iLightningCam 1.2 allows you to capture a lightning strike using the 8-megapixel camera of the Apple iPhone 4S. In full-resolution mode, the app builds on the increased speed of capture offered by the iPhone 4s, which “should capture almost all lightning strikes within range”, the developer says (the app works on the iPhone 4 too, but fast lightning strikes might be missed “due to hardware limitations”). iLighningCam 1.2 also works in video mode, where it analyses the footage and grabs the frame in which the lightning occurs and saves it - along with the next one - as a JPEG with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels on the iPhone 4 and 1920x1080 pixels on the 4S. The app is available on iTunes for $0.99.

Florian Stiassny Press Release

Lightning Fast Photography for Everyone - With the iPhone 4s Camera

Independent developer Florian Stiassny announces iLightningCam 1.2 for iOS, an update to his photo app that allows capturing a lightning strike in real time with full resolution of 8 Megapixel. iLightningCam enables everyone to take breathtaking freehand shots of lightning strikes using their iPhone. No additional equipment is necessary. iLightningCam features useful modes of operation, including HD Video Mode and Camera Mode. The selected images can be saved to the iPhone camera roll.

Vienna, Austria - Capturing a lightning strike in real time with a mobile cell phone camera was almost impossible until now. However, the new iPhone(R) 4S camera is actually fast enough to capture lightnings using the small photo app ‘iLightningCam’. This app was just announced by the independent developer Florian Stiassny and already received the second update (Ver. 1.2). ‘iLightningCam’ now enables everyone to take free hand breathtaking shots of lightning strikes using their iPhone; no additional equipment like tripods or sensors are needed. LightningCam 1.2 offers many unique features:

HD Video Mode (recommended):
‘iLightningCam’ analyzes the HD video output (Resolution 720P for iPhone 4 and 1080P for iPhone(R) 4S) for the event of a lightning strike and captures the frame, in which the lightning occurs as well as the following frame. Both frames are saved with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels (iPhone 4) and 1920x1080 (iPhone(R) 4S) using JPEG compression.

Camera Mode (high resolution):
‘iLightningCam’ captures the lightning strike with the main camera with full photo resolution (5MP for iPhone 4, 8 MP for iPhone 4S). Due to hardware limitations, fast lightning strikes might be missed in this mode with the iPhone 4, whereas the iPhone 4s should capture almost all lightning strikes within range.

Once the memory limit is reached, the app shows a gallery of the captured lightning images and allows selecting all images one wants to keep. These selected images are then saved to the iPhone camera roll.

There are also explicit warnings present in this app. Thunderstorms are obviously dangerous and life threatening for everyone and not healthy for iPhones either. Take care using this software! Do not take any risks and avoid exposure to thunderstorms! Use this App only in lightning and storm protected places. And - everyone is solely responsible for your actions and adverse consequences. There is a full safety warning included in the instructions page.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S
* Requires iOS: 4.2 or later (iOS 5 recommended)
* 0.2 MB

Pricing and Availability:
LightningCam 1.2 is $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Photo & Video category.

iLightningCam 1.2: http://www.i-lightningcam.com/
Purchase and Download: http://itunes.apple.com/app/id473721890?mt=8

Operating out of Vienna, Austria, independent developer Florian Stiassny is a 12 year coding veteran whose focus is on creating useful applications for the iOS platform. Florian is currently studying medicine and has released several apps, mainly in the medical segment. Copyright (C) 2011 Florian Stiassny. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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