Comparison

Photon Camera vs Start Here by Tinrocket

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

Head to head
About

Photon Camera

Transform your iPhone into a professional camera with full manual controls. Achieve DSLR-quality photos with advanced tools like focus peaking, live exposure, and RAW capture. Take creative control with AI processing options and a minimalist interface.

Highlights
  • Full manual control (ISO, shutter speed, white balance)
  • Focus peaking and focus loupe
  • Live exposure and histogram
  • RAW, ProRAW, HEIF, and JPEG capture
  • Adjustable AI processing (Process Control)
  • Minimalist and intuitive interface
  • Image browser with photo details
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone and iPad into a powerful photography tool with Photon Camera. Ideal for passionate enthusiasts and those venturing into professional photography, Photon Camera ensures DSLR-quality captures with every tap. DSLR-Quality Photos with Professional Features Photon Camera brings DSLR-quality photos to your iPhone and iPad with professional features for full manual control. Adjust focus, ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and, on iPhone 18 Pro, aperture, to capture unbelievable images. The ultimate camera app for creative photographers. Minimalist, Intuitive Design Ditch the clutter and focus on your shot. Photon sports a sleek, minimalist design that puts essential features at your fingertips. Clearly labeled, high-contrast, easy-to-tap controls give you instant access to focus, exposure, and white balance, so you can capture the perfect shot every time. Powerful, Professional Tools Experience the best of professional photography on your iPhone and iPad. Photon Camera equips you with robust tools such as live exposure, histogram, level, a focus loupe, timer, exposure clipping, and focus peaking, ensuring you capture exactly what you want. A Native iPad Camera Photon is built for iPad. All your pro tools are there: manual controls, histogram, level, focus peaking, and loupe, with layouts designed for the larger screen. A dedicated editing sidebar gives your photos more room while keeping adjustments close at hand. Smart, Precise Editing Edit with the same precision you shoot with. Smart Selection lets you tap an object and adjust it independently: Photon detects its edges, so you can brighten your subject, cool the background, or give each its own look. Blur and Sharpen tools let you soften a background or bring out detail, across the whole image or just a selection. On iPad, a dedicated editing sidebar gives your photos more room while keeping adjustments close at hand. Smart Selection requires iOS 27. Take Creative Control with Process Control Go beyond the basics of RAW photography with Process Control. This innovative tool lets you select the level of AI processing applied to your photos on a scale from 0% to 100%. Whether you prefer unprocessed RAW purity, fully enhanced photos, or something in between, Process Control ensures your creative vision comes to life. Process Control photos open directly in the editor, ready for finishing touches. Seamless Image Browser Relive your memories in a swipe with our easy-to-use image browser. Browse through your recent captures, get detailed insights about each photo, move smoothly into the editor, and share or delete with a single tap. Why Choose Photon? Simple, clutter-free interface designed for focused photography A native camera experience on iPad Capture in any format you like, including True RAW, ProRAW, HEIF, JPEG, and JPEG XL (iPhone 16 Pro and later). Or combine RAW and non-RAW formats. Instant access to manual controls, including Best-on-iPhone focus tools and manual aperture on iPhone 18 Pro, also through Camera Control Smart Selection, Blur, and Sharpen for precise, targeted edits Professional tools like live exposure, histogram, level, focus peaking, loupe, timer, exposure clipping, reliable RAW burst shooting, and external storage (iPhone 15 Pro and later) A user-friendly image browser that doubles as your digital photo album Photon Studio companion app that shows a live preview as you shoot your photos! Free for all Photon Pro users. Join the community of aspiring photographers taking their iPhone and iPad photography to the next level with Photon. It is not just a camera; it is a tool to unleash your creative vision. Download now and start capturing the world around you in stunning detail. You can review terms of use at https://photon.cam/terms/.

About

Start Here by Tinrocket

Easily set a specific starting point for your videos to capture attention instantly. The app preserves video quality and allows for precise trimming, ensuring your content looks its best when shared on social platforms.

Highlights
  • Set custom video start points
  • Preserves video quality
  • Built-in trim control
  • Seamless looping
  • Preview starting point
Features
Read full description

Grab your audience before they scroll away. Start Here lets you cut to the chase by making it easy to “time-shift” your video posts: Simply load your movie, mark the action, and share. Your video will begin at the best spot when it appears on Instagram or Twitter, and the full video will seamlessly loop when playback repeats. FEATURES: • Video data is preserved when saving for no loss of quality or recompression • Quickly set and preview a new starting point for your video • Built-in trim control for fine-tuning • From Tinrocket, creator of Waterlogue (App Store Best of 2014), This by Tinrocket (App Store Best of 2016), Olli (App Store Best of 2017) KEEP UP WITH TINROCKET: • Follow @Tinrocket on Instagram and Twitter for the latest! • We’re here to help: If you have a question or need assistance, you can always email us at support@tinrocket.com • If you like Start Here, please consider leaving an App Store review or rating. Every review counts and helps indie developers like ourselves. “Grab your audience” and “Grab your audience before they scroll away” are trademarks of Tinrocket, LLC.

Screenshots

Photon Camera4 screens
Start Here by Tinrocket3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Start Here by Tinrocket at 70% against Photon Camera's 24%. Start Here by Tinrocket also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks). Photon Camera's advantage is price (Free vs $0.99). On ratings volume, ads and device support 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

Photon Camera is free to download; Start Here by Tinrocket costs $0.99 up front. Photon Camera sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Start Here by Tinrocket asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Start Here by Tinrocket holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 64 and 35 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Photon Camera's written reviews are positive against 70% of Start Here by Tinrocket's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Photon Camera ships an update every 3 weeks, Start Here by Tinrocket every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and August 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Photon Camera versus Start Here by Tinrocket: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhoton CameraStart Here by Tinrocket
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.0 (64 ratings)4.3 (35 ratings) — better
Positive reviews23.8% of reviews70.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings64 — better35
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLateNiteSoft S.L.Tinrocket, LLC

Customer experience

Photon Camera

All ratings64 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews122 reviews
Positive23.8%
Neutral8.2%
Negative68.0%

Start Here by Tinrocket

All ratings35 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral5.7%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative10.0%

Bugs and requests

Photon Camera

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Manual mode crashes
  • Inability to access external storage
  • Incompatibility with certain devices
  • Unreliable photo saving and syncing

Requested features

5 requests
  • Bracketed HDR mode
  • Customizable white balance controls
  • Landscape orientation support
  • Macro mode
  • Integration with other photo apps

Start Here by Tinrocket

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Photon Camera

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • One-time purchase$39.99
None

Start Here by Tinrocket

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Photon Camera free?
Photon Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Start Here by Tinrocket free?
Start Here by Tinrocket costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Photon Camera or Start Here by Tinrocket?
Start Here by Tinrocket is rated higher. Photon Camera averages 4.0 out of 5 from 64 ratings, while Start Here by Tinrocket averages 4.3 from 35 ratings.
Do Photon Camera or Start Here by Tinrocket have ads?
Neither Photon Camera nor Start Here by Tinrocket shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Photon Camera or Start Here by Tinrocket?
Photon Camera ships an update every 3 weeks, and Start Here by Tinrocket every 3 days. Most recently, Photon Camera was updated on September 23, 2026 and Start Here by Tinrocket on August 25, 2026.

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