# MilkyCam - Astrophotography — Unlimited exposure time! > Long exposure astrophotography app for capturing the night sky and Milky Way. (iPhone/iPad app by yong chong loh.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/milkycam-astrophotography/id1456540708 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [yong chong loh](https://appshunter.io/developer/393466709) - Category: Photo & Video, Productivity - Price: Free with in-app purchases (on sale, was $2.99) - Rating: 4.40/5 from 15 App Store ratings · 10 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 12.1 · 11 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2019-03-23 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/milkycam-astrophotography/id1456540708/reviews.md ## What is MilkyCam? Demo using handhold at https://youtu.be/Jey2b8LTduw Demo using tripod at https://youtu.be/ACvc3pRiCp8 Milky Way and M31 are shot by Daniel Mendell. Milky Way photo has 8 minutes exposure using iPhone 12 max. M42 is shot by Mike Weasner. Rich Field is shot by John Cekala Often we ask ourself whether we can shot the Milky Way using our phone. This astrophotography app lets you capture the night sky with phone camera. It is created and tested in Singapore, the most light polluted country in the world. So if the Milky Way can be imaged here, you probably can do it in your country. What you will need: - tripod is optional. You can either handhold your phone or use the front camera in a cup. The front camera has lower resolution but can capture IR light. The back camera has higher resolution. It gives better image. Using a tripod give better and faster image while using handhold work conventiently without a tripod. - another app to know where is the milky way. You will need to point the phone towards the Milky Way. Conditions: - The Milky Way is not visible to the eye in most cities. To capture it, you have to meet some critical conditions. 1. The timing is very important. You will need to know when the Milky Way is at the highest possible point in the sky. For my screenshots, I have to stay awake until 6am to shoot the Milky Way that is close to 60 degree altitude. 2. The sky can be partially cloudy. Best weather is clear sky. Milkycam can deal with passing cloud with its Pause and Continue button. It will also needs to see some stars so that it can track field rotation. If the sky is fully cloudy, then you have try later. 3. Choose a location where strong light from street or window would not shine into your camera. It is possible to shoot in the city because the sky glow can be blocked by trees and tall buildings. See screenshots. Step by Step Operation: 1. Choose an exposure time from the time slider and it will start long exposure shot. 1 minute of long exposure is good for very subtle image of the Milky Way. The Time slider lets you choose from live to 16 min of exposure. 2. The app will auto choose alignment stars after 15 seconds. You can change the stars by tapping the Pause button and tap the bright stars you want to use for tracking. 3. Sit back and enjoy the live image stacking. 4. Once the the exposure time is finished. Adjust the brightness and contrast to pop out the Milky Way. 5. Tap save for a picture in your photo album. Demo setup and use at https://youtu.be/dNtuZNSV6qo Note: This app is designed to photo the dim milky way so it is useful only if you point it to the night sky. Otherwise the live view will wash out. Specification: - 1 minute to 30 minutes of long exposure. - Use with tripod or handhold. - Choose any back cameras and front camera. - Auto or manually select alignment stars by tapping them. Sliders: Focus - Adjust the camera focus. Rate - Set camera frame rate. Higher value is better for handhold use and produces brighter image. ISO - Higher value gives brighter. Set lower value if image is grainy. Threshold - Set lower value to detect more stars. Time - Total exposure time. Period - Set the time for each stack. The app sums instead of averages the images. Bin - Bin 1 gives highest resolution but stacks slower. Edit Sliders: Bright - Slide to give brighter image. Contrast - Slide to give clearer image. Paint - Slide to adjust paint size. During stacking, the stars will be aligned but the landscape will be blurred due to Earth rotation. Use your finger to paint over blurred landscape to sharpen the building, trees etc. Have fun and feel alive when you capture your own Milky Way. Notice: Terms of Use at https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ ## Key features - Long exposure up to 30 minutes - Handheld or tripod compatible - Front and back camera support - Auto or manual star alignment - Adjustable focus and frame rate - Brightness and contrast adjustment ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Subscription | $4.99 | per year | **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Unlimited Stacking! | $4.