Comparison

Nostalgia Cam vs Cameo Waves

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

Head to head
About

Nostalgia Cam

Capture photos with the authentic look and feel of classic 35mm film. Choose from a variety of film stocks and camera styles, with real-time previews and editing tools for a vintage aesthetic.

Highlights
  • Authentic 35mm film emulation
  • Live preview with effects
  • Import photos from library
  • Adjustable film parameters
  • Multiple vintage camera styles
  • Full resolution export
Features
Read full description

Nostalgia Cam brings the warmth and texture of classic 35mm film to your iPhone. Choose from a curated library of legendary film stocks recreating the unique color science, grain pattern, and tonal response of real-world counterparts. CAMERA - Disposable cameras, vintage rangefinders, instant cameras, and medium format bodies - Live preview with film effects applied in real time LAB - Import any photo from your library - Cycle through film stocks with side-by-side comparison - Fine-tune Exposure, Warmth, Film Intensity, Grain, Fade, Vignette - Export in full resolution Every frame looks filmed, not filtered. Whether it's a snowy brownstone, a candlelit dinner, or a getting-ready selfie, Nostalgia Cam gives your photos the warmth, character, and color of real 35mm film. No subscriptions. No watermarks. Just photographs that look like memories. Nostalgia Cam is inspired by classic film stocks. Not affiliated with Kodak, Fujifilm, Lomography, or any other manufacturer.

About

Cameo Waves

This app offers advanced manual camera controls and on-device AI editing for photographers and filmmakers. It provides professional tools for capturing and enhancing images and videos without uploading your data.

Highlights
  • True RAW+ capture
  • Live histogram and focus peaking
  • On-device semantic masking
  • Portrait relighting tools
  • LOG color profile for video
  • Computational photography modes
Features
Read full description

Cameo Waves is the precision camera for people who care how light feels. Shoot with real manual control — shutter, ISO, exposure, focus, and white balance — then finish with on-device AI that never uploads your images. Clean, calm chrome. Pro tools when you want them. Nothing in the way when you don’t. LIGHT COACH • Live, on-device tips when highlights clip or the frame is too dark • One-tap apply of suggested exposure • On iOS 26+, refined by Apple Intelligence — free, private, on-device • Built for learning light — not another filter pack SYSTEM CITIZEN • Hardware Camera Control and capture button support • Siri & Shortcuts — take photo, toggle video, open camera • VoiceOver-friendly controls across the viewfinder CAPTURE LIKE A PRO • True RAW+ with DNG when your device supports it • Live histogram, zebra stripes, focus peaking, and electronic level • Tap to focus · hold to lock AE/AF • Burst, bracketing, and real time-lapse video • Pinch zoom, aspect guides, and film looks INTELLIGENT EDITING — ON DEVICE • Semantic masking: Sky Pop and selective color without affecting the rest of the frame • Portrait relighting: studio-style Contour, Stage Light, Soft, Rim, and Golden Hour • Super-resolution to recover detail in crops • Object cleanup, noise reduction, and one-tap Magic Enhance • Film simulations from Portra to Cinematic CINEMA-READY VIDEO • Dual front + back recording on supported iPhones • Teleprompter and a soft screen ring light for talking-head takes • In-app studio — trim, film looks, social reframes, captions, cover frames, anamorphic de-squeeze, slow-mo, and export • LOG color profile for grading in DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut Pro • ProRes 422 on supported iPhones • 4K capture and live audio monitoring so you never clip CAMEO AI STUDIO • Prompt-to-still and motion clips, on-device • Image Playground on supported iPhones; a cinematic local look as fallback • Hand off into the photo editor or video studio CREATIVE COMPUTATIONAL MODES • Silky Water & light trails — multi-frame stacks that simulate an ND filter • Star Trails for night-sky motion • Macro Assist for close-up lens and focus WORKFLOW THAT TRAVELS • Import professional .cube LUTs • Save exposure + film looks as shareable Cameo Presets and recipe cards • Scan a recipe QR or open a .cameo file to apply a look • Pro EXIF viewer — lens, aperture, shutter, ISO — plus copyright and location edits CAMEO WAVES PRO Unlock full manual controls, RAW, advanced AI, LOG/ProRes, computational modes, LUTs, presets, clean exports, and no watermark. Built for photographers and filmmakers who want control without complexity. All AI runs on-device. Your work stays yours. Privacy Policy: [https://textwaves.org/privacy-policy/](https://textwaves.org/privacy-policy/) Terms of Use (EULA): (https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/)

Screenshots

Nostalgia Cam4 screens
Cameo Waves4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Nostalgia Cam at none against Cameo Waves's 2. Nostalgia Cam also leads on ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, rating, 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. Cameo Waves sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Nostalgia Cam asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Nostalgia Cam against 5.0 for Cameo Waves. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Nostalgia Cam versus Cameo Waves: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNostalgia CamCameo Waves
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequency—Every 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTalal NabulsiTextWaves Inc

Customer experience

Nostalgia Cam

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Cameo Waves

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Nostalgia Cam

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Cameo Waves

Subscriptions1
  • Cameo Waves1 Month trial$9.991 Month
One-time1
  • Cameo Waves$39.99

Questions

Is Nostalgia Cam free?
Nostalgia Cam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cameo Waves free?
Cameo Waves is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Nostalgia Cam or Cameo Waves?
Nostalgia Cam and Cameo Waves are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Nostalgia Cam or Cameo Waves have ads?
Neither Nostalgia Cam nor Cameo Waves shows ads.

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