I’ve got good news and bad news for fellow fans of Luma Camera, the excellent video camera app that provides impressive real-time image stabilization and marginally impressive filters.
Because I feel like ending on a high note, let’s look at the bad news first.
Luma, the company behind Luma Camera, has just been purchased by Instagram . If you didn’t already know, Instagram is owned by Facebook (a little known, productivity halting, privacy eating, advertisement dispenser. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?).
As a result of this acquisition, Luma Camera has been pulled from the App Store. So, if you haven’t already downloaded the app, it’s now out of your reach. Furthermore, once the technology finally emerges in Instagram, you’ll only be able to access it by shooting in…ug…Instagram (unless they license the technology to other app developers – which they probably won’t). Boooooo!
The good news? Luma was purchased so its stabilization and filtering technology could be incorporated into future versions of Instagram. If you’re an Instagram user who’s never heard of Luma Camera, trust me, this is awesome news for you. Hooray!
Luma Camera was no slouch in the update department – the app had received fairly regular tweaks and updates throughout its life. But, with Faceinstabookgram behind the wheel, and their sizable resources in the trunk, there’s hope for more radical improvements to Luma’s underlying tech. More Hooray!
Side note: If you’re wondering why this post doesn’t mention Luma Camera’s social features, it’s because I don’t care about Luma Camera’s social features. To me, it’s like buying a new iron that boasts the ability to display photos of other people’s shirts. By the way, if I designed such a device, I’d call it the iRon. You’re welcome.
