Obscura — Pro Camera Reviews

by Chowdawg

Downloaded ObscuraProCamera & bought the sub 3 times! After the 3 times (3’rd time it is still not working, but not deleted & still black screened) I am writing this review. What is going on?!
Since I better not be charged $9.99 3 times on the 11’th of Dec., I hope to have it resolved & working by the time this is posted!
I have had ObscuraProCamera before and liked it, and decided to use it again, but upgrading and setting it up to find it was frozen and then closing it and reopening ObscuraProCamera to find the black screen 3 times…
Help!

by Vatomyk

Read the reviews though ide try it crashed on me 3 times takes forever for it to swap between front and back cameras not worth the ten bucks how do I get my money back

by Mvbmac

The controls on ObscuraProCamera are incomprehensible and, strangely, bear little resemblance to ObscuraProCamera Store displays. The challenges don't arise simply from not being a pro photographer - ObscuraProCamera interface and controls are simply not competently designed for easy interpretation and use. It's so worthless I would give it 0 stars if that were an option. Fortunately, it didn't cost me much and there is no periodic subscription charge that I have to cancel. MacLife Magazine gave ObscuraProCamera a good review, but again, their description is not what you find on opening ObscuraProCamera . Makes me wonder if I should respect the magazine any more as well.

by Nikki746o

I had a Canon mirrorless camera, ObscuraProCamera doesn’t allow to set aperture. It’s set at one setting. Whatever happened to Manual settings.
This is not an accurate app. I wanted to give a try but I’ll stick with Lightroom camera.

by Heyrobt

I have developed a case of severe subscription failure. As developers flock to this subscription business model, they must realize that it is not sustainable for the consumer. We’re not ATMs where you can drain endless funds. As much potential Obscura has demonstrated as a first-class camera app, I’m not playing — ObscuraProCamera is now deleted.

by GOH+

Always prompted to take pictures can not be saved

by Testing123ab

I really wanted to like ObscuraProCamera. The photography controls are nice and I liked the granular controls for video. What brought this down to two stars for me is that even after multiple short tests of video to make sure everything was working, when I finally recorded a longer video—nothing saved. 20+ minutes later I have nothing recorded. Even though the recording timer continued to increment. Very disappointed. 14ProMax at latest iOS

by Jkunrest

So interface is fantastic, issues,
1. With the setting on limited photos I can not get even the photos taken with ObscuraProCamera to be viewable in ObscuraProCamera .
2. Subscription apps are hard to like.

I decided to try it for one year againat my pure hate for subscription based apps, I’m currently using 12 different camera apps and so for the interface is by far the best, I’m hoping the photo issue is just a bug, my plan is to test all the apps until I can find the one that I gravitate to by the ease of use, the main concern is that somewhere I think I read it’s made by one person, what happens if that person decides to stop or can’t keep support up? I hope ObscuraProCamera keeps going it has great features and huge potential, I’ll be happy to give 5 stars if the album loads without issue, even with the dreaded subscription.

by AllCarsEatGas

Tried to select 32 ISO kept stopping at 100, then finally relented sort-of and would go to 64, but never got 32. What other surprises are there? A UI that requires spinning wheels that aren’t accurate is pretty stupid when you could provide a simple row or better just the option to enter the numbers on a keypad. Much more intuitive and usable than trying to pretend it’s a camera dial on a flat piece of glass.

by Verngzr

I’ve been looking for something to replace FilmMic Pro since it had gone to a subscription model and rediscovered Obscura. I like the interface, very accessible even for new users. However, for advanced users or anyone looking for video, you’ll have to cough up more bucks to get to the “Pro” features. Once again, subscription raises its ugly head.

I understand why people use it, but my issue is that these models tend to trap you by holding your media hostage if you decide not to renew, or they use some other way to keep you paying. Here the developer teases. Want to record video? You gotta pay. Want access to Raw? You gotta pay. Want to do anything beyond taking a snapshot? Pay up. I’d rather pay for versions and decide if upgrading to the latest is worth it. Guess I’ll keep looking.

by Todd H Bennett

App crashes every time I select the pro raw format.

by Morty B

Need to fix private photos, they’re not private at all.

by Kcwookie

As soon as I saw that upgrading would require a subscription, I deleted ObscuraProCamera . Doesn’t matter how good it is, I don’t do subscriptions for productivity apps.

