You are here

CB » BlackBerry Apps » How to take pictures on your BlackBerry without the shutter sound - SilentCam
SilentCam
Accessory Roundup - Win a BlackBerry accessory of your choice! Previous
BlackBerry World promises to share story, direction and vision for BlackBerry in 2012Next
30 Comments

How to take pictures on your BlackBerry without the shutter sound - SilentCam

By Ryan Blundell on 27 Mar 2012 09:00 am
0
loading...
18
loading...
81
loading...

*Click!*

Ah the sound of a picture being taken. The sound of the “shutter” is designed to make picture taking much less discreet. This is to protect the rights, and privacy, of individuals. It also makes it damn hard to snap a pic of an unreleased product (say a smartphone from a certain company), without drawing attention to yourself. You would then have to resort to an obnoxiously loud fake cough to attempt to cover up what you are doing. Whether you find it annoying or not, the shutter sound is here to stay, or is it?

ToySoft Development Inc came up with an application called SilentCam. As you may have guessed, it offers an alternative (and silent) way to take a picture. This is workaround as it takes a screen shot of the “view finder” rather than taking a picture. The image is captured and saved without anyone being the wiser. Now keep in mind that you cannot alter the image resolution at all when saving the image; however you can zoom in and out of the picture before it’s saved. The image quality will differ, depending on which BlackBerry smartphone you are using. The image resolution will be 640 x 480 on a BlackBerry Bold 9900 but will be a 480x360 on a BlackBerry Bold 9780.

Features

  • Save the screen without the shutter sound
  • Save the System Pictures folder or SD Card folder
  • Save 1 or up to 20 pictures in one take
  • Set the delay between each take
  • Automatically quit the application when finished taking the picture(s)
  • Zoom in and out
  • Set up vibration notification
  • Run the Picture application after image is saved
  • Picture is saved in JPG uncompressed format
  • Easy to use

Other options allow you to quit the application after the image has been taken, change the Auto Focus status (from off, continuous or single shot), or include the date/time in the image. Whether or not you agree with bypassing the shutter sound, SilentCam does work quickly and quietly. Being able to take up to 20 images is a bonus as well. If you do decide to pick up SilentCam, make sure you use it for the forces of good! Have you been in a situation where you needed to capture something bad happening but you were afraid of getting caught by the shutter sound? You can grab SillentCam, for $0.99, from BlackBerry App World. Screenshots of the application menu after the jump

More information/Download SilentCam for BlackBerry

SilentCam Menu 1SilentCam Menu 2

 

Topics: ToySoft BlackBerry Applications Camera App SIlentCam BlackBerry Apps

Accessory Roundup - Win a BlackBerry accessory of your choice! Previous
BlackBerry World promises to share story, direction and vision for BlackBerry in 2012Next
Ryan Blundell Ryan Blundell 482 (articles) 248 (forum posts)
30 comments

ichat

Wow.
I picture stalkers now.

jslawell

Why not just use the video recorder?

shankeith

1)call voicemail
2)go back to homescreen while still on call
3)launch camera
4)take picture without shutter sound
5)??????
6)profit?

shemaree09

this doesn't work anymore in OS 7.1

mstrninja

My wife and I both used it on our phones at the same time while walking through a nature reserve. We ended up getting pictures of 11 deer from fairly close. It was great!

andicried76

Absolutely great app! Needed it!

xiaohuaxing

There's GOT to be a better way to do this. Any devs know how to get into the file system and delete the shutter sound file? QuickLaunch had a feature to silence it but it doesn't work on the Torch. I want a full 5mpx picture, not some lame screenshot that probably includes the menu buttons on the bottom.

I had to borrow my coworker's iPhone to take a picture silently the other day, how embarrassing. I feel like an idiot having to explain that it's not possible to turn off the sound on my Blackberry that I have to defend all the time.

jamezalexander

I agree there must be an easier work around...
But what's 99 cents anyway? Well worth the price for what it offers. Imo

Sent via Blackberry Playbook

MADBRADNYC

"probably includes the menu buttons on the bottom"

This is what I was thinking about.
Can anyone verify if this is indeed the case?

Tater Tots

Doesn't show Any menu buttons, By far best camera app. Has auto focus AND flash!

The_Adventist

Good thing it has flash because that quick bright light isn't as noticeable as that picture taking sound. LOL

Tater Tots

The flash optional.....

DanD2

I have an app called Camera Mute....got back when I had my Storm 1. It still works on my 9850. You just enable it and use your camera as you normally would....a lot easier than this.

moyjoy

Ooo! I never thought of taking a screen shot instead! Great idea!

Shizzel026

Very nice app im going to download it!!

swiedom

So the real tip here is use a screen shot app (captureit)... fo' free!

sam_d

Why not use a video recording and then offline u can take snapshots of the video as you wish.

Ben1232

They must have seen the long thread about the annoying shutter sounds recently.

mssca

It is sad that RIM probably the only company decided to remove the silent function for app developers from their new OS. Most of the other smartphones can take a picture without making a sound.

Smiley88

If you have OS7 the current version of SilentCam the auto focus is disabled on purpose because it captures the cross hair in the picture. We are working on an update ASAP to allow you to turn on and off autofocus.

p0w3rt0m

I've been doing basically the same thing remotely (and for free) for a while now using Portaserver. You have to right click and save image in the browser. Same idea, using a screenshot of the viewfinder to capture the image.

MRSOSINCERE

Usually if I need to take a pic silently, which is rarely.... I just call 611 (free call to service provider) and then I go to my camera while the automated operator is talking to herself... and I take the pic and there is no shutter sound, and I have the pic at Full Resolution.... #JustSaying
P.S. Make sure your flash is off.... #Awkwaaaarrrrrd

Smiley88

sorry to say but your method does not work on OS7.1.

wobly

Just what is needed to get those "People of Walmart" photos!

biggdogg40509

@wobly.... YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!
lmao

up488

I use my screen grabber app for taking silent pics

AidenSurvival

Bought it today. Pretty stellar app IMHO.

hindsite74

Shouldn't need an app for this, is the bottom line

jwn66

I just cough loudly to mask teh sound.

WrightWords

Thank god you can now take pux of my daughters' thongs without them knowing. Sux you can't sneak shots of people without them knowing. Which, of course, is WHY the sound is there in the first place. Not to worry - hot girls with Blackberry phones want to sneak pix of you too. Really. AND they're online waiting to chat. Just have your credit card ready. Really!