500px app for the iPad

500px is a photo sharing web app that is aimed at the creative photographer. Photographers are able to upload their work and have their peers view these photos, rate them and comment on them. The concept is very simple and effective. Personally I have many of my more recent photos displayed there and also tend to browse the photos of others for inspiration. After somewhat of a wait, 500px has finally released their iPad app. The app is as simple as their website and provides a clean and effective interface for viewing photos from 500px. Upon launching the app, you are greeted by a screen that displays a recent popular photo with the 500px logo overlayed. A quick swipe to the left brings up the main interface and the recent popular photos.

The main interface of the 500px app displays 12 photo thumbnails and a few buttons down the left side to display a different group of photos. the groups include Popular, Editors, Upcoming, Fresh, You, Friends and Favorites.

• Popular – This displays the highest rated photos in the 500px network.
• Editor – Photos chosen by the 500px Editors.
• Upcoming – Upcoming photos that have started to get attention.
• Fresh – Recently uploaded photos.
• You – Photos uploaded by you.
• Friends – Photos uploaded by your friends.
• Favorites – Photos you have favorited.

Share

As would be expected with most content apps these days, there is a share button for each photo allowing you to share on Twitter, Facebook, Tumbler, email and also allowing you to open the photo in Safari.

Slideshow

Displaying 500px photos as a slide show is made easy with the small play button in the upper right corner of any given photo(also in the lower left corner of thumbnail view). In the slideshow options panel you have the ability to choose from three transitions (dissovle, wipe and slide) as well as adjust the slide time and choose whether you want to play music from your iTunes library or not. The slideshow feature is a great way to use your iPad as a digital picture frame to showcase your photos or the photos of the photographers you admire.

Comments

Photo comments are accessed by a quick swipe up from the bottom of the screen. This gives you access to the vote and favorite buttons and also allows you to leave a comment. One thing I did notice that was missing from the app is the display of photo metadata which is typically on the right side of the screen on the web site. Although not a deal breaker, it would be nice to see this information in the app.

Conclusion

500px has been an asset to getting my creative juices flowing over the past few months, and being an iPad user I am glad that they have made the jump into the iPad app store. The app is clean, simple, effective and make great use of the real estate available on the iPad . Offering just what you need and really nothing extra, this app delivers. As I mentioned earlier, I would like to be able to see photo metadata on the app, but it is not deteriorating my current user experience. If you are an iPad user, this is a great app to have in your photographer toolbox. I am looking forward to seeing how this product evolves.

-Patrick

Check me out on 500px: http://500px.com/patrickgensel