PhotoPills iPhone app is a Swiss Army knife style toolkit for outdoor photographers

Photopills App Store screenshot
(Image credit: Apple)
PhotoPills

Photopills App Store icon

(Image credit: Apple)

iOS/ iPad OS $10.99 / £10.99

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From checking changes in light to making sure of the right exposure length, any pro photographer will emphasise the importance of planning when trying to achieve the perfect outdoor or night image.

Taking all the various variables into account for creating an immaculate landscape shot can be something of a laborious task, but Photopills aims to make life significantly easier for pros and amateur photographers alike.

The app hands the user a series of tools, or “pills” that help you to plan the timing and positioning of your shot as well as dial in the best settings for your camera. 

For example, the map feature lets you select a location and then gives you access to a host of useful information such as the direction of light throughout the day and also the times of moonlight and golden hours.

Assistance for space snaps

There’s also tables for depth of field and hyperfocal distance, while other tools include a focal length calculator and settings for time lapses.

The most impressive feature comes in the form of its of Augmented Reality functionality  – select the app's Sun or Moon modes, hold up your phone, and you can see where the sun is going to set, or where the position of the moon will be at any time on any given day. 

It’s not just useful for standard landscape shots, however, with the app also extremely useful for astrophotographers. As well as the aforementioned Sun and moon feature, Photopills also allows space snappers to map the exact position of the Milky Way at specific times via an impressive Night Augmented Reality feature, while there’s also dedicated tools for assisting star trail shots.

We’d like the option of using the app in landscape mode (right now it only works in portrait), and its pricing may make it a little too expensive for hobbyist photographers. But if shooting vistas is your thing, or indeed your job, then PhotoPills is an absolute must download.


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Kevin Lynch
Contributor

Kevin Lynch is a London-born, Dublin-based writer and journalist.  He started out as a music writer in the late 1990s, before moving to the Daily Mirror to become the newspaper’s technology editor, during which time he wrote a weekly column that saw him chart the boom of consumer tech and gaming as well as the resurrection and rise of Apple Inc.  He has also served as editor of GuinnessWorldRecords.com and has been a member of the judging panel for the BAFTA British Academy Video Game Awards.

  • Lee_Bo
    $10.99 and no trial use? No thanks.
    Reply
  • Annie_M
    Lee_Bo said:
    $10.99 and no trial use? No thanks.
    Yeah... I was thinking the same thing!
    Reply
  • Ledsteplin
    I've heard of this app. It's suppose to be good helping to capture good shots. The $10.99 sounds high, but it's a one time payment. No subscription like some want. A one time $10.99 is better than $1.99 a month.
    Reply
  • Lee_Bo
    Ledsteplin said:
    I've heard of this app. It's suppose to be good helping to capture good shots. The $10.99 sounds high, but it's a one time payment. No subscription like some want. A one time $10.99 is better than $1.99 a month.

    True. But at least give us a day or two to try it before spending $$$.
    Reply
  • Annie_M
    I agree! I think that a one-time fee of $10.99 is really good, but I want to try the App first to make sure that I like it and more importantly, would use it!
    Reply
  • Ledsteplin
    Lee_Bo said:
    True. But at least give us a day or two to try it before spending $$$.

    What would stop someone from sreenshoting all the suggestions and tips, then not buy after the free trial? Maybe a free limited version free trial. Don't know.
    Reply