Comparison

RawCam vs Lumen Camera

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

Head to head
About

RawCam

Capture unprocessed DNG photos and clean video without AI enhancements. Take full control of your image processing in your preferred RAW editor. Offers manual controls for exposure, focus, and white balance.

Highlights
  • RAW DNG photo capture
  • Clean HEVC video recording
  • Manual exposure controls
  • Separate focus and exposure targeting
  • White balance adjustment
  • Live histogram and zebra stripes
  • Open source
Features
Read full description

RawCam puts your original photo first. Choose Bayer RAW, Apple ProRAW, or a JPEG, with manual controls when you need them. CHOOSE WHAT YOU SAVE • JPEG: a photo ready to view and share. • RAW: a DNG original for editing. • JPEG + RAW: keep both. They appear separately in Photos and together in the RawCam roll. Bayer RAW preserves sensor data for developing your own image. Apple ProRAW combines Apple's image processing with RAW editing flexibility. Available formats depend on the selected camera. For JPEGs, From RAW develops Bayer sensor data with minimal enhancement. iOS processing uses Apple's processed-photo pipeline. ProRAW's JPEG companion uses iOS processing. CAMERA CONTROLS • Live exposure, shutter, ISO and white-balance readings • Manual ISO and shutter; adjusting exposure compensation restores automatic exposure • White-balance presets and supported native rear-lens selection • Front-camera switching, using JPEG where RAW is unavailable • Tap to focus, exposure adjustment and focus/exposure lock • Flash, self-timer, grid, horizon level, histogram and Zebra preview warnings • Steady capture and three-shot exposure bracketing for Bayer RAW alone with automatic exposure • Volume-button capture and an App Shortcut for Siri, Shortcuts and Action Button launch • Optional haptics YOUR CAPTURES Open recent RawCam photos inside the app, zoom into originals and inspect capture details. Share the JPEG or export the original DNG from a paired capture. Original viewing requires Photos access; saved previews remain available when an original cannot be accessed. Existing videos in the roll remain playable. Location tagging is optional and off by default. Saved coordinates can be viewed on a map. PRIVACY No account, analytics, advertising or developer-operated server. Photos are saved to your photo library. Your iCloud Photos and sharing settings determine where saved media goes. Opening an iCloud original or a saved-location map may use Apple services. CAMERA SUPPORT RAW availability and resolution depend on the camera and capture format. Bayer RAW can show more noise in low light. ProRAW includes Apple processing; it does not guarantee 48MP capture. JPEGs developed from RAW use the RAW file's dimensions. RawCam now focuses on photos. Video capture controls have been removed; existing videos remain viewable.

About

Lumen Camera

This app transforms your iPhone into a professional camera with advanced manual controls for both photos and videos. It offers features like rack focus, adjustable depth-of-field, and RAW image capture, mimicking the capabilities of high-end mirrorless cameras.

Highlights
  • Manual ISO, shutter speed, focus, and white balance
  • Cinematic video with rack focus and subject tracking
  • Adjustable depth-of-field and background blur
  • RAW and HEIC image formats with minimal processing
  • Focus peaking and loupe for precise focusing
  • Live histograms and zebra stripes for exposure
  • Private, Face ID-locked gallery
Read full description

