Where 500px sets itself apart from Instagram is that the app is much more flexible. For one, you're not locked in to only posting square images. From the main feed you can view the EXIF data of any photo (like shutter speed, aperture, and which camera it was taken with) and — if it was edited with VSCO Cam — see which filter was used. And you can examine the details of every picture with a simple pinch and zoom. | THE NEW APP WORKS JUST LIKE INSTAGRAM |
The new 500px app also integrates with Adobe Lightroom, allowing access to Adobe's Creative Cloud storage and providing some powerful mobile editing. On top of basic tools, there is a wide range of filters (called "presets" here) and a few unique features like noise reduction and a perspective tool. None of it will stop people from using other mobile photo editing apps like VSCO Cam or Darkroom, but 500px is completely capable of being the only app you use from capture to publish.
"It’s a nightmare for our engineers," Charlec adds.
Social networks for photography have finally caught on, and Flickr is no longer the only option. There are growing pains, though. Instagram dominates the mobile world, but the web version is severely handcuffed. Websites like Exposure and VSCO are so stylish they can be used as professional portfolios, but their social capabilities are limited. The redesigned 500px offers the best of both worlds by putting a very social experience in front of a deep archive of high-quality images and the community of photographers behind them.
The new version of 500px is available today on the App Store for free. An updated Android version is scheduled for later this year.