Comparison

Camera M vs Lens Buddy

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Camera M

This app offers professional manual camera controls for capturing high-quality photos, akin to a DSLR. It provides advanced features like RAW and ProRAW support, precise manual adjustments for focus, exposure, and white balance, and various shooting modes for creative control.

Highlights
  • Fluid gesture-based manual controls
  • Zero-process RAW and ProRAW support
  • Max Image Processing for best quality
  • Manual focus, exposure, and white balance
  • Multiple shooting modes (Burst, Timer, Bracket)
  • Focus Peaking and 4x magnifier
  • Live RGB and luminance histograms
Features
Read full description

Camera M is a professional manual camera app designed to do one thing exceptionally well — help you capture beautiful photos at the highest possible quality with powerful, precise manual controls akin to a DSLR. HIGHLIGHTS • Fluid gesture-based native manual controls with Fine-Tuning feature • iOS 26 optimization with Liquid Glass design • Zero-process RAW support for the most natural look • Max Image Processing to ensure the absolute best image quality • ProRAW*, RAW, HEIF, JPEG, TIFF, and PNG image formats • Single, Burst, Timer, Live, Depth*, Dual Photo*, and Bracket shooting modes • Triple Photo mode with simultaneous ultra-wide, wide-angle, and telephoto camera capture* • Minimum focus distance display for macro photography • Intelligent Focus Tracking • Focus Peaking and 4x magnifier loupe with panning function • Live RGB and RGB luminance histograms • Manual gray card calibration • Great widgets for photography • Darkroom integration CAMERA CONTROLS – Manual focus – Macro and Scene focus presets – Exposure bias – Manual ISO & exposure duration adjustments – ISO & exposure duration semi-priority modes – Manual white balance temperature and tint – White balance presets – Gray card white balance calibration – Auto, on, and off flash modes – Manual torch brightness level – Manual switching between Ultra Wide, Wide, and Telephoto cameras* – Digital pinch zoom with 10x range – Camera Control support for all manual controls – Lock Screen camera capture support IMAGE FORMATS – Apple ProRAW* – RAW with stabilization – HEIF with optional minimum compression – JPEG with optional minimum compression – TIFF – PNG – Live Photo – P3 wide color support* SHOOTING MODES – Single – Burst – Timer – Depth* – Dual/Triple Photo* – Live Photo* – Bracket TOOLS – Exposure offset gauge – Intelligent Focus Tracking – Live focus peaking assistant – 4x magnifier loupe with panning function – Minimum focus distance display – Live RGB and RGB luminance histograms – Highlight & shadow alert display – Horizon level with available pitch tracking and flat options – Rule of Thirds, Golden Ratio, Quadrant, and Square grids – Siri Shortcuts and App Shortcuts – Detailed camera specifications display with PDF export MAX IMAGE PROCESSING – Deep Fusion and Smart HDR support for iPhone 11 and later. – Ensures maximum image quality with better noise reduction, image stabilization, and additional processing for all other iPhones and iPads ZERO-PROCESS RAW – Capture standard RAW files with no extra processing PHOTO LIBRARY – Summarized and full EXIF metadata display – Location data display with compass and elevation – RGB and RGB luminance histogram displays – Access to all photo albums and folders WIDGETS – Home Screen: Golden Hour, EXIF, and Cameras – Lock Screen: Cameras and Golden Hour – Control Center: Focus, exposure, and white balance APPLE WATCH SUPPORT – Shutter button control – Sunrise, sunset, and Golden Hour display with sun position indicator ERGONOMICS – True one-handed control on all iPhones – An uncompromising approach to user experience in landscape orientation ACCESSIBILITY – Dynamic Type support  – Bold Text support – Increase Contrast support TECHNOLOGY Camera M is powered exclusively by native APIs and frameworks. There are absolutely no dependencies on any outside sources. This makes it responsive and efficient — from its small download size to its quick app launch times. We hope you enjoy taking amazing photos with Camera M! Website: www.camera-m.com User manual: www.camera-m.com/manual Get in touch: contact@camera-m.com Follow us: @CameraMApp #CameraM * These features are available on supported devices only. * Depth capture for selfies requires an iPhone or an iPad with a TrueDepth camera system. * Apple ProRAW capture requires iPhone 12 Pro or later. * For more information on device and feature compatibility: www.camera-m.com/compatibility

About

Lens Buddy

This app allows you to take hands-free photos and videos using a customizable timer. It's ideal for solo photoshoots, group pictures, and content creation, offering features like a photo booth mode and high-quality capture.

