Comparison

KAMRA vs vDarkroom

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

Head to head
About

KAMRA

This app simulates the look and feel of analog film photography with realistic grain, halation, and color grading. It offers multiple film stocks and randomized effects for unique results with every shot.

Highlights
  • 8 hand-tuned film stocks
  • Realistic grain structure
  • True halation and bloom effects
  • Randomized tone and light balance
  • Live graded viewfinder
  • Adjustable soft focus
  • Multiple lens options
Features
Read full description

KAMRA. Film camera. No excuses. Eight hand-tuned stocks — Kodak Gold, Fuji C, Velvia, Ilford, Portra, and more. Each one built with its own grain structure, halation, colour curves, and shadow tint. Applied the moment you shoot. Grain that reads the light. Coarser in the shadows. Finer in the highlights. Animated every frame. Halation that bleeds warm and red from your highlights — not a glow filter. Physics. Every frame gets a randomized tone, light balance, and shadow depth. Same scene. Never the same photo. KAMRA shoots like film feels. — 8 colour-graded film stocks — Real luminance grain · ISO 100 to 3200 — True halation & bloom — Live graded viewfinder — Randomised light leaks per shot — Soft focus with adjustable bloom — 0.5× · 1× · 2× lens switching — Self-timer · flash support — Home screen widget

About

vDarkroom

Read full description

vDarkroom moves the complete traditional darkroom workflow — capture, exposure, development, enlargement — to iPhone, in pursuit of a faithful silver-halide experience. · Capture: record RAW (Bayer RAW 14-bit / Apple ProRAW) to retain the sensor's fullest tonal data for reuse downstream. Supports physical aperture stops on the iPhone 18 Pro / Pro Max main lens (f/1.48 · 1.8 · 2.8 · 4.0). · Exposure: meter the captured data with zone, centre-weighted or spot metering, then expose the selected film; a graduated ND filter and black-and-white contrast filters are also available. · Development: six developers (D-76, Rodinal, HC-110, Microphen, DD-X and more) with fine adjustment of temperature, time and agitation. · Enlargement: ten papers and processes (silver-gelatin RC/FB, cyanotype, platinum, vandyke, salt, multi-coat gum, digital), with multigrade contrast, enlarger aperture and exposure time, and a round black card for local burn and dodge. · More: 25 classic films, bracketed HDR, neutral-grey marker, 8K and lossless PNG export, silver-halide grain model. Free features: HEIF capture, 1080P/2K export, JPG, three metering modes, six developers, four films, silver-gelatin papers and cyanotype. Pro (one-time unlock): RAW capture, 4K/8K export, lossless PNG export, bracketed HDR, black-and-white filters, graduated ND, round black card, all films and alternative-process papers.

Screenshots

KAMRA3 screens
vDarkroom4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: vDarkroom at every 5 days against KAMRA's every 3 weeks. vDarkroom also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. KAMRA sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and vDarkroom sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KAMRA ships an update every 3 weeks, vDarkroom every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
KAMRA versus vDarkroom: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKAMRAvDarkroom
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size141 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDornell Mister雷光 单

In-app purchases

1 purchases

KAMRA

One-time1
  • KAMRAKAMRA PREMIUM$5.99
6 purchases

vDarkroom

One-time6
  • Kodak Film Pack$1.99
  • Ilford Film Pack$1.99
  • Retro Film Pack$1.99
Show 3 more
  • Fuji Film Pack$1.99
  • Alternative Process Pack$1.99
  • vDarkroom Pro$9.99

Questions

Is KAMRA free?
KAMRA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is vDarkroom free?
vDarkroom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do KAMRA or vDarkroom have ads?
Neither KAMRA nor vDarkroom shows ads.
Which is updated more often, KAMRA or vDarkroom?
KAMRA ships an update every 3 weeks, and vDarkroom every 5 days. Most recently, KAMRA was updated on October 24, 2026 and vDarkroom on October 29, 2026.

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