eMagnifier for iOS

eMagnifier is at first glance a zoom tool for your phone -- using the camera's 8x digital zoom to zoom in with a separate app. It does, however, also take photos that you can then add to your photo library, send to friends, or edit with controls to use Flash, reset the zoom, or shift zoom between still frames. Not designed as a camera, it can nonetheless take photos of your zoom, as well.

If you look at eMagnifier as a camera app, it would be lacking in many ways. Fortunately, it is not a camera app and is actually quite useful when used as a magnifying glass separate from your camera. With the onscreen display removed so you can see what you're looking at with the fullscreen and with an option to remove ads, it's possible to zoom in on text -- small details on something like a coin or card -- and to take snapshots when you need them. As with the camera app, however, if you use the flash and the zoom is on for too long, your battery will drain very fast so you'll want to keep a close eye on it as you use the tools here. Also, the interface is stripped down for more viewing space, but actually finding and tapping the buttons that are there can be tough when you're trying to hold the focus.

If you need a tool for your phone to zoom in on small details, eMagnifier gets the job done. This is a well-crafted, easy-to-use app that, while not perfect in terms of interface, offers a great solution to a problem many people face every day.