ClassicPAN… a great iPhone application

I’ve always enjoyed shooting panorama pictures and for a long time I did so with a Fuji 8x17cm camera and currently have a 4×10 Patrick Alt view camera, but here lately I’ve been using a application for the iPhone called ClassicPAN which I’m really having fun with. The conventional iPhone camera stores picture files at a 4:3 aspect ratio, but ClassicPAN stores the same photos in a 9:4 panorama format cut at the top and bottom, resembling the output of a classic camera.

The app pretty much does what the Fuji and my 4×10 cameras do and that is take a picture where the film size actually crops a standard photo into a panorama. ClassicPAN takes the image (full frame) and basically crops it into a 12.96″ x 5.76″ image @200 ppi and shot with the iPhone 4’s 5.1mp camera you get pretty good quality for printing.

I have noticed that I’ve had to make shooting adjustments as the app does include more than you see in the application when you take the photo. I’ve gotten used to this and just preview the resulting image after shooting and if it’s not framed just like I want it then I just shoot another photo. I know I could just open the full frame photo and crop it in Photoshop or a similar program, but that wouldn’t be the same for me.

Other things about ClassicPAN is that it comes with is 13 film options ranging from Normal Negative to one called X-Proc Color and each of them have their own distinctive look. It also has an exposure compensation setting that ranges from + or – two full stops. It also has a set of five filters that you can put on the lens which are clear (skylight), red, yellow, green, and blue for another option for effects, plus the camera also uses the built in flash on the iPhone 4.

To enable the app to save your created pans in the highest quality make sure you go under your iPhone settings and select the ClassicPAN settings and turn on High Quality Prints and any other options that you find there.

For $1.99 I really don’t think you can go wrong in adding this app to your collection. Below are a few photos I’ve done with ClassicPAN. Click Graphic to visit App Website

Here’s what the app looks like:

photocrati gallery

Here’s some ohter Images I’ve done with the camera.