Comparison

Better Camera vs SANDMARC Camera

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

Head to head
About

Better Camera

Capture authentic photos with manual controls for ISO, shutter speed, and focus. Apply realistic film simulations and optional grain. Save in HEIF, JPEG, or lossless TIFF formats with full EXIF data.

Highlights
  • Manual ISO, Shutter Speed, and Focus
  • Shutter and ISO Priority modes
  • Authentic film simulations
  • Optional per-pixel grain layer
  • HEIF, JPEG, and TIFF output
  • Full EXIF metadata embedding
  • Persistent camera settings
Features
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Camera, but better. No AI. No compromise. Better Camera is the iPhone camera app for photographers who want what they see. No scene detection rewriting your photo. No smart HDR flattening highlights. No AI denoise smoothing skin into plastic. Just manual ISO, shutter, focus, and white balance – plus film simulations that respect what light actually did. When the stock Camera isn't enough but pro tools are too much, Better Camera is the camera in between. Simple where it can be. Manual where it matters. Honest about what it captures. BUY FILM, NOT A SUBSCRIPTION Start with 12 free shots. When they run out, buy a 36-shot roll – or the whole camera once, and never think about it again. No countdown, no expiry, no renewal you forgot about. Film you own, the way film used to work. BUILT FOR THE WAY YOU ACTUALLY SHOOT – Manual ISO and Shutter Speed, plus Auto ISO and Auto Shutter – Shutter Priority and ISO Priority modes for flexible exposure control – Three focus modes: C-Auto across the frame, S-Auto locked to your point, and full Manual – Focus peaking highlights sharp edges as you focus by hand, in your choice of colour – Live histogram in the viewfinder, so you can see clipping before you press the shutter – Exposure compensation in third stops with a thumb-friendly stepper – Flash power compensation across five steps, for fill light that doesn't overpower – White balance presets (Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent) plus full manual Kelvin control – Tap to focus in any mode, including Manual – Front camera with screen flash for low-light selfies EVERY LENS, INCLUDING MACRO All your iPhone's lenses in one row, from ultra wide to telephoto. On supported models a dedicated macro lens gets you close enough to fill the frame with something small. FILM, THE WAY IT SHOULD LOOK Ten carefully crafted film simulations modelled on real stocks photographers actually shoot. Each is a proper colour profile – authentic rendering of colour, contrast, and tonal response. Not a slapped-on filter. GRAIN, OPTIONAL A separate grain layer, with four intensity levels, that can be applied to any film simulation or to unfiltered photos. Rendered per-pixel through a Metal compute shader. The grain is monochromatic – a single noise value per pixel applied equally across colour channels – the way real film grain actually behaves. OUTPUT YOU CAN TRUST – HEIF for everyday shooting – JPEG for compatibility – Lossless TIFF for archival, post-processing, and when compression is not acceptable Full EXIF metadata embedded in every photo: exposure values, lens information, GPS, and the film simulation used. QUALITY OF LIFE – Camera settings persist between sessions – open the app and your setup is exactly where you left it, ready to shoot – On-screen rule-of-thirds grid and gravity-based level line – iPhone Camera Control support – Hardware shutter button (volume keys) – Launch from Lock Screen control – Designed for one-handed use BUILT BY A PHOTOGRAPHER Better Camera was made by a Fuji X-T5 and Ricoh GR shooter who wanted his iPhone to feel as deliberate as a real camera in his pocket. No AI. No filters pretending to be film. No menus inside menus. Just a camera, but better. Privacy Policy: https://bettercamera.app/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Instagram Community: https://www.instagram.com/better_camera/ Contact us: hey@bettercamera.app

About

SANDMARC Camera

This camera app offers advanced manual controls for photography and videography, integrating seamlessly with specific lenses. It provides multiple processing modes and professional monitoring tools for enhanced creative control.

Highlights
  • Manual controls (ISO, shutter speed, white balance)
  • SANDMARC lens integration and selection
  • Multiple photo processing modes (Standard, Minimal, RAW, ProRAW)
  • Advanced video recording options (4K, high frame rates, ProRes, Apple Log)
  • Professional monitoring tools (histograms, false color, focus peaking)
  • Anamorphic lens support
Features
Read full description

A Camera App that gives you manual controls and seamless SANDMARC lens integration, built for photographers and videographers who want more than the default iPhone camera. BUILT FOR SANDMARC LENSES The native camera app has no idea what lens you have attached. The SANDMARC app does. Select your lens from the built-in Lens Selector, and the app immediately tells you exactly which iPhone camera to mount it to. No guessing, no trial and error. It also locks your zoom into the optimal range for that lens, keeping you out of digital zoom territory where image quality suffers. Full anamorphic lens support included, with corrected widescreen previews and automatic desqueeze for SANDMARC 1.33× and 1.55× anamorphic lenses. MANUAL CONTROLS, MADE SIMPLE Aperture, ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and exposure compensation are all accessible directly from the shooting interface. Tap to cycle through settings or press and hold to jump straight to the one you need. Swipe up or down on the slider to dial in your value. Double-tap to reset. Pro-level control without the heavy learning curve. PHOTO PROCESSING MODES Choose how your iPhone processes every shot: · Standard: Default Computational processing by Apple · Minimal: Natural Processing, fast with minimal computational interference · RAW: Full Sensor Data, maximum flexibility in post · ProRAW: Apple Computational RAW, best of both worlds VIDEO Record in HD or 4K with high frame rate options and full manual control over focus, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance. Choose your format and codec based on your workflow: · HEVC for smaller, shareable files · ProRes for professional editing pipelines · Apple Log for maximum flexibility in color grading · Open Gate recording for a taller frame with more room to crop · ProRes RAW direct to external SSD on supported iPhone PROFESSIONAL MONITORING TOOLS · Live Luma histogram and RGB histogram · False Color exposure overlay · Zebra warnings for highlight clipping · Focus peaking · Grid and leveler · Audio meters for video recording · Waveform monitor for video exposure DESIGNED FOR EVERY SHOOTER Whether you just picked up your first SANDMARC lens or you are an experienced mobile photographer and filmmaker looking for more control, the SANDMARC app was built with you in mind. Simple enough to pick up in minutes. Deep enough to grow with you. Download the SANDMARC Camera App and take creative control of every shot.

Screenshots

Better Camera4 screens
SANDMARC Camera4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SANDMARC Camera at none against Better Camera's 4. SANDMARC Camera also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 67%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). Better Camera's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.2). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Better Camera sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. SANDMARC Camera asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Better Camera holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 39 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Better Camera's written reviews are positive against 83% of SANDMARC Camera's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Better Camera ships an update every 2 weeks, SANDMARC Camera every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Better Camera versus SANDMARC Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBetter CameraSANDMARC Camera
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (8 ratings) — better4.2 (39 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings839 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavyd HorhiashviliSandmarc LLC

Customer experience

Better Camera

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

SANDMARC Camera

All ratings37 ratings
Positive81.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative18.9%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Better Camera

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • Film Roll$2.99
  • Lifetime$59.99
None

SANDMARC Camera

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Better Camera free?
Better Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SANDMARC Camera free?
SANDMARC Camera is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Better Camera or SANDMARC Camera?
Better Camera is rated higher. Better Camera averages 4.5 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while SANDMARC Camera averages 4.2 from 39 ratings.
Do Better Camera or SANDMARC Camera have ads?
Neither Better Camera nor SANDMARC Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Better Camera or SANDMARC Camera?
Better Camera ships an update every 2 weeks, and SANDMARC Camera every 5 days. Most recently, Better Camera was updated on November 6, 2026 and SANDMARC Camera on November 5, 2026.

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