Hydra

This app can overcome the physical limits of iPhone camera

Hydra

Your smartphone camera has physical limits on what it can do. For example, if you take a photo under low light condition, there will be camera noise in the image. There is a maximum limit on the number of megapixels in the image that the camera can produce. Also, the camera can only capture a limited range of light relative to the human eye.

But nowadays, a smartphone is also a very powerful computer. It can do something to enhance, augment and overcome the physical limits of its camera. There is a very cool and innovative app that can do just that: Hydra. It can still let you take beautiful photos even under the most difficult lighting condition.

How does it work? Basically, it takes up to 60 images as it adjusts the camera sensors slightly differently for each one. Then it merges all of them into one image effectively getting more light from the scene. It can do the following:

  • Produce an image up to 4x the physical megapixel limit of your camera (e.g. turn an 8-megapixel camera into a 32-megapixel one).
  • Create an artificial 2x/4x zoom
  • Super HDR that blows away the HDR capability in the existing camera app. Below is a sample of what it can do:
    Original Hydra
  • Reduced camera noise in low-light scenes. Below is a sample of what it can do:
    Original Hydra

As you can see from this demo above, this app packs a punch for your camera! However, due to how it works, there is a caveat—it can’t take moving images.

If you want to take amazing photos with your iPhone, Hydra has to be part of your toolkit. Download it now here!

About the author

I am a Technology Consultant, whose passion is to help small businesses reach their full potential through mastery of digital technologies, strategies and marketing.