First of all, a million-dollar question. Have you ever heard of chimping? You may haven’t heard of it, but I can assure you that at least you have listened to it. More than once. You may have indulged in it as well. I know I have done. And as you read further, we will tell you just how this is also related to Hipstamatic.
Chimping is those thing amateurs —and some pros— do right after taking a picture. You snap a pic and go straight to the screen to stare at the result, only to start oohing and aahing. It’s not a bad thing, per se; sometimes, we just know we have created a piece of art and we need to delight in our work.
The rather unfunny part is that, for a word that predates social media itself, it’s been compounded and exaggerated by its existence. It’s no longer enough to chimp in relative solitude; you have to upload pictures, videos, and reels at the moment, or you may as well not have been there.
With Party! Hipstamatic aims to reduce the chimping and help us live in the moment again.
What is Party!?
Party! Disposable Camera is an app by Hipstamatic that goes beyond the usual in vintage camera simulation. How do they do this?
They do this by not letting you or any of the members of your party —sorry, Camera– access the pictures until the next day. Forget about reviewing images on the fly. Forget about repeating photos, sharing them with family, posting on social media, and other behaviors that might be considered antisocial when you’re supposed to socialize and have fun.
Enjoy the party, take a few pictures here and there, and keep on enjoying the party. Hipstamatic, let’s get all your photos once the event is over, just as Eastman Kodak intended.
These pictures were taken seconds apart with the iOS camera app and the Hipstamatic Party app. It’s worth noting that the ratio is different. The date stamp is also a nice addition, especially because you can turn it off.
How Does The New Hipstamatic Work?
The Hipstamatoc app itself is pretty straightforward. You’re presented with a screen with three buttons. “How to Party,” “Create a Camera,” and “Join a Camera.”
The first one is self-explanatory, a guide to using the app itself. The third one allows us to join a camera created with the second button. One of these Cameras is nothing else than a group chat with a vintage camera simulator added on top.
The free version offers only the most basic functionalities: You can choose a color for the camera, up to five participants, and one vintage filter or none. It also works until midnight, which should be good enough for most non-European parties!
Once you go to the next page, you can add a name, a date, and a time for the photos to be revealed. You also have a further chance to edit the minutiae, such as people count, photo filters, and so on.
Remember that any change to these options will cost money—although there’s a reminder at the bottom of the app, it never hurts to insist.
Once it’s done, you’ll see a screen to set up your profile—with a picture included if you want—and your camera will be more than ready.
The Interface
It’s a camera—everyone knows what a camera looks like! You’ll see whatever you’re pointing at, prefiltered and ready to shoot. There is also an option to turn the flash on or off and a sharing button so you can give your friends a way to access the Camera using the “Join a Camera” button we talked about earlier.
It’s simple and easy. I’m missing two things; the ability to use the volume buttons as shutters and an interface adaptable to different phone orientations.
So, How Much of a Bang for Your Buck?
While the Basic Camera—advertised as “always free”—is not a bad option, I have to admit that you can get much more out of it by resorting to in-app purchases.
For only two bucks, Hipstamatic allows you to increase the number of people to fifteen and gain access to new filter options.
Of course, if you want more people, it will cost more. Up to twenty-five? Six. Up to 35? Ten. Up to 99? Ninety-nine. Unlimited? 229, and that’s a bit of a steal.
Why a steal? Well, remember each and every picture taken by every member of your group will be uploaded to a personal space on the internet and will only be accessible by the group members themselves. That kind of storage, bandwidth, and maintenance is not cheap.
Unlimited People? Who Would Need That?
The unlimited guests option, available at $229, has been labeled Wedding. It’s supposed to “help you capture every moment of your special day,” which is the main niche the developers were aiming for. According to their Press Release, “Party! is built with weddings in mind, providing couples and planners with a simple yet sophisticated way to capture candid, heartfelt moments that professional photographers might miss.”
It’s also secure and private, as only the guests invited to the Camera can see, download, and comment.
The real problem here —and one I think Hipstamatic has overlooked— is that this app is only available for iPhones running iOS 17.2 or later. In my personal experience —as one who has asked for a charger more than once— that usually takes out a big chunk of the guest list.
Too Long, Didn’t Read? Here’s The Summary
While this app is mostly geared to weddings and other big events, it can be useful for those groups of friends or colleagues who party or do events together. Take the picture, forget about it, and don’t look at it until the event is over.
At its most basic is free, but for anything beyond five people, one basic filter and the camera turning off at midnight, you’ll have to pay. Thankfully, it’s not that costly.
Remember, it’s an add-on, not a substitute for professional photographers. Those usually come in handy when it comes to creating memories.
Give it a try. Party! by Hipstamatic is available at the Apple Store!