The HTC One has an incredible four UltraPixel camera that provides stunning images in both low light and brightly lit conditions. Combined with the impressive hardware is a strong suite of software that offers flexibility and control over your images. Agent Collins will be providing us with a few hints and tips on how to make the most of this unstoppable combination.
The term UltraPixel has left a lot of people baffled, including myself, but once I did some research on the topic and played with it myself, I discovered the magic behind this technology. Many of us have heard the term megapixel when discussing the quality and resolution of traditional digital cameras but what is this new-fandangled measure all about? Simply put, UltraPixel technology uses a larger-than-normal sensor with bigger pixels that provides a higher quality image even in low light conditions. The HTC One has four UltraPixels to provide a higher quality image.
In practical terms, this means little when it comes to usability or functionality. Simply put, it just makes the pictures you snap substantially better...
Camera
First off, let's start with HTC's camera app. The app is extremely clean and provides all of the necessary options on screen, the options displayed are:
- Shutter buttons for camera and video
- Gallery icon
- Effects/filters
- Zoom
- Flash
- HTC Zoe
- Settings
Now, this sounds like there is a lot going to take in at once but HTC have managed to fit all of these options into one slick layout whilst maintaining the ability to preview your photos with pretty much a full screen.
We'll be taking you through a selection of these key elements in this guide to help you uncover new features and get the most out of this great bit of kit.
Simultaneous Video/Image capture
HTC have been offering up this clever feature since the release of the One X, which offers the ability to both record a video in full HD and take a snapshot at the same time.
This is achieved by starting to record a video by tapping the camcorder icon located at the bottom of your screen and whilst recording, simply tap the camera button to take your photo. If by any chance you happen to miss the ideal shot whilst filming, you can always play the video back in your gallery and save a frame from that image by pressing the camera button once again. Very handy and great to make sure you get the best possible shot available and capture a moment.
Effects
The addition of effects is something we have seen in a lot of phones, but HTC have added in a whole variety ranging from fish eye and focus point to sepia and negative. The majority of these effects have a slide bar located on the top end of the screen that allows you to increase or decrease the area of effect. These are accessible by simply tapping on the multi-coloured icon in the bottom corner of the screen.
Zoe
Zoe is the latest addition to the HTC Camera family and seems to be becoming ever more popular by the day. Zoe allows you to record a three second video clip at full HD that also provides 20 full resolution images in that same space, allowing you to get the perfect shot every time. To enable Zoe, simply tap the camera icon at the top of the screen until it goes blue, then all you need to do is press the shutter button and your device will take a 3 second video that will open up once complete. Not only will Zoe allow you to select the ideal shot, but the phone will also pick what it believes to be the best shot and start you from that point and will keep it marked with a white dot. Zoe can also create a live album of your photos and Zoe clips and combine them into a 30-second video that you are able to upload to HTC Share directly from your device by tapping on the Share button and selecting HTC Share.
Macro Mode
Macro mode allows you to take extreme close up images of objects whilst maintaining maximum quality. This is a feature that has become a lot more common in mobile devices but without the addition of the huge lenses that an SLR camera offers it becomes relatively difficult to reproduce such incredible images.
To enable this on the HTC One, tap the icon with three dots in the top corner of the screen, tap the arrow next to the word Scene and select Macro. Now all you need to do is get as close as you can to the object, whilst still making sure it is on the screen and tap the screen to focus the image, then snap away and enjoy the stunning images you create!
Slow Motion Video/Fast HD
I’m sure most people have seen action movies with over the top slow motion scenes, now you can create some yourself with the HTC One! To do this tap the options icon with three dots in the top corner of the screen, scroll down until you find video capture mode, tap on the arrow and select slow motion video. Start filming your video as normal and when you play it back it will be slowed down, so get your action shoes on and start creating some incredible slow motion videos and using the share button located at the bottom of the screen post them on our Facebook page, we would love to see some of the incredible ideas you all come up with!
Alongside the ability to slow down videos, the One allows you to record videos in a higher frame rate meaning everything moves faster and smoother. Follow the same steps as slow motion above and select Fast HD and start filming!
Panorama
Have you ever been on holiday and found a beautiful spot to take photos, but couldn’t fit the whole scene in the photo? Using the HTC One this becomes extremely simple, all you need to do is, once again, tap the icon with the three dots, scroll down and select Sweet Panorama. Once you've selected this, simply turn your phone so it's landscape, press the shutter button and slowly move the phone around to capture the entire area into a perfectly stitched photo. Now you can share the beauty of any environment with all of your friends and family in just one picture. Give it a shot and see what you find.
Summary
The HTC One is capable of producing some absolutely stunning images whatever the time of day and makes it so simple for you to share them with your loved ones at the push of a button. Combining beautiful quality and ease of use, the HTC One offers up endless enjoyment for photography enthusiasts and can achieve some phenomenal shots. We would love to see some of your work with the One so feel free to share them with us directly from your HTC One on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.