Night Camera vs StarryCamera2
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Night Camera
Capture stunning photos in low light conditions with advanced manual controls for exposure, ISO, and focus. Enhance residual light and utilize real-time histograms to perfect your shots. Features include a self-timer, digital zoom, and various color filters for creative flexibility.
- Manual exposure control up to 1 second
- Manual ISO setting
- Residual light enhancement
- Real-time histograms (luminance, luminosity, RGB)
- Self-timer
- 10x digital live zoom
- Real-time color filters
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Thanks to the manual setting options for light exposure up to 1 second *, separate residual light- and ISO enhancement, Night Camera is perfect for taking pictures in a dark, insufficiently lit environment. Even during daylight, your pictures are clearer, with less interference, due to the extended exposure times. Regardless whether you take night-, scenery- or other photographs, the picture quality you are able to achieve with Night Camera will surprise you. You can easy tap to focus and tap to exposure at the same time. After selecting the desired setting, you can easily lock it to prevent changes despite movement. Only here you can get luminance, luminosity and RGB histograms in real time to recognize over- and underexposure in time. The self-timer, which is imperative for nighttime shots, enables you to take un-blurred pictures. With the aid of the volume buttons you can take pictures with volume up (+) and fade the HUD-elements in- and out with volume down (-). Of course you can also block the white balance separately and edit it if necessary. Standard image formats (4:3, 3:2, 1:1, 16:9 and 3:1) can be edited live. The full-screen mode is activated for narrow image formats, enabling maximum display use. This feature can also be deactivated. The histogram adapts to all image formats. The up to 10x digital live zoom can be edited in the settings to enable a greater precision level during targeted zooming. Various real-time color filters complete this app. The most important functions: - Shutter speed control - Up to 1 second * exposure time - Manual ISO setting - Manual focus - Residual light enhancement - Real-time luminance histogram - Real-time luminosity histogram - Real-time RGB histogram - Self-timer - Volume Up (+) Photo Capture - Volume Down (-) HUD Hide - 10x digital live zoom - Tap to focus - Tap to exposure - White balance-lock - Manual white balance - Manual exposure adjustment - Aspect ratios: 4:3, 3:2, 1:1, 16:9 and 3:1 - Full-screen mode - Eco mode - Diverse color filters in real-time - Take HD photos - Landscape and portrait mode - Supports front and back camera - Supports LED-continuous light - Supports EXIF-data *) only on supported devices Impress your friends, by catching a couple red-handed or by showing your impressive night time pictures. A good camera and a powerful processor are required, to get the maximum picture quality. ---------------------------- All the screenshots listed were taken with an iPhone and iPad and are genuine! Please note that this app does not provide true night vision functionality. The iPhone, iPad and iPod touch have no infrared amplifier, as a result no pictures can be taken in total darkness; a minimal level of light is still required, which can be ascertained by the camera's sensors. The preview will also be delayed in exposure mode. In addition the camera must be held stable for exposure time. ---------------------------- Follow us: http://twitter.com/CLIDOapps Visit us: http://www.clidoapps.com - Subscription Terms: https://www.clidoapps.com/app/iap/ios/nightcamera Privacy Policy: https://www.clidoapps.com/app/privacy/ios/nightcamera Terms and Conditions: https://www.clidoapps.com/app/tac/ios/nightcamera
StarryCamera2
Capture stunning night sky photos with this advanced camera app. It offers multiple shooting modes like Starry Sky, Star Trails, and Milky Way, allowing you to adjust ISO and shutter speed for professional results.
