Comparison

Emulsify Camera vs Lucent Camera

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

Head to head
About

Emulsify Camera

Capture stunning black and white film-like photos with this minimalist camera app. It offers manual exposure, simulated film grain, and multiple film profiles, focusing on the art of photography without distractions.

Highlights
  • Film-like black and white photos
  • Multiple film profiles
  • Simulated film grain
  • Manual and automatic exposure
  • Save in JPG, TIFF, HEIF
  • Rule of thirds grid
Read full description

Emulsify is a camera for black and white film photography purists, with beautiful film-like images, manual exposure, and an interface that stays out of your way. It is the modern descendant of a 35mm SLR loaded with a classic black and white film. With Emulsify, you set your exposure (manually or automatically), compose your photo, and capture the image in stunning black and white. That’s it! Just as your old film SLR didn’t have a built-in flash or a selfie camera, Emulsify doesn’t have those things either. And the same way that you don’t see in black and white through the viewfinder of your camera, you don’t see black and white in Emulsify’s viewfinder. Part of the art of black and white photography is learning to "see in black and white" before taking a photo! If you’re into street photography, classic photojournalism, landscape photography, or black and white portraiture, give Emulsify a try! Features: • Gorgeous, film-like black and white photos. • Multiple profiles for different film looks. • Simulated film grain. • Manual and automatic exposure. • Optical zoom on devices that support it (digital zoom is not supported on any device). • Ability to save photos in JPG, TIFF, and HEIF (on supported devices). • Location tagging. • Rule of thirds grid in the viewfinder. • A complete lack of distractions like social media, selfies, zany filters, editing, or anything else that gets between you and the images.

About

Lucent Camera

This app offers a classic black and white photography experience with granular control over lighting and composition. Manually adjust focus, ISO, exposure, contrast, and brightness to master your shots. Its simple interface provides gentle haptic feedback and optional grid lines for precise framing.

Highlights
  • Manual focus control
  • Adjustable ISO and exposure
  • Contrast and brightness settings
  • Tap to auto focus
  • Pinch to zoom
  • Simple interface with haptic feedback
  • Optional grid lines
Read full description

Lucent Camera is a classic black and white camera. It's interface lets you control every detail of the lighting and composition of your photographs. Features include: • Ability to manually focus the lens. • Ability to manually adjust iso and exposure settings. • Ability to set the contrast and brightness levels. • Tap to auto focus. • Pinch to zoom. • Simple interface with gentle haptic feedback. • Optional grid lines to line up your shots. • Totally private. Shooting in black and white can take your photography to the next level and Lucent Camera lets you control every detail to achieve mastery with the camera in your pocket.

Screenshots

Emulsify Camera4 screens
Lucent Camera4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lucent Camera at none against Emulsify Camera's 4. Emulsify Camera's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (14.1 vs 16.4). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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

Both are free to download. Emulsify Camera sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Lucent Camera asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lucent Camera holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 5 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Emulsify Camera ships an update every 3 weeks, Lucent Camera every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Emulsify Camera versus Lucent Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmulsify CameraLucent Camera
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (8 ratings)4.6 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings8 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.1 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperConsonant Dreams LLCBenjamin Lucas

Customer experience

Emulsify Camera

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Lucent Camera

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Emulsify Camera

One-time4
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$1.99
  • Large Tip$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Extra-Large Tip$9.99
None

Lucent Camera

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Emulsify Camera free?
Emulsify Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lucent Camera free?
Lucent Camera is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Emulsify Camera or Lucent Camera?
Lucent Camera is rated higher. Emulsify Camera averages 4.4 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Lucent Camera averages 4.6 from 5 ratings.
Do Emulsify Camera or Lucent Camera have ads?
Neither Emulsify Camera nor Lucent Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Emulsify Camera or Lucent Camera?
Emulsify Camera ships an update every 3 weeks, and Lucent Camera every 2 months. Most recently, Emulsify Camera was updated on September 14, 2026 and Lucent Camera on October 2, 2026.

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