Lumen Camera turns your iPhone into a serious photography and cinematography tool — with the polish of Apple Camera and the depth of a pro mirrorless. Built natively for iOS 26, with Apple's Cinematic Video Capture API for rack focus, tracking focus and adjustable depth of field. NEW — PURE MODE A new way to shoot — your photo, developed like film, right inside the app. Phone cameras fuse frames, lift shadows and smooth away grain — it's why everyday photos look so good, and it's all still here. Pure is for when you want the other thing: a single frame, developed in the app the way a darkroom develops a negative — classical tools, the same fixed recipe every shot. No AI. No computational processing. Honest grain. Highlights that roll off. Shadows that stay dark. • Live Pure Preview in the viewfinder • One untouched frame, straight off the sensor • 10-bit HEIC with real HDR, or JPEG • Keep the RAW negative alongside the finished photo • Works with manual controls and brackets • Semi-Manual and Manual, optical lenses, 12 MP THREE WAYS TO SHOOT • Auto — point and shoot, now at 24 MP • Semi-Manual — pick the variable that matters, the camera balances the rest • Manual — direct control of ISO, shutter, focus, white balance, exposure FORMATS • HEIC / JPEG — Apple Camera quality with Deep Fusion, Smart HDR and Photographic Styles, up to 48 MP • Apple ProRAW — up to 48 MP, 12-bit DNG with full editing latitude • Pure — a single sensor frame, developed in the app • Save a ready-to-share HEIF or JPEG with any RAW capture CREATIVE FILTERS • See the look live before you shoot • Keep the untouched RAW alongside the filtered photo EXPOSURE & FOCUS BRACKETING • Exposure bracketing — stack EV steps into one true-HDR photo • Focus bracketing — shift focus through the scene, stack for detail front to back • Macro focus stacking — now works up close, for tiny subjects • Smart Mode picks the range and frame count, or set near and far focus yourself • On-device stacking across lenses and formats MANUAL & FOCUS TOOLS • ISO, shutter, exposure compensation, white balance and focus, with numeric readouts • Focus peaking, plus a pinpoint manual-focus loupe • Live luminance and RGB histograms, and zebra stripes with an adjustable threshold • Tap to focus, drag to set exposure, long-press to lock AE/AF CINEMATIC VIDEO • Tap a face, object or point to rack focus like a film camera • Adjustable simulated aperture (f/2.0–f/16) • Automatic subject tracking, on-device • ProRes or H.265, with cinematic stabilization PORTRAIT MODE • Live preview of the background blur • Adjustable aperture before AND after capture • A depth overlay showing what's in focus PRO VIDEO • 4K up to 60 fps, 1080p up to 240 fps • ProRes 422 / 422 HQ / 422 LT, and Apple Log • Codec, frame rate, stabilization, audio and color are yours to set • Spatial Audio capture SAVE WHERE YOU WANT • Your Photos library, a connected USB-C drive, or a Face ID–locked private gallery in the app LIQUID GLASS UI • Controls that stay close without covering the shot • Full Camera Control on iPhone 16 and later — slide to zoom, press to capture MULTILINGUAL English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Simplified Chinese. Lumen Pro unlocks all features by subscription. Cancel anytime in Settings. Privacy: Lumen Camera does not track you. No analytics tied to your identity, and nothing leaves your device unless you share it. REQUIREMENTS Cinematic Video requires iPhone 13 or later. Apple Log and ProRes require iPhone 15 Pro or later. Camera Control requires iPhone 16 or later. Pure Mode runs in Semi-Manual and Manual on physical lenses. Some formats and frame rates vary by model. Terms of Use (EULA) : https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy : https://www.lumenmatics.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

RawCam4 screens
Lumen Camera4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Lumen Camera at 5.0 against RawCam's 4.3. RawCam's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Lumen Camera sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. RawCam asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lumen Camera holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 5 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
RawCam versus Lumen Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRawCamLumen Camera
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (3 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings35 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSantiago Alonso AlexandreLumenmatics LLC

Customer experience

RawCam

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Lumen Camera

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

RawCam

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Lumen Camera

Subscriptions2
  • Lumen Camera Pro (Monthly)3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Lumen Camera Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • LumenCamera Pro (Lifetime)$24.99

Questions

Is RawCam free?
RawCam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lumen Camera free?
Lumen Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, RawCam or Lumen Camera?
Lumen Camera is rated higher. RawCam averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Lumen Camera averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do RawCam or Lumen Camera have ads?
Neither RawCam nor Lumen Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RawCam or Lumen Camera?
RawCam ships an update every 5 days, and Lumen Camera every 5 days. Most recently, RawCam was updated on October 14, 2026 and Lumen Camera on October 1, 2026.

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