Retro Camera offers instant nostalgia for Android

Ok, so I’m on vacation in Florida with a little extra time on my hands, despite constantly running after my 2-year old twins. So, what downtime I’ve been afforded has led to my being even more experimental with apps than usual. In my trolling the Android Market, I stumbled across Retro Camera. It had decent reviews, so I downloaded and installed. It does exactly what one might assume by its name: It dirties up my Nexus One’s pristine digital photographs to make them look aged, because the better our photographic technology becomes the more we long to make things look anachronistic. The app takes its cues from the hipster sect’s obsession with Lomo, Poloroid, and Holga cameras. The graphical interface panders to the Urban Outfitters crowd, while the app itself sports four camera modes that offer an instant analog look and feel for the sentimentally nostalgic millennial. The Bärbol produces a scratchy, low-saturated tone with a distinct border that immediately looks decades old. The Little Orange Box mimics a ‘70’s vintage Russian Lomo, replete with aggressive cross-processing and square film. The Xolaroid 2000, obviously, emulates the Poloroid with its naturally blurry sheen and heavy border. And, finally, The Pinhole offers low saturation with a higher contrast and a full bleed. I’ve been impressed with all the shots I’ve taken in the various formats. Seriously, not a bad one in the bunch. I’ve included one I took of my wife last night on a rare night out sans children.