Why is Facebook launching its own camera app?

Just six weeks after purchasing popular photo sharing app Instagram for a hefty US$1 billion, Facebook has baffled fans by launching its own equivalent, Facebook Camera.

The app has been in production since long before the Instagram purchase (according to TechCrunch that deal hasn't even closed yet), but even so, it's hard to fathom why the company would take the trouble to release their own challenger given they are about to acquire most popular offering on the market.

The decision is particularly confusing given the poor reception of the app, with commentators criticising its 'awful' filters.

According to Mashable's Christina Warren, "Instagram can be criticised for over-reliance on the toy camera aesthetic, but at least its filters actually make your photograph look demonstrably different.

"The filters in Facebook Camera are really more like white-balance settings, and poor ones at that.

While Facebook Camera is a move forward for the company, it's not the kind that will erase the leadership doubts that have been lingering in the wake of last Friday's flubbed IPO.

Facebook Camera is currently available as a free app for iPhone and iPad.