What was once an afterthought on a cellphone has quickly become one of the most used items on our smartphones – the camera.  Back in the day, the 1.2MP cameras were used for little more than taking contact pictures, but today, after the display and processor, the camera is usually next in line to be judged, and we expect them to take pictures like a DSLR.  Social Media has made picture-taking a constant necessity, as well as a gallery of pictures to show others.  But all too often, the smartphone manufacturers leave many options on the cutting room floor – the basic needs are there, but for special effects or adjustments and cropping, we have to turn to a special Camera App.  There are many to choose from and we picked out two of our favorites for our AH Awards for 2013.

Runner Up – VSCO

VSCO Cam is very popular camera app and calls itself, “The Standard of Mobile Photography.”  Updated on December 3, a vast majority of the almost 3,000 reviews, with an average rating of 4.3, were done before the newest update.  VSCO Cam only works on Android 4.0 and higher, so be sure your device can handle the application.  As with most apps, the program itself is free, however, if you really want to explore all of its possibilities, you have to purchase “a stunning array” of Preset Packs that will add choices of vivid colors to shades of black and white.  VSCO Cam offers a complete package for editing, storing, and organizing your photos.

Winner – Camera Awesome

The winner has to be the new Camera Awesome application – even in its early rendition, it was a great program with lots of options and easy to use…it too, was just updated on December 3, and many of the little annoyances were fixed, and many improvements made. This was a favorite app for the iPhone and just released for Android, so it had a few growing pains, but is well worth the wait for this upgrade. This app is also limited in scope of what smartphones it will work with, although it is compatible with most new devices, such as Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, Galaxy Nexus, Note 2, Note 3, Nexus 4, 5, 7, and 10, as well as HTC One, LG G2, etc.

Camera Awesome supports a full array of camera options, many of which are only available on the Android version – high-speed burst, Panorama, HDR, Anti-shake and Image Stabilization, Face Recognition, ISO, White Balance, Exposure, and Selective Editing of only certain areas of the photo. After you take your picture, apply filters or textures, and then save your creation. There are then multiple social media options to post your photos to share with others. The UI is very friendly, colorful, professional, and enjoyable to work with.

Let us know in the comments or on Google+ what you think of these camera apps – do you use any or do you only use what comes on your smartphone.