Honesmith Optics vs vDarkroom
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
Honesmith Optics
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Some photos are better when you make the decisions yourself. Honesmith Optics is an iPhone camera built for RAW and manual photography. Focus and exposure metering can be controlled independently, while manual focus, P/S/M exposure modes, RAW and ProRAW give you direct control when shooting close-up subjects, backlit scenes, or with external lenses. Focus here. Meter there. Tap the preview to set focus. Press and hold to place exposure metering independently. Your subject can stay in focus without forcing you to meter from the same part of the frame. EV compensation gives you a quick final adjustment when you want the image brighter or darker. Shoot RAW. Keep more room to edit. On supported iPhones and camera configurations, Honesmith Optics can capture Bayer RAW or Apple ProRAW and save the original image as DNG, giving you more flexibility for exposure, color, and post-processing. Take more control when you need it. Manual focus, magnified viewing, and Focus Assist make precise focusing easier for macro photography, external lenses, and shallow depth of field. You can control: ⢠ISO ⢠Shutter speed ⢠White balance ⢠Auto and manual focus ⢠Independent exposure metering ⢠EV compensation ⢠RAW / ProRAW ⢠JPEG / PNG ⢠Aspect ratio and filters ⢠Timer ⢠Volume-button shutter ⢠High-resolution photos and 4K video on supported devices No account. No subscription. Your photos stay yours. Honesmith Optics does not require a Honesmith account and does not use Honesmith cloud processing for your photos. Core photo, video, and RAW processing stays on your device. There are no ads or usage analytics. Advanced features are available through one-time in-app purchases. There is no subscription. Whether you are learning manual photography, shooting RAW, working with macro or external lenses, or simply want more control than the built-in camera gives you, Honesmith Optics gives you a more deliberate way to shoot with iPhone. Availability of RAW, ProRAW, high-resolution capture, video formats, and certain camera controls depends on your iPhone, physical lens, iOS version, and current capture configuration.
vDarkroom
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vDarkroom moves the complete traditional darkroom workflow ā capture, exposure, development, enlargement ā to iPhone, in pursuit of a faithful silver-halide experience. Ā· 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 Ā· 1.8 Ā· 2.8 Ā· 4.0). Ā· 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. Ā· Development: six developers (D-76, Rodinal, HC-110, Microphen, DD-X and more) with fine adjustment of temperature, time and agitation. Ā· 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. Ā· 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
Verdict
Honesmith Optics and vDarkroom are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters ā price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them ā neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Honesmith Optics 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.
Honesmith Optics ships an update weekly, vDarkroom every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Honesmith Optics | vDarkroom |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 5 days ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Shih-Chen Yang | é·å å |
In-app purchases
Honesmith Optics
- Honesmith Optics Pro$11.99
vDarkroom
- Kodak Film Pack$1.99
- Ilford Film Pack$1.99
- Retro Film Pack$1.99
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- Fuji Film Pack$1.99
- Alternative Process Pack$1.99
- vDarkroom Pro$9.99
Questions
Is Honesmith Optics free?
Is vDarkroom free?
Do Honesmith Optics or vDarkroom have ads?
Which is updated more often, Honesmith Optics or vDarkroom?
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