The Android 4.3 Camera app is not available as a standalone application. Take a look at Camera 360 Ultimate instead.

The Android 4.3 Camera app will update your Android camera and gallery apps to that of the next version of the Google operating system, Jelly Bean 4.3. 

Functions of the Android 4.3 Camera app

There are a ton of interesting features in the Android 4.3 Camera app that help you bring the moment to life. Besides the basic camera, there's a panorama mode, video mode, and a new Photosphere tool for creating interactive, 3D panoramics.

Within the camera mode itself, there is a host of settings designed to help you take great pictures, You can set the exposure time, enable/disable flash, rotate the camera, and access the ample setup options. Options include location tagging, countdown timer, picture size, white balance (for various lighting conditions), and a scene mode (different setups for sports, sunlight, night, and party).

The Gallery within the Android 4.3 Camera app provides an easy way to view your images, allowing you to view slideshows, group images, organize albums, delete images and more. There are some basic image editing functions, including 10 filters, 16 frames, cropping tools and various adjustment and correction settings.These settings should be ample for the everyday snapper who doesn't require powerful editing tools.

The camera loves you

The user interface of the Android 4.3 Camera app is very simple and makes it easy to call upon the various functions and settings. The different camera modes can be accessed with a simple tap of the icon in the bottom-right and settings appear, when called upon, on a smart look curved toolbar in the center of the screen.

You touch the screen to focus on an area and pinch to zoom in and out. When zooming, the degree of maginification is displayed as you pinch.

The Gallery that comes bundled with the Android 4.3 Camera app makes it easy to browse through your photos. You can switch between Grid and Filmstrip views, and swiping an image up or down will delete it (an undo button lets you quickly retrieve it if you make a mistake. The various editing features in the Gallery are straightforward as well, giving you previews of what the final image will look like if you apply a particular effect or setting.

Not always picture perfect

The Android 4.3 Camera app performs very well and should work great with any high-end HTC or Samsung smartphone. Obviously, the quality of your shots will also depend on how good your device's on board camera is. 

We tested the app on a Samsung Galaxy Nexus and experienced no problems with the camera app, though we twice had to force restart the Gallery app while we were browsing photos. Photosphere works well, but once rendered, moving around the panorama wasn't always seamless.

The verdict

It's not a huge overhaul but the Android 4.3 Camera app adds some refinement to an already excellent photo capture app. Apple take note!