Minimal ViewController using Image Picker to take a picture with the camera and display it in an image view.

ViewController.swift

import UIKit

class ViewController: UIViewController, UIImagePickerControllerDelegate, UINavigationControllerDelegate {

    // Must be declared here!
    var picker = UIImagePickerController()
    
    
    // IBOutlets
    
    @IBOutlet weak var backgroundImageView: UIImageView!
    
    
    
    // IBActions
    
    @IBAction func takePhotoTapped(sender: UIButton) {
        if UIImagePickerController.availableCaptureModesForCameraDevice(.Rear) != nil {
            // ! Creating the image picker here doesn't work!
            // picker = UIImagePickerController()
            picker.allowsEditing = false
            picker.sourceType = UIImagePickerControllerSourceType.Camera
            picker.cameraCaptureMode = .Photo
            picker.showsCameraControls = true
            picker.modalPresentationStyle = .FullScreen
            
            presentViewController(picker, animated: true, completion: nil)
        } else {
            let alert = UIAlertController(title: "Camera Error", message: "No Camera", preferredStyle: .Alert)
            let ok = UIAlertAction(title: "OK", style: .Default, handler: nil)
            alert.addAction(ok)
            presentViewController(alert, animated: true, completion: nil)
        }
    }
    
    
    
    // Image Controller Delegate methods
    
    // Image was chosen
    func imagePickerController(picker: UIImagePickerController, didFinishPickingMediaWithInfo info: [String : AnyObject]) {
        if let chosenImage = info[UIImagePickerControllerOriginalImage] as? UIImage {
            print("Saving image to photos")
            UIImageWriteToSavedPhotosAlbum(chosenImage, self, nil, nil)
            print("setting image view")
            print(chosenImage)
            self.backgroundImageView.image = chosenImage
        } else {
            print("chosen image has problem...")
        }
        dismissViewControllerAnimated(true, completion: nil)
    }
    
    // Image picker canceled
    func imagePickerControllerDidCancel(picker: UIImagePickerController) {
        dismissViewControllerAnimated(true, completion: nil)
    }
    
    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        
        picker.delegate = self
    }

    override func didReceiveMemoryWarning() {
        super.didReceiveMemoryWarning()
        // Dispose of any resources that can be recreated.
    }
}