# Lumina: Manual Camera — user reviews > 71 indexed App Store user reviews of Lumina by Salvatore Polito, rated 4.70/5 from 82 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lumina-manual-camera/id1617117224/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lumina-manual-camera/id1617117224.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 71 · 4★ 6 · 3★ 2 · 2★ 1 · 1★ 2 ## What do users think of Lumina? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 👍 Free and no ads - 👍 Full manual controls - 👍 Simple and intuitive UI - 👍 Great image quality - 👍 No Apple post-processing - 👍 Macro mode is great - 👍 Manual focus works well - 👍 RAW support - 👍 Lightweight app **Cons** - 🐛 Video recording not available - 🐛 Limited zoom functionality - 🐛 Shutter speed limited to 1 second - 🐛 Manual aperture control missing - 🐛 LUT capabilities missing - 🐛 White balance slider preferred over dropdown - 🐛 Contrast and saturation sliders requested - 🐛 UI can be confusing initially - 🐛 Gallery implementation needs polish - 🐛 Highlight color difficult for colorblind users - 🐛 Zoom not working as expected (lens change vs. pinch) - 🐛 Exposure time limitation for night photography - 🐛 Filename issues with ProRaw saves - 🐛 UI text does not rotate in landscape - 🐛 Typo in help text **Commonly reported bugs** - Manual settings not working on iOS 26.2 (auto mode taken) - BTK button flashes when choosing EV - Photos become brighter in camera roll after a few seconds - Viewfinder is black, cannot take pictures - Zoom not working like normal camera (only lens change) - ProRaw files have no filename (.dng only) - UI text does not rotate in landscape mode **Most requested features** - Allow adjustment of aperture - Add LUT capabilities (import and burn) - Add contrast and saturation sliders - Add a slider for white balance (Kelvin) - Add widget or Lock Screen button functionality - Add a simple Timelapse function - Allow use of volume buttons to snap a picture - Add more zoom levels - Allow leaving the flashlight on - Add video recording functionality - Add more exposure bracket options - Make it the default camera app ## Newest reviews (13 of 71) ### 5/5 — Good *2025-10-22, version 1.6.3* Works exactly like you expect and no bloat. Use the 12MP mode. Wish you could set it as your default camera app! ### 5/5 — Literally the best for the money *2025-09-24* This camera has specifically replaced the standard camera app for me for the most part. I even used shortcuts to have it load up when I press the camera control button. (When magnifier opens, open Lumina). ### 5/5 — Everything i need *2025-09-15* Pretty cool actually! Great funcutionality and no in app bull****, thanks! ### 5/5 — Impressive *2025-09-12, version 1.6.1* Very pleased with this app so far. Some very good features. The manual focus works a treat. All settings are easy to locate and use. Macro is a nice added feature that some photo apps don’t have. Image quality seems to be pretty much on par with my phones the native camera app. No gripes using it on my 15 pro max. Well done 👍🏻 ### 5/5 — Excellent app *2025-09-06, version 1.6.1* Simple to use and understand - allows me to manually choose the camera I want to use. ### 5/5 — Finally! *2025-08-27, version 1.6.1* I’ve been looking for an app like this forever, simple, free, full camera controls, amazing app! ### 5/5 — Great app *2025-08-18, version 1.6.1* I have not yet used it extensively. Based on preliminary tests, it is a great app fulfilling the basic needs. I could not figure out how to change the shutter speed to more than 1 second. ### 5/5 — Best Raw Photo App So Far *2025-08-09* I love that there’s no stupid subscription model here. It’s just a free, simple app for taking a photo without Apple’s processing. The photo just saves to your normal photo library without an extra step, which is nice. My only complaint is that the UI was slightly confusing at first, but I eventually figured it out. However, I do like that it lets you have all 3 dials (focus, ISO, and shutter speed) out at the same time. ### 5/5 — Impressive *2025-07-26, version 1.6.1* Great app I just wish it had manual aperture control also. ### 5/5 — Super Photo App!! *2025-07-23* This app is truly wonderful. Seems a bit slower than your iphone’s Camera App but it allows you to regain control over your photos and treatment something that you’ve lost somehow on your iPhone. Since the iPhone 11 Pro, on later phones, the photo quality even if nominally superior(specs up to 48Mp on iphone 16Pro) seem to have actually deteriorated. This is due to the actual in App image treatment and when you regain control of the treatment, the full quality of your iPhone is revealed! I am shooting on an iPhone 16 Pro and nativiley quality seem to be good but honestly not great and since starting to use Lumina, my impression is that it’s a slower experience but the quality seem to have gone from night to day. Good job Lumina!! ### 5/5 — Amazing free app! *2025-07-19* This app is truly amazing! Completely free and without any in app purchases or ads, it is the perfect companion for anyone seeking to elevate their iPhone photography game. The only feature that keeps me from using it 100% of the time is the lack of LUT capabilities. If there were options to import LUTs and burn them into images, I have no doubt I would use Lumina exclusively. Until then, however, I’ll be using Fotorgear. Mr. Salvatore, no hard feelings, and cheers to this amazing accomplishment! ### 5/5 — app doesn’t work *2025-06-08, version 1.6.0* viewfinder is black and can’t take pictures, app maybe not updated somehow? ### 5/5 — WOW WOW WOW *2025-06-06, version 1.6.0* I've just