Comparison

Yamera (Manual Camera) vs Photon Camera

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

Head to head
About

Yamera (Manual Camera)

Take full control of your iPhone camera with manual adjustments for focus, exposure, and white balance. Capture stunning photos and videos with advanced features like timer shots, digital zoom, and 4K recording. Automatically saves your media to a secure library.

Highlights
  • Manual focus control
  • Manual exposure control
  • Manual white balance
  • 4K video recording
  • Slo-mo video recording
  • Timer shot
  • Digital zoom
Read full description

* Custom exposure for your iPhone/iPad Camera * Full independent control of Focus, Exposure and White Balance -------------------------------------- Yamera - Full Manual Camera 【Introduction】 * Yamera is a powerful camera app with full control over your image. * Quickly and simply adjust all parameters of your image. * No more tapping and hoping automatic can understand what you want. 【Full Manual Control】 * Shutter * ISO * White Balance * Focus * Exposure Compensation * Gray Card : Place a gray card in the center of the screen (more than 50% size). It will automatically adjust White Balance parameters. 【Photo Camera Features】 * Auto/Manual control of Focus/Exposure/WhiteBalance * Timer Shot * Digital zoom (6x) * Stabilization * Date Stamp * EXIF metadata * GeoTag * Flash (On/Off/Auto) * Front-camera mirroring 【Video Camera Features】 * 4K video recording * Slo-mo video recording * Take a photo while recording a video * Auto/Manual control of Focus/Exposure/WhiteBalance * Digital zoom (6x) * Stabilization * Max frame-rate recording * App Library (see the below) 【Tip】 * URL Scheme = Yamera:// 【App Library】 * In any situation, your photo/video is safe. * If something goes wrong, the photo/video is automatically saved into 'App Library'. * One of the following reasons can cause an error. - First, the app cannot access Photos. In this case, please go to Settings -> Choose the app -> Grant Photos access rights. - Second, there is no enough disk space. Please check the space. 【App Library - How to Use】 * You can extract files stored in App Library. Please follow the below steps. [1] Connect your iPhone/iPad to PC via USB cable. [2] Run iTunes. [3] Select iPhone/iPad on the menu. [4] Select Application on the menu. [5] Select the app on the bottom menu. [6] Files will be displayed on the right-side. Please copy the files to your PC.

About

Photon Camera

Transform your iPhone into a professional camera with full manual controls. Achieve DSLR-quality photos with advanced tools like focus peaking, live exposure, and RAW capture. Take creative control with AI processing options and a minimalist interface.

Highlights
  • Full manual control (ISO, shutter speed, white balance)
  • Focus peaking and focus loupe
  • Live exposure and histogram
  • RAW, ProRAW, HEIF, and JPEG capture
  • Adjustable AI processing (Process Control)
  • Minimalist and intuitive interface
  • Image browser with photo details
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone and iPad into a powerful photography tool with Photon Camera. Ideal for passionate enthusiasts and those venturing into professional photography, Photon Camera ensures DSLR-quality captures with every tap. DSLR-Quality Photos with Professional Features Photon Camera brings DSLR-quality photos to your iPhone and iPad with professional features for full manual control. Adjust focus, ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and, on iPhone 18 Pro, aperture, to capture unbelievable images. The ultimate camera app for creative photographers. Minimalist, Intuitive Design Ditch the clutter and focus on your shot. Photon sports a sleek, minimalist design that puts essential features at your fingertips. Clearly labeled, high-contrast, easy-to-tap controls give you instant access to focus, exposure, and white balance, so you can capture the perfect shot every time. Powerful, Professional Tools Experience the best of professional photography on your iPhone and iPad. Photon Camera equips you with robust tools such as live exposure, histogram, level, a focus loupe, timer, exposure clipping, and focus peaking, ensuring you capture exactly what you want. A Native iPad Camera Photon is built for iPad. All your pro tools are there: manual controls, histogram, level, focus peaking, and loupe, with layouts designed for the larger screen. A dedicated editing sidebar gives your photos more room while keeping adjustments close at hand. Smart, Precise Editing Edit with the same precision you shoot with. Smart Selection lets you tap an object and adjust it independently: Photon detects its edges, so you can brighten your subject, cool the background, or give each its own look. Blur and Sharpen tools let you soften a background or bring out detail, across the whole image or just a selection. On iPad, a dedicated editing sidebar gives your photos more room while keeping adjustments close at hand. Smart Selection requires iOS 27. Take Creative Control with Process Control Go beyond the basics of RAW photography with Process Control. This innovative tool lets you select the level of AI processing applied to your photos on a scale from 0% to 100%. Whether you prefer unprocessed RAW purity, fully enhanced photos, or something in between, Process Control ensures your creative vision comes to life. Process Control photos open directly in the editor, ready for finishing touches. Seamless Image Browser Relive your memories in a swipe with our easy-to-use image browser. Browse through your recent captures, get detailed insights about each photo, move smoothly into the editor, and share or delete with a single tap. Why Choose Photon? Simple, clutter-free interface designed for focused photography A native camera experience on iPad Capture in any format you like, including True RAW, ProRAW, HEIF, JPEG, and JPEG XL (iPhone 16 Pro and later). Or combine RAW and non-RAW formats. Instant access to manual controls, including Best-on-iPhone focus tools and manual aperture on iPhone 18 Pro, also through Camera Control Smart Selection, Blur, and Sharpen for precise, targeted edits Professional tools like live exposure, histogram, level, focus peaking, loupe, timer, exposure clipping, reliable RAW burst shooting, and external storage (iPhone 15 Pro and later) A user-friendly image browser that doubles as your digital photo album Photon Studio companion app that shows a live preview as you shoot your photos! Free for all Photon Pro users. Join the community of aspiring photographers taking their iPhone and iPad photography to the next level with Photon. It is not just a camera; it is a tool to unleash your creative vision. Download now and start capturing the world around you in stunning detail. You can review terms of use at https://photon.cam/terms/.

