Microsoft Lumia Camera Beta now available for download for certain Windows Phones; what's new

Microsoft has released the beta version of its Lumia Camera app for certain Lumia devices, which can be officially downloaded from the Windows Phone Store.

Lumia Camera Beta offers a straight-forward camera experience and comes with a plethora of features that enhances the overall multimedia experience of users.

According to Microsoft, Lumia Camera Beta is available for Lumia 930, Lumia Icon, Lumia 1520, Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL and requires the Lumia Denim update.

Since the application is in beta stage, users can test the app and report any issues they face directly to Microsoft.

What's new with Lumia Camera Beta?

• Faster startup, mode switching and shot-to-shot
• Moment capture
• Rich capture
• The latest imaging algorithms for better image quality
• Higher video resolutions (4K, 1440p) on Lumia 930, 1520 and Icon
• Improved design with faster access to the front facing camera, Lumia selfie, Lumia refocus and third party lenses
• More manual controls for video capture. Settings like exposure and manual focus can now be used while recording a video.

Rich capture and Moment capture are two major features that Lumia Camera Beta offers.

Rich capture: It lets users create better images, even in difficult conditions. Shoot first and then customise for the perfect shot and users do not have have to adjust the settings beforehand. Rich capture combines multiple exposures for perfect results every time. You can then fine-tune your pictures by tapping the rich capture icon in the camera roll.

Moment capture: The feature offers a new way to capture images and the function responds faster and makes it easier to get the perfect shot. The long press feature allows users to capture video in 4K resolution (8.3 megapixels at 24 frames per second), or in Full HD with the Lumia 640 and 640 XL. It also lets users extract great action shots from videos by tapping the Lumia Moments icon on the camera roll.

Features exclusive to Lumia smartphone users:

- Access to Office lens from settings menu

- Pro settings remembered after restarting the app

- General performance improvements and bug fixes.

App technicalities:

• Size: 12 MB
• Version: 2015.428.756.727
• App optimised for: Windows Phone 8.1
• App requirements: HID peripheral, video and still capture, data services, internet connection, location services, microphone, photos library, SD card, videos library, video and still capture, camera, HD720P (720x1280), WVGA (480x800), WXGA (768x1280).