Most popular camera on planet finally allows manual control: Apple opens up camera API in iOS 8

Among all the new features in the upcoming iOS 8 that Apple presented during its WWDC keynote yesterday, there was one thing that apparently slipped our attention. However, it's quite a significant change which warrants an extra announcement. It appears that thanks to a new camera API in iOS 8, developers will be able to access full manual control of the iPhone's camera, allowing in theory to offer aperture, ISO and shutter speed control in future iOS camera apps.

This is something that was not previously possible, but will certainly quickly find its way into iOS camera apps aimed at advanced shooters. Unfortunately, it does not seem as though this extra functionality will be available in Apple's stock camera app, Photos, the changes in which we reported about yesterday. Considering that iOS 8 is already available to developers, it probably won't take long for developers to make use of the new camera API's added functionality.

In the near future, we could see camera apps for iOS that offer settings as sophisticated as those of a full-fledged digital camera. How about the classic P, A, S and M shooting modes for your iPhone? Is the added camera functionality something that makes you consider a switch to the iPhone from your Android device? What kind of functionality would you like to see in upcoming iOS 8 camera apps? Let us know in your comments!

(via PetaPixel)