# Obscura — Pro Camera — Manual Controls, ProRAW, Video

> Professional camera app with manual controls, ProRAW, and advanced viewing options. (iPhone/iPad app by Ben McCarthy.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obscura-pro-camera/id1579306989 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Ben McCarthy](https://appshunter.io/developer/893264216)
- Category: Photo & Video
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.00/5 from 261 App Store ratings · 197 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 99 MB
- Languages: American English, Arabic, French (France), German (Germany), Japanese, Korean, European Portuguese, Chinese (Simplified, China), European Spanish, Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan)
- Released: 2022-02-16
- Data updated: 2026-08-26
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obscura-pro-camera/id1579306989/reviews.md

## What is Obscura?

Obscura 4 is a camera app packed full of features to help you take incredible photos. Obscura pairs a stunning design with intuitive controls that make taking photos a delight.
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Over its 10 years on the App Store, Obscura has been much numerous times around the world, including as Editors’ Choice and App of the Day.
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Design

Obscura squeezes a bunch of powerful features into simple controls anyone can master. The interface balances aesthetics, ergonomics, and intuitiveness. You won’t want to use anything else. Controls can be reached with one thumb, and gestures and haptics combine to create a tactile experience that lets you stay focused on your subject.
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Capture Modes & Formats

Obscura captures photos, videos, Live Photos, and portraits. Photos can captured in RAW, ProRAW, HEIC, and JPEG (on supported devices, see http://obscura.camera/compatibility).

Capture images in multiple different aspect ratios, or filters live in camera for a wide variety of styles.
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Camera Settings
Obscura gives you control over exposure, focus, white balance, ISO, shutter speed, and flash, with intuitive controls that make you feel in control of your device’s camera.
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View Options

Obscura lets you display a grid, a spirit level, a histogram, focus peaking, a focus loupe, and exposure clipping highlights to help you understand every detail of what you’re shooting.
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Photo Library

Obscura has its own interface for browsing, rating, editing, and sharing images, but it’s fully integrated with your system photo library, so images captured with Obscura are available everywhere.
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Obscura Ultra

Obscura is free to use, with an annual subscription for premium features. See http://obscura.camera/ultra for full details.
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I hope you love using Obscura as much as I’ve loved designing and building it. If you do, please consider subscribing to Ultra, leaving a review, or just sharing with a friend.

All the best,
Ben

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Privacy Policy: http://obscura.camera/privacy
Terms of use: http://obscura.camera/terms

## Key features

- Manual exposure, focus, and white balance controls
- ProRAW, RAW, HEIC, and JPEG capture formats
- Live filters and multiple aspect ratios
- Histogram, focus peaking, and exposure clipping highlights
- Integrated photo library with editing and sharing
- Video and Live Photo capture

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Obscura Ultra Upgrade | $9.99 | per year |
| Obscura Ultra | $24.99 | per year |
| Obscura Ultra - Monthly | $3.99 | per month |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Obscura Ultra - One Time | $64.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Obscura?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 🚀 Powerful manual controls
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 🎨 Customizable presets and filters
- 💡 Unique camera gestures and UI
- 🎥 Supports video recording

**Cons**

- 💰 Subscription-based model
- 🔒 Locked features behind paywall
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🤔 Unintuitive controls and settings
- 🤷‍♂️ Lack of support for newer iPhone lenses

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to use Pro Raw mode
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between lenses
- Manual settings randomly resetting
- Photos not saving properly
- Freezing and black screen issues

**Most requested features**

- Ability to save custom camera settings
- Variable zoom function in pro mode
- Separate manual control for exposure and ISO
- Dedicated selfie button
- Live audio capture for Live Photos

## Recent user reviews (10 of 197)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obscura-pro-camera/id1579306989/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Forced to pay

*2026-04-10, version 2025.12*

Not worth it

### 3/5 — Good but with issues

*2026-03-16*

I was looking for an app that lets me freely zoom with the front camera because the default camera app doesn't allow this. This app does what I downloaded it for and the image quality seems basically the same. 5 star app

Edit: took 2 stars away because it doesn't seem to be able to shoot video properly. Doesn't matter if I change the settings to 24, 30 or 60 fps. The result always comes out as a strange and jittery 16.58fps

### 4/5 — Free Trial

*2026-02-07, version 2025.12*

There are three camera apps I like, but with so many features and without out detailed information about which are supported for a given iPhone model it is extremely challenging to evaluate and choose an app. 

A free trial that is not time limited but allowed the user to take a limited number of photos would make the process easier.

### 4/5 — Cool app but not my jam

*2026-01-22*

Kind of hard to explain but it didn’t do it for me. Something with the UI I guess, or maybe I’m not smart enough to make the most of it. I can see a lot of work has been put in crafting the app so I’m still giving 4 stars though

### 1/5 — 拍照

*2026-01-21, version 2025.12*

真的不實用（勿受騙）

### 1/5 — No Free Tier, no support

*2026-01-10, version 2025.12*

There is no accessible free tier, I’m taken to the upgrade screen, with no way to get to the camera controls. Also the support link next to the review button leads to a page not found error screen.

