Comparison

Lumen Camera vs Lumera Camera

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

Head to head
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

About

Lumera Camera

Read full description

Lumera is a focused, lightweight iPhone camera app built for photographers who want direct control over the capture process. It keeps the essential camera tools close at hand and removes unnecessary clutter, so you can start shooting quickly while still making precise adjustments when the scene calls for it. Key features: - Manual control for ISO, shutter speed, focus, white balance, and exposure compensation - HEIF, RAW, and Apple ProRAW capture, depending on device hardware support - Ultra-wide, main, and telephoto lens switching - Tap-to-focus and tap-to-expose - Face detection with face-assisted autofocus and selectable face tracking - Press-and-hold burst capture - Creative sketch and colored pencil filters with real-time preview - Flash off, auto, and force-on modes - Grid, haptic feedback, safety shutter, and default capture settings - Optional location metadata embedded into photo EXIF - Photos saved to the system Photos library in a Lumera album - Built-in tutorial to help new users learn each control - Localized in English and Simplified Chinese Privacy: - Lumera requires no account, includes no ads, uses no analytics SDKs, performs no cloud sync, and does not upload your photos or personal data. Camera, Photos, and Location permissions are used only for local capture, saving photos, and optionally embedding location metadata when you enable it.

Screenshots

Lumen Camera4 screens
Lumera Camera3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Lumera Camera at 18.0 against Lumen Camera's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 and Lumera Camera sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lumen Camera ships an update every 5 days, Lumera Camera every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Lumen Camera versus Lumera Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLumen CameraLumera Camera
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLumenmatics LLC博 张

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
2 purchases

Lumera Camera

One-time2
  • Advanced Controls$1.99
  • Filter Styles$4.99

Questions

Is Lumen Camera free?
Lumen Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lumera Camera free?
Lumera Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Lumen Camera or Lumera Camera have ads?
Neither Lumen Camera nor Lumera Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lumen Camera or Lumera Camera?
Lumen Camera ships an update every 5 days, and Lumera Camera every 9 days. Most recently, Lumen Camera was updated on October 1, 2026 and Lumera Camera on October 10, 2026.

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