Comparison

Photon Camera vs Obscura

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

Obscura

This camera app offers advanced manual controls and professional formats like ProRAW for enhanced photo and video capture. Its intuitive design and tactile interface allow for precise adjustments, while features like focus peaking and histograms aid in achieving stunning results.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

Obscura V 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. — Over its 10+ years on the App Store, Obscura has been featured numerous times around the world, including as Editors’ Choice and App of the Day. — 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. — Capture Modes & Formats Obscura captures photos, videos, Live Photos, and portraits. Photos can be captured in RAW, ProRAW, HEIC, and JPEG (on supported devices, see http://obscura.camera/compatibility). Capture images in multiple different aspect ratios, or apply filters live in camera for a wide variety of styles. — 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. — Live Filters Obscura includes a bunch of great filters to give your photos instant style but you can also create your own and use them live in-camera. It’s very cool and very powerful. — 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. — 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. — Obscura Ultra Obscura is free to use, with an annual subscription for premium features. See http://obscura.camera/ultra for full details. — 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 ———— Privacy Policy: http://obscura.camera/privacy Terms of use: http://obscura.camera/terms

Screenshots

Photon Camera4 screens
Obscura4 screens

Verdict

The call

Photon Camera and Obscura both sit at 4.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 52% of Obscura's written reviews are positive against 24% of Photon Camera's. Obscura also leads on ratings volume (274 vs 70) and iOS requirement (18 vs 26.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Photon Camera sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Obscura sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for Photon Camera against 4.0 for Obscura. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 70 and 274 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 24% of Photon Camera's written reviews are positive against 52% of Obscura's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Photon Camera ships an update every 3 weeks, Obscura every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Photon Camera versus Obscura: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhoton CameraObscura
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (70 ratings)4.0 (274 ratings)
Positive reviews24.2% of reviews52.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings70274 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS26.018 — better
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB174 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperLateNiteSoft S.L.Ben McCarthy

Customer experience

Photon Camera

All ratings70 ratings
Positive75.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative24.3%
Written reviews124 reviews
Positive24.2%
Neutral8.1%
Negative67.7%

Obscura

All ratings274 ratings
Positive72.6%
Neutral8.4%
Negative19.0%
Written reviews204 reviews
Positive52.5%
Neutral15.2%
Negative32.4%

User reviews

Photon Camera

From 70 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great camera controls
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 🔋 Efficient battery usage
  • 💡 Direct USB storage option
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔒 Lack of transparency around app ownership
  • 🔒 Concerns about developer trustworthiness
  • 🔍 Limited zoom and lens options

Obscura

From 274 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

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

Obscura

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

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
5 purchases

Obscura

Subscriptions4
  • Obscura Ultra - Weekly$1.497 Days
  • Obscura Ultra - Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Obscura Ultra7 Days trial$24.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Obscura Ultra Upgrade1 Year trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Obscura Ultra - One Time$74.99

Questions

Is Photon Camera free?
Photon Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Obscura free?
Obscura is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Photon Camera or Obscura?
Photon Camera and Obscura are both rated 4.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 70 and 274 ratings respectively.
Do Photon Camera or Obscura have ads?
Neither Photon Camera nor Obscura shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Photon Camera or Obscura?
Photon Camera ships an update every 3 weeks, and Obscura every 2 weeks. Most recently, Photon Camera was updated on October 24, 2026 and Obscura on October 24, 2026.

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