Verdict
Does one thing and is loved for it. Light trails, silky water, star trails — the long-exposure shots a phone is not supposed to be able to take.
Best for
Anyone who has tried to photograph moving water or traffic and been disappointed.
Dealbreaker
It is a single effect. Outside of long exposures there is no reason to open it, and you will still want a normal camera app for everything else.
The facts.
Pulled from the App Store, not written by hand.
Price
$2.99 once
In-app purchases
Unknown
Ads
Unknown
Platforms
iPhone, iPad
Rating
4.6★ (2,812)
Version
6.4.2
Last updated
Oct 25, 2026
Released
Feb 23, 2010
Attributes
Native appOne-time purchaseNo subscription
Category
Photo & Video, Utilities
What reviews consistently say.
Themes grouped from 200 App Store reviews. Source feed ›
Praised for
Battery and performance24 reviews
Ease of use and design16 reviews
Value for money3 reviews
Where this comes from
24 of 200 recent reviews raised: Battery and performance (positive)App Store reviews ›
16 of 200 recent reviews raised: Ease of use and design (positive)App Store reviews ›
3 of 200 recent reviews raised: Value for money (positive)App Store reviews ›
Captures slow-shutter effects rather than working as a general cameraApp Store listing ›
Where we recommend it
Camera apps you buy once ›Manual camera apps that charge once instead of monthly, each with the reason you might not want it.
Alternatives with the same rule.
Every app here is a single purchase. None of them can start charging you monthly for what you already bought. Also with a catch.
$9.99 once · 4.6★ (35,353) · Updated Oct 26, 2026
Verdict. ProCam is a manual camera app that's easy to pick up, but recent reviews describe slow shooting, crashes when deleting photos, lag, and extra paywalls or ads for things some users feel should already be included after the purchase.
Best for. An iPhone or iPad photographer who wants manual controls without a monthly bill and can tolerate occasional lag or a crash now and then.
Dealbreaker. Several reviewers report the app still paywalls extra features and shows ads after the one-time purchase, plus crashes when deleting photos and slow, laggy shooting.
$8.99 once · 4.5★ (1,423) · Updated Oct 19, 2026
Verdict. Camera M gets praised for a clean, well-designed manual camera interface with real depth for macro and exposure control, though a small number of users find it confusing at first and a few report crashes.
Best for. iPhone photographers who want manual shutter, focus, and exposure control beyond the stock camera app without a subscription eating into future updates.
Dealbreaker. A handful of reviewers describe the interface as confusing when they first open it, and a few report crashes, so it isn't guaranteed to be plug-and-play.
$2.99 once · 4.7★ (2,978) · Updated Sep 18, 2026
Verdict. ProMovie Recorder gives manual control over exposure, white balance and ISO in a simple interface, and exporting to the camera roll works well for most. But a meaningful slice of reviewers report crashes on recording and audio sync problems on export, with no response from support when they ask about it.
Best for. Someone who wants manual video controls on an iPhone without learning a complex app, and who mainly exports straight to the camera roll rather than syncing audio to another editing system.
Dealbreaker. Some users report the app crashing when they hit record, and others see audio sync issues after exporting, with support emails going unanswered.