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 10) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/milkycam-astrophotography/id1456540708/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Brilliant app *2023-09-22, version 3.3* This is the best iPhone app yet for Deep Sky Objects. Would love to see some updates, maybe with a zoom function for better focusing. A+++ app ### 1/5 — Would not run *2022-08-13* Was very excited to get and use this app. The first night I had close to a clear sky I couldn’t wait to get outside but alas, the first 2 attempts the app just shut down on me. 3rd through 10th time the app seemed to be working but even setting it at 1 minute exposure, it would pause after 20 seconds and never start again. Very disappointed I don’t believe that any image shown in the App Store was taken with this camera. For reference I was using a standard iPhone 11. **Developer response:** Do email me at ustransit74@gmail.com At the time being, I don’t know what causes the stop at 20 seconds for your case. Could you restart your iPhone to rule out out of memory issue? Contact me. ### 5/5 — Great! *2021-11-06* I currently have an iPhone XR. The camera on it is a bit scuffed, but it works fine. I managed to capture some great pictures that I didn’t think I’d be able to on a cellphone. I’m upgrading to an iPhone 11 soon for the sole purpose of having a better camera system. I’ll be trying this app on that phone when I get it, and I’ll update this review. Looking forward to it! I love the fact that you can customize the settings without paying a ridiculous fee, like most of the other apps out there, and I totally respect the developer for it. Also, the exposure time is extraordinary, letting you keep capturing light for as long as you wish, basically. However, it does sometimes crash if you max out the settings. That’s not really an issue, though. This is a solid 5 stars! **Developer response:** Thanks for your kind comment. I find that iPhone 12 mini is what make the leap. So get at least iPhone 12 if possible. You can see some Milky Way photos using iPhone 12 at https://m.facebook.com/yong54321/ Have fun! ### 5/5 — Unparalled *2020-10-18* I feel there’s no other app like this which stacks and tracks at the same time, its simply a genius idea. It turns an iphone into equivalent of a basic camera attached to a computer for processing, storing, and can even use it remotely with Team Viewer app using a computer, great for wintertime spontaneous astrophotography. **Developer response:** Hi thanks for liking MilkyCam app. I would also try Team Viewer too. ### 5/5 — Great! *2020-06-04* The sliders are back! thanks man! **Developer response:** Hello. Thanks for the review. Please note that the next update is the fully tested new design. Please do not update to version 2.13 if you want the old version. The new update uses better algorithm. It means there is no running noise after long exposure stacking. The landscape will be clear while more stars are brightly displayed. It is like night mode, the only different is the exposure time extends from 1 minute to 60 minutes and more. ### 1/5 — Doesn’t work *2020-05-30, version 2.11* Doesn’t seem to work on iPad, new update just displays 4 red lines and start and stop. ### 5/5 — Wonderful App *2020-05-05* Absolutely Nothing Bad Too Say, Much Better Than Any Other “Astrophotography” App Out There. ### 4/5 — Crash *2020-04-25* Crashed time after time. Then Camera did the same. Rebooted phone. No longer crashes. Suspect power outage during update of apps as cause. **Developer response:** Already send in update version 2.08 to fix the crashes. Do email me @ ustransit74@gmail.com whether the camera button still crash. ### 5/5 — Update *2020-02-15* The latest update ruined this app. It has a terrible time locking on to stars which makes it useless please fix so i can gice this 5 stars again. Updated review: the latest update seems to have fixed the problem to an extent. Depending on where I point the camera it is still having trouble locking onto a second target star. I can clearly see them through the app but it still won’t get a lock. This happens about 50% of the time. I do love this app. When it works, it works fabulously. I have managed to get shots I that I used to only be able to get with my DSLR. Which is great because I don’t always have it with me. The developer also does a wonderful job replying back to me and also in regards to updating the app. It’s a shame some people have left so many low star ratings. This app far exceeds any app I’ve used thus far at doing what it says it can do. **Developer response:** Thanks for your feedback. I am interested to see your work using MilkyCam. Please email me or send a link! I have add back the option to choose and lock stars in version 1.96. To lock first or second star, simply tap the star in the image. You can do it before start or after start stacking. Thank you very much. PS. If you choose