Play Memories | Top 5 apps for your Sony camera

Much of the hype surrounding Sony's mirrorless cameras has to do with the hardware: the sensor, ISO performance, AF, and more. But one of the least hyped features of these cameras is also one of the most impressive – in some ways.

Sony's Play Memories app store contains comprehensive apps that you can download to your camera to expand its functionality. Want to shoot a time lapse or stop motion video in camera? There is an app for that. Want to film a double exposure in camera or control your camera from your smartphone? There are also apps for this.

The ability to expand the capabilities of your camera, based on your own specific uses and needs is a truly awesome feature of Sony's mirrorless ecosystem, and today I wanted to share my top 5 apps to try. These aren't in any particular order, so #1 isn't better than #5.

#1 - Smooth Reflection

The Smooth Reflection app is a great app for when you want those perfect long exposure photos where the water is nice and smooth but without the need for an ND filter. This is achieved by combining multiple shots in the camera to create this “long exposure” effect.

You can, of course, do it yourself in post-processing if you prefer, but the ability to do it in-camera and save all the hassle of Photoshop can be a lifesaver for some projects. The app even comes with 5 presets that will make it easy for you to get the result you are looking for from your situation and scene.

You can grab the Smooth Reflections app from the Play Memories store

here

for $4.99.

#2 – Time Lapse

This app should be pretty self-explanatory, but for those who can't understand, it helps you create in-camera timelapse video. Again, as with the Smooth Reflections app above, this is an effect or process you can do yourself in post-processing, but the app saves you a lot of time. and does everything for you behind closed doors.

Perfect for all situations? No, but the time savings in many cases, not having to process the images yourself, can be significant. This app also comes with 8 presets to help you get the results you're looking for from your time-lapse footage.

You can grab the app from the Play Memories store

here p>

, and costs $9.99.

#3 – Motion Shot

Express the breathtaking dynamism and energy of fast-moving subjects with the Motion Shot app. A sequence of photos taken in continuous shooting mode are superimposed to create a truly expressive photo of action scenes like sports, high-speed vehicles and other similar subjects. You can choose the first and last frame in the sequence, adjust the spacing between frames, and customize other settings. This app makes a copy of the photo sequence, leaving the originals untouched.

Again, this is obviously something you can do yourself in post-processing, but being able to do it behind closed doors allows for social media sharing, self-promotion, and many other reasons. The fact that it also leaves the original shots untouched means you can go back when you get home and do the post-processing work yourself if you prefer.

You can get this app from Play Memories Store

here

, for only $4.99

#4–Direct Download

Direct Upload allows photos to be directly uploaded from the camera to network services over Wi-Fi for effortless sharing anywhere there is a Wi-Fi hotspot. In other words, this free app allows you to connect your camera to any WiFi hotspot and directly upload your images to Facebook.

No more pairing the camera with your phone or downloading the images to your computer first. This allows you to do all of this from the camera itself. This is great for behind the scenes and other situations where live posting a shoot or project can be a good tool to build hype or awareness.

You can grab the app from Play Memories app store p>

here

, and best of all, it's 100% free.

#5–Cinematic Photo

Who doesn't love a good cinemagraph? These interesting and fun picture/video hybrids have been gaining popularity for quite some time now and with this great app you can easily create them in camera!

As the app developer says, "T

its application creates a unique and absolutely enchanting hybrid photo

filmstrip

in which only part of the image moves. The effect draws the eye to the moving part of the image, making it stand out from the rest of the composition

.'

You can grab this app from Play Memories app store

here

, for $4.99.

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Conclusion

One thing to note about some of the apps in the App Store is that while most are available for a variety of Sony cameras, some are only available for specific camera models. So before buying any app, just check that it is compatible with your specific camera.

This selection is just a few of the fun and useful apps available on the Play Memories app store, so go there and maybe you'll discover your new favorite camera feature!