I've thought this for a while, but the last week of exploring Taipei has made me sure: the panorama option is a really underrated iOS camera feature.
- Square: How stupid, just crop the image later.
- Video: Very convenient, but so far all I've done is accumulate some shaky footage.
- Slo-Mo: Still no easy way to export to Instagram or Facebook.
- Filters: The native iOS options are decent but I still prefer Instagram, or even VSCO's advanced options.
- HDR: fun to play with at first but the difference between regular and HDR is pretty minimal, and I often prefer the non-HDR version.
I've had a lot of fun taking super wide-angle shot with it since panorama was included in iOS 6 (fall of 2012). Before it became part of iOS, I'd tried a few specialized camera apps, but they always ended up looking funny, and I found one desktop tool called Hugin for stitching pictures together on the computer, but it wasn't that easy to use. I did use it to create a beautiful photo view from the top of the US Bank building in San Francisco.
I admit, I've got a thing for views, whether from the top of a hill or a tall building, or even just a big open space. Particularly when I'm traveling or visiting touristy sites, taking a picture of up to 240 degrees helps capture the experience of being there.Here's a photo I took recently on the Rainbow Bridge above Keelung River:
