# MoonCatcher — Easy focus, Clear moon.

> App for easily photographing the moon with advanced focus and zoom. (iPhone/iPad app by HIROFUMI MARUO.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mooncatcher/id948090890 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [HIROFUMI MARUO](https://appshunter.io/developer/667820705)
- Category: Photo & Video, Lifestyle
- Price: $0.99
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 23 MB
- Languages: American English, Japanese
- Released: 2014-12-17
- Data updated: 2026-08-28
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mooncatcher/id948090890/reviews.md

## What is MoonCatcher?

This is an app that allows you to easily photograph the moon at night, including its pattern. You can also zoom easily.

Usage is simple.
(A) Tap the moon from the menu and tap the closest moon shape among the three.
(B) Point the camera at the moon and zoom.
(C) Release the shutter without moving the smartphone (tripod recommended). The shutter will fire several times, so don't let it slide until the end.
If you cannot take any of the photos with the moon in focus, you can try "changing the center of focus" as many times as you like below.

Tap the manual mode button (second button from the bottom right) to enter manual mode, where you can manually set focus, ISO/shutter speed, white balance, and multiple exposure parameters.

-------------------------
The features of this app are
(1) Fully automatic function
- If you select "Moon", the exposure will be automatically darkened in response to the bright moon in the night sky, and the focus will be adjusted to the distance.
Since it fires continuously while changing the focus multiple times, you can choose the best result among them. (The number of consecutive shots and the center of focus can be changed with the slider)

*"Change the focus center": Tap "Moon" on the shooting screen to display the moon shape selection segment, the number of consecutive shots slider, and the focus center slider. Now you can change each value.
Because the moon is far away, it is difficult to focus when zoomed in.  Therefore, if you take pictures while changing the focus little by little, you can expect the moon to be in focus at some point.
The focus range is from 0 (nearby) to 1 (far), but in reality, the focus is shifted by 1/5 when shooting. For example, 0.7 to 0.9 (0.8 in the center). By changing the center of focus, you can shift the focus within any range and fire continuously.

- There are two types of night views.
・"Night Scene 1" brightens a dark night scene by one level.
・“Night Scene 2” brightens the image one step brighter than “Night Scene 1”.
It fires continuously while changing the brightness 4 times.

- If you select "HDR", multiple consecutive images with different exposures will be combined to create a pseudo-large dynamic range.
　Multiple exposure 3 times.


 (2) Full manual function
You can take photos by manually setting the focal length, exposure, white balance, photo composition method, and number of photos.

・Tap "Focus", "ISO/SS", and "WB" to select auto or manual. 

・Tap "Multiple Exposure" to select the multiple exposure composition method and set the number of composite images (up to 100).
The synthesis methods are as following.   
  Bright: Screen composit (Screen Blend) 
  Normal: Comparison(light) composition (Lighten Blend) 
  Dark: Comparison (dark) composition (Darken Blend) 
  HDR: Special composition (Special Blend)

 (３) Other camera functions  

・Zoom function: Achieving a zoom ratio of 40 time
・A camera position: The LCD screen side or the back camera is selectable.  
・Focus position specification
・Mesh display
・Aspect selection
・Deviation correction selection

(４) Filter function just after the photography  
To display the photograph just after photography and the following filtering are possible by slider operation.
・Purity (sharpness)  
・Comparison degree (contrast)  
・Luminosity (exposure)

・Display list function
The photos taken in this app is stored in the camera roll and in app itself too and you can see the list of them with the shooting date and time information.

・Image processing function
When you tap the image on the list, it displays the list of filters for image processing.
It has about 70 filters such as 'Brightness','Contrast','Blur','Sharpening','Sepia','Monochrome','Edge detection','Sketch' and so on.

***
This app include the following open sources. 
- GPUImage (Copyright (c) 2012, Brad Larson, Ben Cochran, Hugues Lismonde, Keitaroh Kobayashi, Alaric Cole, Matthew Clark, Jacob Gundersen, Chris Williams. All rights reserved.)

## Key features

- Easy moon photography
- Advanced zoom (40x)
- Automatic focus adjustment
- Manual focus control
- Adjustable ISO/shutter speed
- Multiple exposure modes
- Night scene enhancements

## Recent user reviews (10 of 21)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mooncatcher/id948090890/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Ruim

*2026-05-31*

Ruim

### 4/5 — 楽しめます

*2024-09-17*

中秋の名月撮るのに入れてみました。使い方調べないで即使いました。ピントイマイチですが手持ちのブレかもしれません。画像は満月ですが程よい露出で模様が分かります。楽しむには良いと思います。簡単なワンタッチボタンがあればと思います。

**Developer response:** 次のようにするとより鮮明に月が撮れます。
（１）スマホ内蔵の望遠レンズにする。（右上アイコンタップでレンズ選択ができます。）
（２）連写中心ピント位置を設定する。０.６から０.７程度。（月アイコンタップから）
（３）連写数を多くする。ピントを細かく変えながら自動撮影するので、多いほどジャスピンの可能性が高まる。
フォーカスの調整は自動化しているので、月を入れた構図が大事です。お試し下さい。

### 1/5 — 今となってはレベルが低い

*2024-07-23*

OSが新しくなり撮影が強化され、Maxが発売され画質の粗さが目につく。 つまり、課金して撮影レベルを下げる必要はないって事。

因みに、このレビューを書いた頃からiPhoneProに機種変してアプリチェックしているので、開発側が何を反論しようとも、ダメアプリに違いないのは確かだ。

**Developer response:** カメラ機能が高度になればなるほど綺麗な月が撮れます。機種によっては複数焦点距離のカメラが実装されています。この中で、望遠カメラを選択すると月のような小さな対象を拡大しても綺麗に撮れます。アプリ右上のアイコンをタップすると複数カメラから選択できますので、お試しください。ワイドカメラだと画質が低下する可能性があります。
（追加）再度のレビューいただきました。ご愛顧ありがとうございます。今後もアップデートを頑張ります。

### 5/5 — すごいな〜

*2022-09-10*

毎回綺麗に満月撮れますよ🌕

### 1/5 — 不調です

*2021-08-23*

今年の6月頃までは、月面の模様も写って月の輪郭もシャープで綺麗だったのに、7月くらいから月面の模様どころか、月の形すらぼやけて全く使えなくなりました。アプリは何年も使っていて、今年1月から今もiPhone12で使用、設定なども触ってません。
何とかなりませんか？
これが有料アプリの写真写りなんて、ガッカリです。
古いスマホでももう少し綺麗に写ります。本当に困ってます。設定なども触ってませんが、万が一知らぬ間に触っていたとしたら困るので、設定の方法、設定基準など教えてください。

**Developer response:** 写っている月の部分をタップする（タップして表示したPOIアイコンの部分にピントが合う）かまたは右側のフォーカススライダーでフォーカスを微調整できます。下側は手前に、上側は遠方にピントが合います。お試しください。
また月が明るすぎる時は、左のスライダーを少し下に押し下げると月の模様が浮き出してきます。

### 1/5 — 撮れませんね

*2021-04-28*

月が写ると楽しみでしたが、ぼやけた円しか写りませんでした。月をタップしてもダメでした。どうすれいいのだろう？他のレビュー通り、無理なのかもしれませんね。

**Developer response:** 写っている月の部分をタップする（タップして表示したPOIアイコンの部分にピントが合う）かまたは右側のフォーカススライダーでフォーカスを微調整できます。下側は手前に、上側は遠方にピントが合います。お試しください。
また月が明るすぎる時は、左のスライダーを少し下に押し下げると月の模様が浮き出してきます。

### 4/5 — 荒いけど撮れる

*2019-11-12*

大きな進歩！

### 1/5 — まったく使えないアプリに変更された

*2019-06-22*

今までは月はともかく夜景や昼間の風景写真を撮るのに使っていました。ところが変なアップデートした後からまったく使えないものになってしまった。元に戻してください。課金した後に仕様を変えるなんて詐欺ですよ。

