when and where to focus. It is quite powerful and very useful for getting the best shot.

The best part, though, is that nearly every option or setting (and there’s a lot) is just a tap away. As you can see from the picture above, everything is in one simple and easy to find and use place.

Rather than explaining all the features this camera has, we’ll point you to the Play Store to see for yourself.

Foot Camera

When I think of the next generation smartphone camera experience, Footej comes to mind. This app has a beautiful yet simple user interface, easy controls and lots of options. While great for a beginner, it’s more than enough for someone more advanced or a professional looking to take better pictures.

The main feature is RAW photos if your phone supports it. Then enjoy exposure and ISO controls, full manual mode; You can capture GIFs, histograms, slow motion video recording and more. A big advantage of Footej is that it uses Google’s latest Camera2 APIs for the best experience on newer devices. You will also like Footej Camera Gallery.

Manual Camera

As the name suggests, this app is all about fully customizable manual controls on Android smartphones or tablets. In fact, it takes full advantage of Android Lollipop’s latest Camera2 API to provide the most manual controls for any camera app in the Google Play Store. It does a little bit of everything,

As long as your phone has some kind of manual control or manual mode and is running Android Lollipop or newer, which most do, this app is perfect for you. Take control over manual shutter speed, focus distance, ISO, white balance, exposure compositions and a few other things.

You’ll also enjoy GRID lines, Geo-tagging, RAW support, and an overall insanely fast camera experience.

ProShot

Last but not least, one of our favorites is the ProShot camera. This once popular Windows Phone camera app came to Android a few years ago, and it’s a refreshing change of pace. While most camera apps for Android look, feel, and work the same, ProShot is completely different. From the looks, the way you interact with the controls, changing ISO levels, adding gridlines, and more.

As you can see from the picture above, all the controls are very smooth and simple. From the color scheme to the obvious buttons and different modes. It’s like no other, and in a good way.

When it comes to full-featured camera apps, ProShot has the best. And while it costs $3.99, it’s worth every penny and will have you taking pictures and tweaking settings just because you can. Honestly, the ProShot camera is one of our favorite Android camera apps of the year.

final thoughts

These are some of our favorite camera apps for Android. It offers the best features for any social butterfly, RAW support, manual controls or tons of beauty modes and filters. We have a little something for everyone.

VSCO Cam, Pro Capture, A Better Camera, Google Cardboard Camera or Simple Camera If you want to take pictures without getting distracted. Find one from our list and enjoy taking better photos on your phone now.

While you’re here, learn about these 5 best photo editing apps for Android.