the Tripod mode, it is actually the same as previous version. Default Handhold mode make it even easier to shoot the night sky without a tripod. ### 5/5 — iPhone 8+ and the night sky *2020-02-14* I have been using this app for 30 plus nights. After some practice I have pleasing and measured results. I live 1677M above sea level with level 3 to 4 viewing conditions. On the same night I took two 900 second exposures of the constellation Taurus , one with the front 7mp camera and the other with the rear 12mp dual camera. A tripod is a must as is post image processing using the iOS internal EDIT functions. The iPhone captured what is printed on Map 5 of the Norton Sky Atlas. Awesome work to the developer, thank you. **Developer response:** Hi Thanks for your feedback. I am very interested to see your work. Could you email me ustransit74@gmail.com or post online with a link? Note that the latest version goes without tripod. Certainly using a tripod will give better result. The handhold (hold the iPhone with hand) make it easier to shoot the night stars. Have fun! ## Frequently asked questions about MilkyCam ### What is MilkyCam? MilkyCam is a mobile application designed for astrophotography, allowing users to capture images of the night sky, including the Milky Way, using their phone's camera with long exposure capabilities. ### Can I use MilkyCam without a tripod? Yes, MilkyCam supports both tripod and handheld use. You can also use the front camera, which has lower resolution but can capture IR light, or the back camera for higher resolution images. ### How long can the exposure be with MilkyCam? MilkyCam offers exposure times ranging from 1 minute up to 30 minutes. This allows for capturing very subtle details in dim celestial objects like the Milky Way. ### Does MilkyCam work in light-polluted areas? Yes, MilkyCam is designed and tested for light-polluted environments, such as Singapore. It can still capture the Milky Way even with ambient light pollution, provided certain conditions are met. ### What are the conditions needed to capture the Milky Way with MilkyCam? Critical conditions include the right timing (when the Milky Way is highest), clear or partially cloudy skies, and a location away from direct strong light sources. MilkyCam can handle passing clouds with its pause and continue feature. ### How do I select stars for alignment in MilkyCam? After the app auto-selects alignment stars, you can manually change them by tapping the pause button and then tapping the bright stars you wish to use for tracking. This ensures accurate image stacking. ### What devices is MilkyCam available on? MilkyCam is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. It supports iOS version 4+. ### What is the subscription cost for MilkyCam? MilkyCam offers a subscription plan at $4.99 per year. This subscription provides access to all features and unlimited usage. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3.3 — 2022-01-21 - fix some bugs. ### 3.2 — 2021-12-18 - fix some bugs. ### 3.1 — 2021-10-14 - fix some bugs ### 3.0 — 2021-08-03 - fix some bugs. ### 2.15 — 2020-07-06 - Fix some bugs. ## Apps similar to MilkyCam | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Motion Camera - Long Exposure](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/motion-camera-long-exposure/id1294597749) | 2.2 (5) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Svbony Cam](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/svbony-cam/id1593536899) | 2.0 (5) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Astro Max Calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astro-max-calculator/id1598192808) | — | Free | Photo & Video | | [Seestar](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seestar/id6447429891) | 4.2 (302) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Planit Pro: Photo Planner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planit-pro-photo-planner/id898876435) | 4.8 (203) | $4.99 | Photo & Video | | [Pluto Trigger](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pluto-trigger/id1033735467) | 2.9 (23) | Free | Photo & Video | ## More apps by yong chong loh - [Celestial Music Transcribe](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/celestial-music-transcribe/id1053723723) - [SpiralCam - Astrophotography](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spiralcam-astrophotography/id1446490348) - [SaturnCam - Astrophotography](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/saturncam-astrophotography/id1459244951) - [ImageCam - Astrophotography](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imagecam-astrophotography/id1521156979) - [VideoCam - Astrophotography](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/videocam-astrophotography/id1538035832) All apps by yong chong loh: https://appshunter.io/developer/393466709 --- *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 2026-06-10.*