Believe it or not, so-called “camera phones” were once derided as little more than a novelty. Fast forward a few years and high-quality camera sensors are a staple of smartphones. In fact, smartphone cameras have all but completely replaced traditional point and shoot cameras. But smartphone cameras aren’t just for proliferating the selfie culture. They can actually do quite a bit more than simply snap a few photos. Here are some little-known smartphone camera tricks that can make your life easier.
See infrared light
Infrared beams are invisible to the naked eye. However most digital camera sensors, including the one in your phone, can “see” infrared as a purplish light. There aren’t many practical applications for this, but you can check to see if the batteries in your various remotes need replacing.
Open the camera app on your phone and point the questionable remote at your phone’s camera sensor. While looking at your phone’s display, press a few buttons on the remote. If you can’t see any purple light, replace the batteries in the remote and try again.
Pinhole Effect
With only a little piece of cardboard and a thumbtack, you can add a nice framing effect to your photos by holding the camera up to the hole. You can achieve different visual effects by playing with the size of the hole and using different materials.
Read Barcodes
Everyone knows that your camera can read QR codes, but there are apps that enable you to read standard barcodes as well. Barcode readers can help the average consumer lean more about a product. Businesses can use barcode readers for inventory management. In addition, you can use an app like RedLaser to help you sniff out the best deals on the web.
Digitize the Old Negatives
If you have old negatives that you would like to have a look at, you can do so without spending money on getting them developed. If your camera app has a negative effect, you can digitize your negatives without downloading an app or paying for a dime. Simply hold the negative strip up to a light source and snap a photo of the negative film strip with your camera’s negative effect. The negative effect of the camera will essentially reverse the color of the negative – the end result being a cheap and easy way to scan your old negatives and bring them into the digital age.
Monitor your heart
Fitness trackers are incredibly popular helping people get back into shape. In addition to monitoring steps, more and more trackers have the ability to measure a user’s heart rate. Unfortunately, fitness trackers can be quite expensive. Luckily, you don’t need an expensive piece of rubber around your wrist to give you that information. Instead, download the Instant Heart Rate app, place your finger on your phone’s camera sensor, and start monitoring your heart’s health. The app will give you heart rate measurements and even a real time PPG graph.
Play with Telescopes
This is a simple yet useful trick that many smartphone users might not know. You just have to stick your smartphone’s camera lens to the telescope and you will be able to shoot the zoomed image.
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