Comparison

Lumen Camera vs Kiso 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

Kiso Camera

Features
Read full description

Professional control. Reliable capture. Kiso is built on the promise this category keeps breaking: the shot you took is the shot you keep, and what you see before you press capture is the truth. Every frame is written to Kiso's own storage before your photo library is asked for anything, and that copy is only released once the library has accepted it. The "saved" checkmark appears at that point, not at the shutter. If a call, a crash, or a thermal shutdown interrupts a capture, the frame is still on disk and Kiso hands it back to you on the next launch. Take intentional photos with direct control over exposure, focus, lens selection, and format. Capture in RAW and ProRAW. Shoot video in ProRes and HEVC with the frame rate and stabilization you chose, not the ones the app decided on. Made for street, travel, portrait, landscape, and low-light photography. No noisy dashboards. No gimmicks. Shooting, saving and recovery are free forever, with no account and no sign-in, and so is timelapse. Kiso Pro adds the monitoring instruments, screen-off recording, ProRes and ProRAW, and lossless export. Just a camera that helps you make the shot you had in mind, and proves it kept it. Kiso Pro is available as a monthly or annual subscription, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions are billed through your Apple Account and renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel any time in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://theproperinvestment.github.io/kiso-camera/

Screenshots

Lumen Camera4 screens
Kiso Camera4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Kiso Camera at daily against Lumen Camera's every 5 days. Kiso Camera also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). 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. Lumen Camera sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Kiso Camera sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lumen Camera ships an update every 5 days, Kiso Camera daily. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Lumen Camera versus Kiso Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLumen CameraKiso Camera
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLumenmatics LLCAUSTIN SHEPHERD

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
3 purchases

Kiso Camera

Subscriptions2
  • Kiso Pro: Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Kiso Pro: Annual3 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Kiso Pro: Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Lumen Camera free?
Lumen Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kiso Camera free?
Kiso Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Lumen Camera or Kiso Camera have ads?
Neither Lumen Camera nor Kiso Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lumen Camera or Kiso Camera?
Lumen Camera ships an update every 5 days, and Kiso Camera daily. Most recently, Lumen Camera was updated on October 1, 2026 and Kiso Camera on October 11, 2026.

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