Today we're excited to launch a major Halide update focused on the iPhone Duo. Rather than add mere compatibility, we challenged ourselves to reimagine the photography experience on a foldable device. We've actually built three big additions, one for each Duo pose.
The Closed Pose
First we start with the close pose, which is most similar to the existing Halide design. However, since the closed screen features a squarer aspect ratio, we've rearranged our own toolbar to embrace the new sidebar paradigm you find on the Duo. Despite the wide screen size, you'll find the most important controls remain within thumb reach.
While apps like Apple's own camera app expand the viewfinder to take up the full screen, it's impossible to do this without obstructing your shot with camera controls. That poses a challenge when composing shots, so we've taken the approach of keeping the viewfinder clean.
Another reason we opted for a smaller viewfinder is to show you a preview that's representative of the final photo as it will be viewed by other people. Humans perceive photos a little different depending on the size of the photo in your field of view. This is why viewing films on a giant IMAX screen feels different than watching a 4:3 movie in a normal movie theater.
As first you may worry about the loss of size, but Halide's viewfinder is still larger than the viewfinders you'd find in big, standalone cameras.
Fully Open
When you open the Duo, Halide takes full advantage of the wide screen real estate by adding a secondary view for reviewing your last photo. You can favorite, share, delete, or edit your last photo with a single tap. There are also controls for going full-screen.
What about those arrows on the right side? That ties into our favorite feature.
Half Open: The Waist Viewfinder
By default, Halide's camera controls sit on the same side as the camera itself. If you tap the arrows in the sidebar, the left and right sides swap. This turns Halide into a waist level viewfinder.
Combine this with our square framing tool, and it feels a bit like shooting on a Hasselblad.
Available Now with More to Come
Our Duo support is available today to all Halide Mark III users. Download it now.
Rather than wait weeks or months to ship our Duo update, we decided to burn the midnight oil and crank through the weekend on this first update. That said, the iPhone Duo is the most exciting new device we've played with in years, and we have many more ideas ahead.
If you have any feedback or ideas, please let us know at support@lux.camera, or hop in our Discord.