Lucent vs Knurl Camera
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lucent
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Lucent is a manual cinema camera for iPhone and iPad. It pairs a reliable capture core with the controls, live scopes, and looks serious shooters expect, and your photos and videos never leave your device. No account. No tracking. LIVE LOOKS & LUTS • See your grade live in the viewfinder while Lucent records a clean, untouched master • 22 built-in looks across Film, Cinematic, Mono, and Creative styles, including Teal & Orange, Bleach Bypass, Noir, Golden Portrait, and Cool Chrome • Import your own .cube 3D LUTs and switch between them in one tap • Adjustable intensity, before/after comparison, and the look rendered on export when you share MANUAL CONTROL • Real ISO, shutter speed, white balance with tint, manual focus, and exposure compensation • Variable aperture control on supported iPhone models • Tap to focus and expose, long-press to lock, smooth cinematic zoom ramps • 24, 25, 30, 50, and 60 fps, with lens switching across ultra-wide, wide, telephoto, and front cameras • A horizon level that turns gold when your shot is straight LIVE MONITORING • Histogram, luma waveform, zebras, focus peaking, and false color • Real-time dBFS audio meters • Frame lines for 2.39:1, 2:1, 1.85:1, 4:3, 1:1, 4:5, and 9:16 vertical video • Anamorphic desqueeze preview from 1.33x to 2x PRO FORMATS • ProRes, HEVC (10-bit), and H.264 video in 4K up to 60 fps with codec-aware bitrates • Apple Log with Log View Assist: monitor in Rec.709 while you record Log • HDR HLG capture with native 10-bit color • HEIF, RAW (DNG), and Apple ProRAW photos where supported CREATOR TOOLS • A teleprompter that scrolls your script while you record • Slow motion at your iPhone's highest frame rate, and time-lapse from 0.5 to 5 second intervals • One-tap 9:16 export for Reels and TikTok • Apple Watch remote: take photos, start and stop recording, and switch modes from your wrist FASTER ON SET • Save your own camera presets: lens, format, codec, color, look, and manual settings in one tap • Capture with Camera Control or the volume buttons • Open Lucent in photo or video mode from Control Center, the Lock Screen, or Shortcuts • The Lucent Assistant watches clipping, focus, audio, storage, battery, and heat, and suggests fixes as you shoot BUILT-IN MEDIA LIBRARY • App-local library with filters, sorting, and metadata inspection • Import from Files, Quick Look, batch sharing, and Save to Photos • Crash and interruption recovery for finished recordings PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Capture, processing, and your media stay on your device • No account and no analytics SDK. The only network traffic is App Store purchase validation and Apple's privacy-preserving ad attribution LUCENT PRO The free version records up to 1080p at 30 fps with automatic exposure, white balance, and focus, and includes three looks plus Neutral. Lucent Pro unlocks 4K and frame rates above 30 fps, manual controls, every look and LUT import, false color and advanced monitoring, ProRes, RAW, Apple Log, anamorphic desqueeze, saved presets, the teleprompter, slow motion, time-lapse, 9:16 export, the Apple Watch remote, and the full Lucent Assistant. Choose a weekly or monthly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Lucent requires a physical iPhone or iPad camera. Privacy Policy: https://fluff-mice-37a.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-39e94ad0981280ec9756f9a2fdaa04ec?pvs=73 Terms of Use (EULA): https://fluff-mice-37a.notion.site/Terms-of-Use-39e94ad09812808d8c9be72cb11ab7df?pvs=73
Knurl Camera
Capture unprocessed RAW image data directly from your device's sensor. Offers granular manual controls for ISO, shutter speed, and focus, allowing for complete creative freedom in post-processing.
- Bayer RAW capture
- Full manual controls (ISO, Shutter, Aperture)
- Physical control dials
- Relative focus ring
- Native focal length lenses
- Exposure compensation scale
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Knurl is a camera for people who would rather develop the photo themselves. It captures true Bayer RAW: the sensor's own mosaic, written straight to a DNG with none of the computational photography that normally happens on the way. No multi-frame fusion, no tone curve, no sharpening. What lands in your library is undeveloped data with all of its latitude intact, ready for Lightroom or Photos to interpret however you like. THE CONTROLS ARE THE POINT A mode wheel you turn, with the real designations: P for program, Tv for shutter priority, Sv for ISO priority, M for full manual. Every position clicks. ISO and shutter move in thirds of a stop along the standard photographic ladders, on a dial that detents at every rung. Whole stops click harder than thirds, so you can count them by feel without looking. The ends of each ladder are the sensor's genuine limits rather than round numbers, which means base ISO, the cleanest the sensor gets, is actually reachable. Exposure compensation on its own scale, in thirds, with a firmer detent at zero. In manual it becomes the meter, because compensation has nothing left to act on when both controls are already fixed. An AF/MF switch and a focus ring you turn like a ring: relative, so touching it never jumps focus, and marked near to far rather than in invented distances. Three lenses, each at its native focal length, read from the hardware. HONEST ABOUT ITSELF Bayer RAW is 12 MP and does not permit zoom. The 48 MP path would mean Apple ProRAW, which is demosaiced and partially processed, so Knurl does not offer it. When the exposure you have asked for is not achievable, it says so rather than pretending. Your shots go to a Knurl album you can browse in the app, pinch to zoom, and swipe through. Volume buttons fire the shutter. Add the Control to your Action Button, Lock Screen or Control Center to open it without unlocking.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Knurl Camera at none against Lucent's 4. Lucent's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Lucent sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Knurl Camera asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Lucent | Knurl Camera |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Firat Onurcan Polat | Dimitrios Zarkadas |
In-app purchases
Lucent
- Lucent Pro Weekly7 Days trial$5.997 Days
- Lucent Pro Monthly1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- Lucent Pro Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Lucent Pro Lifetime$79.99
Knurl Camera
No in-app purchases