- Starry sky mode
- Star trails mode
- Milky way mode
- Night view mode
- Lighten mode
- Adjustable ISO and Shutter Speed
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This camera app is designed to help you take beautiful photos of the stars with your iPhone. Why not try shooting star trails with your iPhone? ### How to Use 1. Go to a location with low temperatures where stars are clearly visible. 2. Secure your iPhone on a tripod or similar mount (this is the most important step). 3. Select a shooting mode. 4. Adjust brightness using shutter speed and ISO sensitivity. 5. Press the shutter button. ### Mode Features Starry Sky: Makes bright stars stand out; captures the scene close to how the naked eye sees it. Star Trails: For capturing star trail photos (shooting for 30 minutes creates a distinct star trail effect). Milky Way: For capturing the Milky Way and fine stars with sharp clarity. Night View: For when you want no processing; produces low-noise images. Lighten Composite: Uses lighten compositing (ideal for fireflies, fireworks, light trails, etc.). ### Fine-Tuning Focus 1. Position a bright star (such as a first- or second-magnitude star) in the center of the screen. 2. Press the focus button to zoom in; use the slider for coarse adjustment, then use the stepper controls to find the position where the star appears smallest. 3. If it is difficult to tell, try shooting with different focus positions and compare the results. ### About Star Trail Mode Unlike other modes, Star Trail Mode and Lighten Composite Mode do not allow brightness adjustments via shutter speed; please adjust the brightness using ISO sensitivity instead. To minimize errors, start with a 120-second test shot to adjust settings like ISO sensitivity before proceeding to the actual 1,800- or 3,600-second exposure. The "Starry Sky" mode is suitable for urban astrophotography, as it allows you to capture images in locations where long exposures might otherwise result in an overexposed, washed-out white image. Including statues or monuments in the frame can create impressive, visually striking photos. Using flimsy holders or tripods can cause the star trails to blur, so I recommend using sturdy, high-quality equipment. In "Star Trail" mode, the background is smoothed out via "Lighten Composite" (stacking) processing; this improves the visual quality, even on cameras with small, noise-prone sensors like those found in iPhones. Including the North Star enhances the swirling effect but results in shorter trails. Pointing the camera east (or elsewhere) eliminates the swirling look but produces longer trails. Choose whichever style you prefer. During a meteor shower, a one-hour star trail exposure might capture two or three shooting stars. For "Star Trail" mode, I recommend setting the light duration to "Middle Only." ### About Watermarks The default setting displays the app's name; please customize this with your handle or account name to protect your copyright. ### Recommended Method for Star Trail Photos with Cars 1. Start by selecting the ISO setting one step below the maximum. 2. In the settings, select "Middle Only" for the light duration. 3. Set the light intensity to "Medium" on the shooting screen. 4. Set the shutter speed to 120 seconds and take a few test shots to adjust the ISO sensitivity and light intensity. If the entire image is too bright, lower the ISO sensitivity; if it is too dark, raise it. If the car illuminated by the light is too bright, lower the light intensity; if it is too dark, raise it. 5. Once the ISO and light settings are finalized, set the shutter speed to 1800 seconds for the actual shot. Initially, you can leave the focus at the default setting of 0.0; however, once you get the hang of it, pressing the focus button to ensure precise focusing will result in sharper star trails and higher-quality photos.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Night Camera at Free against StarryCamera2's $4.99. Night Camera also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.6) and ratings volume (4.2K vs 10). StarryCamera2's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence 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
Night Camera is free to download; StarryCamera2 costs $4.99 up front. Night Camera sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. StarryCamera2 asks for nothing beyond the download.
Night Camera holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Night Camera has 4.2K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Night Camera's written reviews are positive against 48% of StarryCamera2's.
Night Camera ships an update every 2 months, StarryCamera2 monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Night Camera | StarryCamera2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (4.2K ratings) — better | 3.6 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.0% of reviews — better | 48.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4.2K — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #198 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nico Schroeder | 康行 Nagasima |
Customer experience
Night Camera
StarryCamera2
Bugs and requests
Night Camera
Reported bugs
3 issues- Ads not removed after purchase
- Subscription auto-renews unexpectedly
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Video recording capability
- More filters and editing tools
- Bluetooth remote shutter control
- Improved astrophotography mode
StarryCamera2
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Night Camera
- Night Camera:One Month Premium$1.991 Month
- Night Camera: One Year Premium3 Days trial$5.991 Year
- Night Camera: One Week Premium3 Days trial$8.997 Days
- Remove Ads$9.99
- Night Camera Pro - Lifetime$9.99
StarryCamera2
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Night Camera free?
Is StarryCamera2 free?
Which has better reviews, Night Camera or StarryCamera2?
Do Night Camera or StarryCamera2 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Night Camera or StarryCamera2?
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