**Developer response:** 申し訳ありません。
バージョン15.0でUI他の改造を行ったあと、現時点で３回の小改修を行っています。改修時には新旧の実機でできる限りの試験を行っていますが、十分ではない可能性があります。
「まったく使えなくなった」理由はよくわかりませんが、最新版で再度お試し頂きたくお願いします。

### 1/5 — 本当に使えない

*2018-12-25*

インストールはそこそこ、動いていたが、後日アプリ立ち上がって来ない。

**Developer response:** 状況はよくわかりませんが、最新版でお試しください。

### 1/5 — 使えない

*2018-09-24*

せっかくの満月...
全然撮れません。
ズームも出来ません。
無料アプリで苦戦していたので
有料のなら、と思って
安易にインストールしたことを後悔しています。

**Developer response:** ズームはスライダーで行える様になっていました。現版ではピンチ操作でもズームできます。お試しください。

## Frequently asked questions about MoonCatcher

### How do I take a picture of the moon with MoonCatcher?

To take a picture, tap the moon from the menu and select the closest moon shape. Then, point your camera at the moon and zoom. Release the shutter without moving your smartphone, as it will fire multiple times. A tripod is recommended for stability.

### Does MoonCatcher have an automatic mode?

Yes, MoonCatcher features a fully automatic function. When you select 'Moon,' the exposure darkens automatically for the bright moon, and focus is adjusted to the correct distance. It also offers automatic adjustments for night scenes and HDR.

### Can I manually control camera settings in MoonCatcher?

Yes, MoonCatcher offers a full manual mode. You can manually set focal length, exposure, white balance, photo composition method, and the number of photos. You can also choose between auto or manual for Focus, ISO/SS, and WB.

### What is the zoom capability of MoonCatcher?

MoonCatcher provides an impressive zoom function, achieving a zoom ratio of up to 40 times. This allows you to get closer to the moon and capture intricate details.

### What devices does MoonCatcher support?

MoonCatcher is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. It is designed to work across Apple's mobile ecosystem.

### How often is MoonCatcher updated?

MoonCatcher was last updated on March 21, 2025, with version 18.1. The app is actively maintained by its developer, HIROFUMI MARUO.

### What is the price of MoonCatcher?

MoonCatcher is a paid application, available for $0.99. This one-time purchase grants you access to all its features.

### What is the age rating for MoonCatcher?

MoonCatcher has an age rating of 4+. This indicates it is suitable for users of all ages, with no mature content.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 18.1 — 2025-03-21

The following function has been added:
When shooting the moon with focus shift, the center of focus is set to the focus point immediately before shooting.

### 18.0 — 2024-11-14

- Display improvements (moon photography results display: makes it easy to see which image is in focus)
(Focus seeking is ideal for focusing on extremely small objects at extremely long distances, as it is difficult to do so using normal methods.)
- Slight processing speed improvements

### 17.1 — 2024-07-18

The zoom function has been revised.
The default  focus center during moon burst shooting has been shifted farther away. (0.7->0.85)

### 17.0 — 2024-05-04

- The shutter sound has been made quieter.
- When photographing the moon, you can now easily take photos that are in focus by shooting continuously and changing the focal length continuously.
   The center focal length can be changed on the pop-up screen displayed by tapping the moon segment on the shooting screen.
- Removed low resolution (2K or 4K) shooting function. A similar effect can be achieved by using the image cropping function (CROP).
-The almost whole code was rewritten in swift.

### 16.1 — 2022-06-22

The following improvements have been made.
-It is now possible to distinguish between automatic focus and exposure control by the color of the knob on the slider.
(Automatic: white knob, manual: pink knob)
-It is now possible to return directly to the shooting screen from the back screen.
-Fixed a bug in the exposure setting when shooting 4K (2K).

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All apps by HIROFUMI MARUO: https://appshunter.io/developer/667820705

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*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 2026-08-28.*