Screenshots

Yamera (Manual Camera)3 screens
Photon Camera4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Yamera (Manual Camera) at 67% against Photon Camera's 24%. Yamera (Manual Camera) also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (592 vs 64). Photon Camera's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Yamera (Manual Camera) sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Photon Camera sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Yamera (Manual Camera) holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Yamera (Manual Camera) has 592 ratings behind it against 64, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Yamera (Manual Camera)'s written reviews are positive against 24% of Photon Camera's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Yamera (Manual Camera) ships an update weekly, Photon Camera every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Yamera (Manual Camera) versus Photon Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterYamera (Manual Camera)Photon Camera
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (592 ratings) — better4.0 (64 ratings)
Positive reviews67.4% of reviews — better23.8% of reviews
Number of ratings592 — better64
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAppMadangLateNiteSoft S.L.

Customer experience

Yamera (Manual Camera)

All ratings592 ratings
Positive89.0%
Neutral4.1%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews383 reviews
Positive67.4%
Neutral11.5%
Negative21.1%

Photon Camera

All ratings64 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews122 reviews
Positive23.8%
Neutral8.2%
Negative68.0%

User reviews

Yamera (Manual Camera)

From 592 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Full manual camera control
  • 🔒 Ability to lock focus, exposure, and white balance
  • 👍 Useful for astrophotography and product photography
  • 👍 Consistent high-quality photos
  • 👍 Simple and intuitive to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently on newer iPhones
  • 🐛 Exposure and white balance issues with some devices
  • 🔍 Limited control over shutter speed and Kelvin scale
  • 💰 Basic features locked behind paywall
  • 📺 Inappropriate/suggestive ads in free version

Photon Camera

From 64 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great camera controls
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 🔋 Efficient battery usage
  • 💡 Direct USB storage option
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔒 Lack of transparency around app ownership
  • 🔒 Concerns about developer trustworthiness
  • 🔍 Limited zoom and lens options

Bugs and requests

Yamera (Manual Camera)

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Exposure settings reset when leaving the app
  • Video recording issues with audio
  • Incompatibility with iPhone 13 macro lens

Requested features

5 requests
  • Stereo audio recording
  • Customizable shutter sound
  • Histogram display
  • Apple Watch remote control
  • Support for macro lens and wide-angle lens

Photon Camera

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Manual mode crashes
  • Inability to access external storage
  • Incompatibility with certain devices
  • Unreliable photo saving and syncing

Requested features

5 requests
  • Bracketed HDR mode
  • Customizable white balance controls
  • Landscape orientation support
  • Macro mode
  • Integration with other photo apps

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Yamera (Manual Camera)

One-time1
  • Purchase Pro Version$1.99
3 purchases

Photon Camera

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • One-time purchase$39.99

Questions

Is Yamera (Manual Camera) free?
Yamera (Manual Camera) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Photon Camera free?
Photon Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Yamera (Manual Camera) or Photon Camera?
Yamera (Manual Camera) is rated higher. Yamera (Manual Camera) averages 4.5 out of 5 from 592 ratings, while Photon Camera averages 4.0 from 64 ratings.
Do Yamera (Manual Camera) or Photon Camera have ads?
Yamera (Manual Camera) shows ads; Photon Camera does not.
Which is updated more often, Yamera (Manual Camera) or Photon Camera?
Yamera (Manual Camera) ships an update weekly, and Photon Camera every 3 weeks. Most recently, Yamera (Manual Camera) was updated on September 26, 2026 and Photon Camera on September 23, 2026.

Other comparisons