### 3/5 — Limited without IAPs

*2026-01-03*

I downloaded this on recommendation from a magazine article but it turns out that the useful features can’t be tried without subscribing and the initial subscription is offered with a discount… ie a surcharge for changing your mind later, so I deleted it.

### 1/5 — Where is support?

*2026-01-02, version 2025.12*

Emailed twice, ignored. Camera shoots whatever it wants despite what settings you choose. Need to shoot raw, can't have random mode. Needs to be more stable and the dev needs to care

### 5/5 — Best photography app I’ve used – Incredible interface and features!

*2025-12-30, version 2025.12*

I’ve been using Obscura for a short time now, and I’m already impressed by the level of detail. The interface is professional, unique, and very intuitive for photography.

One of my favorite features is the level indicator—having the exact degree number in the center is incredibly helpful for getting the perfect shot. Also, the face tracking for focus is excellent and makes shooting people much more reliable.

While I haven't found a ProRes option for video yet, it’s not a problem for me. I use the Blackmagic Cam app for heavy video work, and for quick, high-quality clips, Obscura or the stock camera app are more than enough.

Overall, for photography, this is hands down the best app I’ve ever used. Highly recommended!

### 1/5 — Abzocke

*2025-11-09, version 2025.11*

Hatte Lifetime gekauft und soll für die neue Version wieder voll bezahlen. Finger weg!

## Frequently asked questions about Obscura

### What does Obscura do?

Obscura is a professional camera app designed to give users extensive manual control over their mobile photography and videography. It offers features like adjustable exposure, focus, white balance, and support for advanced formats such as ProRAW.

### What are the key features of Obscura?

Key features include granular control over camera settings like ISO, shutter speed, and focus, the ability to capture in ProRAW and RAW formats, live filters, and advanced viewing aids such as histograms and focus peaking. It also supports video and Live Photo capture.

### Is Obscura free to use?

Obscura is free to use with an annual subscription option called Obscura Ultra for premium features. Specific details about the subscription can be found on their website.

### What devices is Obscura compatible with?

The app is compatible with supported devices, and specific information regarding format compatibility, such as for ProRAW and JPEG, can be found on the Obscura website at http://obscura.camera/compatibility.

### Who would benefit from using Obscura?

This app is ideal for photographers and videographers who want more creative control than standard camera apps offer. It's suited for those who appreciate fine-tuning settings, shooting in professional formats, and utilizing advanced visual aids to improve their shots.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2026.1 — 2026-06-16

Apologies for the lack of updates over the past year. I’ve been working hard on a major revision of Obscura while also juggling work on a new app, Indigo. It was hard to find the right balance, but going forward, Obscura will be getting much more attention. Stay tuned.

Fixed an issue with zooming on the Fjorden camera grip accessory.

### 2025.12 — 2025-11-27

Fixed a very minor bug related to diagnostic info in support email.

### 2025.11 — 2025-10-22

Fixed an issue with Portrait Mode on devices with a single rear camera.

### 2025.10 — 2025-09-28

A fix relating to the Camera Control

### 2025.9 — 2025-09-23

Updates to support the latest devices

## Apps similar to Obscura

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Pro Camera-Omnipotent Camera](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pro-camera-omnipotent-camera/id1224581974) | 4.4 (3,952) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Manual Camera, Pro DSLR \| RAW+](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/manual-camera-pro-dslr-raw-plus/id1152205153) | 4.4 (2,385) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [ProCamera. Professional Camera](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/procamera-professional-camera/id694647259) | 4.7 (11,127) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Pro Camera with RAW & Focus](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pro-camera-with-raw-and-focus/id1479255922) | 4.4 (4,024) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Pro Camera by Moment](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pro-camera-by-moment/id927098908) | 4.6 (9,236) | $4.99 | Photo & Video |
| [Halide Mark III - Pro Camera](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/halide-mark-iii-pro-camera/id885697368) | 4.4 (13,365) | Free | Photo & Video |

## More apps by Ben McCarthy

- [Agile 3](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/agile-3/id1289012427)
- [Aether: Poke Type Guide](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aether-poke-type-guide/id1667532230)
- [Freckle - Polka Dot Wallpapers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freckle-polka-dot-wallpapers/id6470483501)
- [Ketchup for Poké](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ketchup-for-poke/id6477297968)
- [Obscura - Studio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obscura-studio/id6744744794)

All apps by Ben McCarthy: https://appshunter.io/developer/893264216

## Related topics

[obscura](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/obscura) · [mea camera obscura](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/mea-camera-obscura) · [obscura 4](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/obscura-4) · [obscura 3](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/obscura-3) · [fjorden](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/fjorden) · [ben mccarthy](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ben-mccarthy) · [camera obscura](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/camera-obscura) · [halide pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/halide-pro) · [halide](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/halide) · [fjorden camera](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/fjorden-camera) · [halide mark 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/halide-mark-2)

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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 2026-08-26.*