If you’re a mobile photographer then you might already be using FiLMiC Firstlight – a camera app from the makers of the FiLMiC Pro video app. If not, there’s never been a better time to start, as it’s just got even better – especially if you have an Apple Watch.
That’s because version 1.3 of FiLMiC Firstlight has now launched, and the headline feature is support for the Apple Watch. This is through a companion app that lets you take photos directly from your wrist.
So in other words it’s a remote shutter control, meaning you can line a shot up on your phone and then use your Apple Watch to snap the picture, which you might want to do if for example you intend to be in the shot and some distance away from your phone, or if you just don’t want to risk camera shake from tapping the phone.
As well as that, the version 1.3 update brings new features to both the iOS and Android versions of the Firstlight app. These include a new film simulation category called Pioneers, which adds four new film simulations to the app, based on various early color film formulations.
There’s also a new capture configuration that allows you to take RAW photos without an accompanying compressed image, and you’re now able to cancel the countdown timer on the app if you set one.
These join the wide variety of modes and features that FiLMiC Firstlight was already known for, including a burst mode, grid overlays, an RGB Histogram, an auto exposure mode, film grain, manual controls, and a whole lot more.
FiLMiC Firstlight version 1.3 is out now, so you can grab it as a free update if you already have the app. If not it’s free on Google Play (with in-app purchases), while on the App Store it’s $7.99 / £6.99 / AU$12.99.
Analysis: a ray of light for Apple Watch apps
The move to make FiLMiC Firstlight is great news for Apple Watch owners who also happen to be keen photographers, but it’s also just a promising sign in general, given that some other high-profile apps have removed Apple Watch support.
Not so long ago for example Uber stopped working on Apple Watch. It wasn’t the first major app to do so, and it probably won’t be the last, but Firstlight shows that not all developers are giving up on the platform, and that there is room for Apple Watch apps beyond fitness ones and music controls.
Hopefully Firstlight’s Apple Watch incarnation will do well then, and more developers will feel inspired to jump on board.
- Check out all the best Apple Watch apps