Highlights
  • Customizable timer
  • Photo Booth mode
  • High-quality photo capture
  • Video recording
  • Built-in gallery for rating and organizing
  • RAW photo support
  • Burst mode
Features
Read full description

Your ultimate handsfree camera experience is here! You take your own photos. Lens Buddy is a simple yet powerful timer camera app that will take pictures of you and your loved ones without the need to press buttons or even hold the device. Just set your desired time interval between the shots and let the camera roll! Leave your Bluetooth clicker home and do your own photoshoot! Take your social media presence to the next level! Once you finished taking your photos you can easily rate your pictures within the app that will help you to keep or export the best ones. Stop taking screenshots from videos - Lens Buddy offers higher quality photos and and easier way to take them! Want to take a group photo without having someone left out? Is there no one around to take a picture of you? Are you a content creator or a solo traveler? In need of building your Instagram feed? Do you need the best self timer app available? Simply put down your device on a safe place and let Lens Buddy make your perfect shot! FEATURES * [NEW] Photo Booth mode * 48MP capture * Video * Save photos to the app to keep your camera roll clean and use the built-in gallery to view, rate and organize your photos * Camera roll integration: save, sort into albums, view and manage your photos in the camera roll just like with the system camera app (optional, requires paid subscription) * RAW photo support (requires iOS 14.3, and available on Pro devices starting from iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max) * High quality photos * Live photos * Portrait mode * A clean, yet familiar and easy to use interface * Fully customizable timer * Sounds: Numerous sound effects and announcements help your photoshoot * Burst mode for super fast photography * Zoom, focus, exposure control * Aspect ratio: You can now snap your photos in either square or wide dimensions * Tracking focus: even if you move around the focus will follow you * Toggle between auto/on/off flash modes * Framing tools: Grid, level * Dark mode support Comments from you: "I love this app! I use is all the time for work and personal." "Just what I needed!" "Super easy and amazing!" "It’s literally perfect when you’re home alone and still want a cute outfit pic!" "This app is really helpful! Especially for those who are content creators like myself and take our own photos for work." Do you like Lens Buddy? Please don't forget to rate it in the App Store! It helps a lot. EULA https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Camera M4 screens
Lens Buddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Lens Buddy at Free against Camera M's $7.99. Lens Buddy also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (94% vs 68%). Camera M's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14) and chart position (#47 vs #148). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Lens Buddy is free to download; Camera M costs $7.99 up front. Lens Buddy sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Camera M asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lens Buddy holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lens Buddy has 34K ratings behind it against 1.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Camera M's written reviews are positive against 94% of Lens Buddy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Camera M ships an update every 3 weeks, Lens Buddy every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Camera M versus Lens Buddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCamera MLens Buddy
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (1.4K ratings)4.9 (34K ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.4% of reviews94.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.4K34K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#47 — better#148
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS1616.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperbxbLens Buddy Selfie Timer Photo Video Filter Camera LLC

Customer experience

Camera M

All ratings1,411 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral4.7%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews313 reviews
Positive68.4%
Neutral12.5%
Negative19.2%

Lens Buddy

All ratings34,046 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews1,001 reviews
Positive94.3%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.9%

User reviews

Camera M

From 1.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive app
  • 💡 Excellent manual camera controls
  • 🎨 Produces high-quality images
  • 🔒 No data collection

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔒 Lack of Russian language support
  • 🔒 No option to select front-facing camera
  • 🔒 Limited shutter speed options

Lens Buddy

From 34K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Customizable timer and photo settings
  • 💡 Ability to take multiple photos at once
  • 👍 Convenient for solo photography
  • 👍 Organized photo management within the app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional app crashes
  • 🐛 Issues with photo saving and transfer
  • 🔒 Cannot fully mute the shutter sound
  • 💰 Subscription model concerns

Bugs and requests

Camera M

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Viewfinder freezes and app crashes
  • RAW images come out blurry
  • Depth mode has issues with focus and bokeh
  • Settings buttons become unresponsive
  • Shutter speed resets after each shot

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add video capture mode
  • Implement longer shutter speed options
  • Include focus bracketing and stacking
  • Add color grading tools for RAW images
  • Provide more aspect ratio options
Show 1 more
  • Integrate with external photo editing apps

Lens Buddy

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Photos not saving in order
  • Inconsistent photo count between app and export

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to invert camera view
  • Option to only save liked/approved photos
  • Zip/batch photo export
  • Apple Watch integration as a viewfinder

In-app purchases

None

Camera M

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

Lens Buddy

Subscriptions12
  • Weekly PRO3 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Weekly PRO2 variants$2.997 Days
  • Weekly PRO$4.997 Days
Show 9 more
  • Monthly PRO2 variants$4.991 Month
  • Monthly PRO$9.991 Month
  • Special$14.991 Year
  • Special$19.991 Year
  • Yearly PRO3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Yearly PRO$29.991 Year
  • Yearly PRO7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Yearly PRO3 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Yearly PRO7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Camera M free?
Camera M costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lens Buddy free?
Lens Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Camera M or Lens Buddy?
Lens Buddy is rated higher. Camera M averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while Lens Buddy averages 4.9 from 34K ratings.
Do Camera M or Lens Buddy have ads?
Neither Camera M nor Lens Buddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Camera M or Lens Buddy?
Camera M ships an update every 3 weeks, and Lens Buddy every 2 weeks. Most recently, Camera M was updated on September 26, 2026 and Lens Buddy on September 27, 2026.
Which is more popular, Camera M or Lens Buddy?
Camera M currently peaks at #47 in the App Store charts, and Lens Buddy at #148. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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