What is Facebook up to this week? Oh, just releasing a new app –no big deal.

Facebook Camera debuted this week; it’s an IOS standalone photo app that allows you to take pictures, filter and share them individually or in sets on your Facebook feed. The Facebook camera allows you to quickly select a photo or a bunch of photos, apply filters and tag your friends. You can also add a location, a caption and a description. The app is great for travel or sharing party pics!

The app (which was developed by Facebook and has nothing to do with Instagram), features 14 filters and batch uploads. But does’t it sound awfully similar to Instgram?  Sure does.  But didn’t Facebook just purchase Instagram? They sure did.  Although a company spokesman has stated that Facebook intends to build and improve Instagram independent of Facebook (odd).

The Facebook Camera app is available at the Apple app store now but the IOS is only offered in English Speaking countries; other countries will have to wait a bit longer for a translated version. How about the app for smart phones like Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone? Facebook says “no comment.”

The most favorable feedback for Facebook Camera is its capability for multi picture uploads (as compared to Instagram, which doesn’t have this functionality). For instance, if you want to share the story of your travels, you can do it in a single post. It’s also great for journalists because it allows them to tell one news story or feature via a series of photos. With a swipe side to side, you can view all the pictures as a complete set.

Here are some other pros and cons of the Facebook Camera over Instagram:

• The filters on Facebook Camera are more functionally named (i.e. Bright, Emerald and Copper) compared to Instagram (Indicative Hudson, Sutro, and Brannan).
• Facebook Camera overlooks how icons and counts are overlaid on photos, as compared to Instagram. Also comments are not quick to load – some get the impression that the pictures aren’t even there.
• Insatgram has more filters; 17 vs. Facebook’s 14 (like the light adjustment and field shift options).

No app is perfect; but considering that Facebook has about 500 million app downloads, I’m pretty sure most people will try it out for themselves.

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