Comparison

ROVEWORKS CAMERA vs vDarkroom

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

Head to head
About

ROVEWORKS CAMERA

This app offers granular control over photo and video capture, mimicking traditional camera workflows. It allows for manual adjustments to exposure, color, and focus, developing images directly from sensor data for a unique film-like aesthetic. Users can choose film looks before shooting and export both processed and raw files.

Highlights
  • Manual exposure and focus controls
  • RAW image development
  • Live film look previews
  • Dual file export (processed + RAW)
  • Video recording with film effects
  • Support for all iPhone lenses
Features
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Not a filter on a finished photo. Developed from the light your sensor caught. ROVEWORKS CAMERA puts exposure, colour and focus back in your hands. No merging of frames β€” just the single frame from the instant you press the shutter, the way cameras used to work. RAW development, not a filter Most film apps paint colour over a photo your iPhone has already finished. ROVEWORKS develops every photo from the sensor's original Bayer RAW data. Β· Smooth tones β€” film colour is computed on sensor data with 16,384 levels per channel and saved once at the end. Skies and skin stay smooth; highlights roll off like film. Β· Accurate colour β€” white balance at the sensor stage; colour conversion from each photo's own calibration data. Β· No double processing β€” iPhone's automatic merging and retouching stay out, so the film look is the only look. Β· Corrections you choose β€” vignetting, noise and ultra-wide distortion, corrected from the original data or left as they are. RAW development applies to every photo, free version included. Choose your film before you shoot Twelve film looks, live in the viewfinder. The viewfinder and the saved photo share the same Metal shaders, so what you see is what you get. Each film has its own canister in its own colours, showing its character at a glance. Exposure at your fingertips Turn the dials on the screen edges to set shutter speed and ISO β€” showing only values your lens can actually deliver. Set one to A for shutter or ISO priority, both for auto, with up to Β±3 EV compensation beside A. Three viewfinder lamps show under, over or right on. Focus that works like a mirrorless camera The AF point is always on screen β€” tap or drag it anywhere. Metering reads the whole frame with face priority, or turn on Spot Metering at AF Point to expose for what you focus on. In AF-C, focus follows faces. Rangefinder focusing The centre patch splits the scene into two images. Turn the half-dial around the shutter until they merge, and you're in focus. Uses LiDAR depth on the wide lens, upright or sideways. Two files from one shutter press A Display P3 HEIF or JPG with your film look, and an untouched Bayer RAW (.dng). Share one now; develop the other from scratch later in an app like Lightroom. Video OPENGATE, 4K, HD and 720 at 24p to 120p β€” only the combinations your lens can record. Film look, tone curve and grain are baked in as you record. Same dials for shutter and ISO, with the 180Β° shutter marked. Zebra and focus peaking stay on screen, never in the file. HEVC with stereo or mono sound, wind noise reduction, external mics, a live level meter and stabilisation. If a call comes in mid-recording, your footage is saved. Every lens, nothing cropped Ultra wide, wide and telephoto, plus both front angles on iPhone 17 β€” each read from its own sensor area, so nothing gets cut off. Use it like a camera Shoot with a volume button and launch from the Lock Screen or Control Centre. The in-app gallery shows each shot with its film, settings and location. Why 12 megapixels On iPhone, 48-megapixel photos are made by merging frames, which overrides the exposure you set. We don't merge, so back-camera photos are 12 megapixels β€” and high-contrast scenes like backlight aren't rescued by merging; you set the exposure. A smaller number, but the photo exactly as you saw it. Free RAW-based development. Manual, shutter-priority, ISO-priority and auto exposure with Β±3 EV compensation and the light meter. Three film looks (Standard, Classic, Monochrome). White balance, tone curve, grain, sharpness. AF-S/AF-C with face detection and AF-point spot metering. Lens corrections, level, grid, in-app gallery. PRO PACK β€” one purchase, no subscription Video recording. Nine more film looks. Rangefinder manual focus. RAW (.dng) capture. Custom presets. Zebra and focus peaking. Date imprint. Already own Pro Pack? Video is included at no extra cost. The rangefinder patch works on the wide lens of devices with a LiDAR Scanner.

About

vDarkroom

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vDarkroom moves the complete traditional darkroom workflow β€” capture, exposure, development, enlargement β€” to iPhone, in pursuit of a faithful silver-halide experience. Β· 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 Β· 1.8 Β· 2.8 Β· 4.0). Β· 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. Β· Development: six developers (D-76, Rodinal, HC-110, Microphen, DD-X and more) with fine adjustment of temperature, time and agitation. Β· 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. Β· 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

ROVEWORKS CAMERA4 screens
vDarkroom4 screens

Verdict

The call

ROVEWORKS CAMERA and vDarkroom are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters β€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them β€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. ROVEWORKS CAMERA sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and vDarkroom sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
ROVEWORKS CAMERA versus vDarkroom: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterROVEWORKS CAMERAvDarkroom
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreeβ€”
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.617.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size12 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerλ‘œλΈŒμ›μŠ€ι›·ε…‰ 单

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ROVEWORKS CAMERA

One-time1
  • Pro Pack$9.99
1 purchases

vDarkroom

One-time1
  • vDarkroom Pro$9.99

Questions

Is ROVEWORKS CAMERA free?
ROVEWORKS CAMERA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is vDarkroom free?
vDarkroom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ROVEWORKS CAMERA or vDarkroom have ads?
Neither ROVEWORKS CAMERA nor vDarkroom shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ROVEWORKS CAMERA or vDarkroom?
ROVEWORKS CAMERA ships an update every 5 days, and vDarkroom every 5 days. Most recently, ROVEWORKS CAMERA was updated on November 6, 2026 and vDarkroom on October 31, 2026.

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