Comparison

Lucent 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

Lucent

Features
Read full description

Lucent is a manual cinema camera for iPhone and iPad. It pairs a reliable capture core with the controls, live scopes, and non-destructive looks serious shooters expect — and it runs entirely on your device. No account. No cloud. No tracking. MANUAL CONTROL • Real ISO, shutter angle, white balance, and exposure compensation • Tap to focus/expose, long-press to lock, pinch to zoom with smooth cinematic zoom ramps • Fractional and integer frame rates: 24, 25, 30, 50, 60 • Front and rear lens switching across ultra-wide, wide, and telephoto LIVE MONITORING • Histogram and luma waveform • Zebra stripes and focus peaking • Real-time dBFS audio metering • Rule-of-thirds, crosshair, and framing guides PRO FORMATS • ProRes, HEVC (10-bit), and H.264 video • 4K up to 60 fps with explicit, codec-aware bitrates • Apple Log and HLG capture with native 10-bit color • HEIF, Bayer RAW (DNG), and Apple ProRAW photos where supported LUCENT LOOKS • Non-destructive color looks: Neutral, Soft Contrast, Warm Film, Clean Commercial, Night Preserve • Adjustable intensity, applied separately to photo and video exports • Your master is never altered ON-DEVICE GUIDANCE • The Lucent Assistant watches exposure clipping, focus detail, audio levels, storage, battery, thermal state, and shutter motion • Clear, actionable suggestions while you shoot — computed locally 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 • Everything runs on device — no account, no networking, no analytics SDK • Complete-at-rest protection for your finished media LUCENT PRO Unlock the full experience — the Lucent Assistant, advanced monitoring, all presets, ProRes, RAW, Apple Log, and Lucent Looks — with a Lucent Pro subscription. Weekly and annual plans are available with a free trial. You can manage or cancel anytime in the App Store. 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

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

Lucent4 screens
Kiso Camera4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lucent at none against Kiso Camera's 3. Kiso Camera's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Kiso Camera sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Lucent asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lucent ships an update every 2 months, Kiso Camera daily. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Lucent versus Kiso Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLucentKiso Camera
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFirat Onurcan PolatAUSTIN SHEPHERD

In-app purchases

None

Lucent

No in-app purchases

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 Lucent free?
Lucent is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Kiso Camera free?
Kiso Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Lucent or Kiso Camera have ads?
Neither Lucent nor Kiso Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lucent or Kiso Camera?
Lucent ships an update every 2 months, and Kiso Camera daily. Most recently, Lucent was updated on September 17, 2026 and Kiso Camera on September 25, 2026.

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