tried the app. This makes using the camera SO MUCH MORE INTUATIVE AND FUN. I honestly cannot believe that Apple doesn't have this as an option for the default camera app. 100,000/10, thank you so much for making this free and epic ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — No video? *2026-04-30, version 1.6.3* Couldn’t figure out how to simply take a video. I tried for like 5 minutes and if it takes that long the app is bad. ### 1/5 — no zoom? *2026-04-29, version 1.6.3* no ability to zoom? ### 1/5 — Not working on IOS 26.2 *2026-01-10, version 1.6.3* iPhone 16 Pro Max, IOS 26.2 - manual settings not working. You can adjust the ISO and shutter speed but the picture is taken on auto mode. ### 3/5 — Great app however… *2025-07-06, version 1.6.1* Whenever I take pictures now via Lumina, they become much brighter in the camera roll app after a few seconds, so I have to take screenshots of the normal versions through the Lumina camera roll every time. ### 4/5 — BKT touch problem *2026-03-15, version 1.6.3* BTK button will flash when choos ing EV ### 4/5 — No slider for white balance (kelvin)? *2025-12-06, version 1.6.3* Really good app just wish there was a slider for the kelvin white balance instead of a drop down menu. ### 4/5 — Nice App *2025-09-10* Really nice app, I would be happy if there was an Option to Chose the Format of the Photo (16:9). ### 4/5 — A powerful tool *2025-03-12, version 1.5.3* This app fills a niche that Apple has left out. This app provides advanced manual camera controls that I really need sometimes. This app never fails to provide me with the tools I need like manual focus, ISO and stutter speed. I do hope the gallery implementation gets a little more polish. ### 4/5 — Apple literally couldn’t do this for over 20 years. *2024-11-28, version 1.5.3* iOS 18 still has no manual focus. Instantly 5 stars for this app! Minus one - Zoom not working. Can’t zoom like normal camera. Can only change lens. ### 4/5 — Beautiful app but *2024-06-20* It doesn’t support OIS which is a common iOS issue. I found only 2 apps that use the stabilisation when shooting raw but would use and pay for this one if you solve the issue ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — User Friendly and Accessible *2026-07-08* Great manual camera app with a simple enough UI for casual photographers to use without being overwhelmed by the amount of options. Easy to understand and use, takes great quality photos and has easy and convenient options to download and transfer photo files. Going in with a singular Google search of certain settings did, I was able to quickly figure out the interface and take photos exactly how I needed. No overbloated or annoying UI like other apps I’ve tried. ### 5/5 — Great control *2026-07-04* This app has a simple interface, yet it has so many features. I really like the lighting, even with the automatic capture, that it provides over the stock iPhone app. Setting up the right speed and exposure takes a bit of practice. Highly recommended! ### 5/5 — Wonderful colours *2026-05-19* Thanks to your app, I’m back to enjoying taking photos with my phone and not sick of my own face when taking selfies :) One tiny suggestion: would it be possible to focus by tapping? Also, the app seems to use only one lens… Thank you so much again!! ### 5/5 — lumina manual comera *2026-04-13, version 1.6.3* A great free app. My only suggestion would be to allow the user to adjust aperture. Other than that it’s almost perfect. Stuart UK ### 5/5 — Amazing free app! *2026-04-10* This app is truly amazing! Completely free and without any in app purchases or ads, it is the perfect companion for anyone seeking to elevate their iPhone photography game. The only feature that keeps me from using it 100% of the time is the lack of LUT capabilities. If there were options to import LUTs and burn them into images, I have no doubt I would use Lumina exclusively. Until then, however, I’ll be using Fotorgear. Mr. Salvatore, no hard feelings, and cheers to this amazing accomplishment! ### 5/5 — Nice *2026-03-28, version 1.6.3* For macro pics this app is great and really puts the apple camera app to shame! ### 5/5 — Great free app but could be even better! *2026-01-31, version 1.6.3* I have never needed to pay to have basic controls on my android camera phones. lumina helps get us there, but *please* can you add contrast control to jpeg settings, maybe even a saturation slider - controls my 2015 Samsung has. Then it would be the best simple camera app in the store! ### 5/5 — Simple and Free *2025-11-19, version 1.6.3* I love you lumina app… no subscription needed quick, light, easy access with no ads ### 5/5 — Great manual camera app *2025-10-26* Thanks for this free camera app to allow manual shootings. This is something I would have expected from Apple. Please allow one observation and suggestions. I observed that the displayed ISO and exposure time values in the Apple foto app are not the once I used in settings in Lumina when going to the extreme. And one suggestion: Would it be possible to use thicker lines and letters for the various buttons to make them better visible? Thanks again for this great app. I am using an iPhone 16 pro with iOS 26.0.1 ### 5/5 — Best Camera App Ever *2025-10-23* This camera app is one of the best ever. Simple yet able to capture photos comparable and sometimes even better than project indigo. The iPhones 48MP image sensor is already great in daylight conditions, so any processing whether it be apple or Indigo isn’t always needed. Lumina offers control back to your phone for free and WITHOUT ADS!!! --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-02.*