If a developer wants money, show me an upgrade. But I am not going to pay a subscription price just to get things done.

by Bigethan1619

Disappointed that you moved to subscriptions, but I understand it. What I don’t understand is why you won’t continue supporting the old version we already paid for.

by Docgompf

Bought ObscuraProCamera so that I could use it with my new Fjorden Grip. it is supposed to be compatible. I can even see it paired in the Obscura3 settings but I cannot get any of the Grip’s buttons to work within ObscuraProCamera . I can find nothing on the web on how to fix it. Frustrating!

Edit: it now suddenly seems to work with the Grip but will not zoom (only changes lens with zoom slider on grip).

by Skywalker Un

I'm not sure this is just me but portrait mode doesn't do anything. It takes just a normal photo.

by BautistaNY

A subscription for a camera app is just insane at this point. Like, just sell it for a few bucks but don’t try to make people pay for it forever. Smh

by Sethkinkaid

A beautifully designed app locked behind yet another stupid subscription.

Even the most pro photography apps on ObscuraProCamera store has some sort of lifer buy-in. Can you give us this option?

Also to lock RAW shooting behind the subscription is an instant delete for me. This isn’t cool at all when I can quickly use iOS’s built-in camera RAW shooting or any other app like Halide for example.

by IAMWAM

I like the one time purchase, but $65??? This is a slightly better version of the camera I already am using. Theres no reason for a subscription or that kind kind of greed. I would pay a one time fee for this, absolutely, but... this is a camera app. There is no ongoing service I care about, especially when I use iCloud. Cool app, great layout, its what I wish the apple camera app was... but not for $65...

by Crgwbr

I like all the manual controls ObscuraProCamera exposes, but the UI could use some improvement. The iconography can be very difficult to understand—some text labels would help greatly.

by Freicook

I simply don’t understand what is going on in ObscuraProCamera when I want to use it. I thought maybe that the Photo Mode was like point and shoot mode and Pro Photo Mode was for photography but in Pro Photo Mode I have to remember to turn off the secondary file HEIC or JPG every time I shoot. I want to use this because I prefer the one-time payment to the subscription model but the UI controls are just too confusing. And unfortunately the Walkthrough documentation doesn’t really help me. Searched YouTube today for possible walkthroughs or tips and tricks and there’s nothing.

Update (7/5/2022)
Thank you for the reply and I appreciate that this matters. I’m going to reply here so maybe other people looking at ObscuraProCamera can find the right menu - It’s not the gear icon on the camera app itself. You have to tap the photos icon (or pull down the camera) and there’s a second gear icon for other settings.

This changes my review. It’s not 5 stars because this settings menu was not at all discoverable.

by Littlebluebro

Obscura 3 has a unique and clean design and the controls are powerful and intuitive. I especially like the radial dial control for adjusting focus with fine tune increments. There's also a lot of power behind customizing ObscuraProCamera for whatever works best for you. You can customize each mode to have different presets or you can change what different gestures do. There's a lot packed into this!

by Tethys-Sea

For anyone who’s had a bit a bit of experience with a variety of iOS camera apps. I probably have too many. Obscura is opinionated and clever about USER INTERFACE and that’s a good thing. It may feel intuitive to some, maybe not so much to others. But, like anything, I gave it a moment and find it to be a very compelling photography app, with smart ideas and excellent performance.

by Seven Pillars

Have been in discussions with the developer of this camera app. Always responsive, they have made some very recent updates turning their app into a powerful camera. Highly recommend using it.

by Nickyname

I just want to suggest it would be nice if I could choose a color for the shutter button. I’m older, glasses help but even still, if the shutter button could be a color I’d stop pressing the white lens change circle when I want to take a picture. I’m so used to pressing a white shutter circle for the iPhone camera. And, if each lens choice could have a color I’d not have to read the small print. Thank you otherwise all very nice. !

by A.M.Daniel

I've tried a number of camera apps and I find that the design of Obscura is far and away the best. The ease of knowing and seeing the affects of camera adjustments is very good as is the ability to know the exact setting whether I'm wearing my glasses or not. There is a consistency of approach to the settngs and it is all intuitive. The images themselves are better than in ohter apps and I can more easily get just the effect I want.

by Big_O===>

I downloaded ObscuraProCamera cuz it says it works with the Fjorden camera handle and omg I’m in love with ObscuraProCamera it’s reasonably price too for it’s nice features I would recommend it to everyone

by FlynnGardener

I’ve recently purchased Obscura 3 to see what it had in comparison to Obscura 2. The simplification is amazing compared to 2. I will miss the way the settings were on the wheel, but the much more simple UI is amazing. Definitely recommend ObscuraProCamera if you want to up your photo game.

by Drummer4Life27

Really been digging Obscura 3 since I got a chance to dig into it & have actually taken more photos *because* of ObscuraProCamera than I have in a while.

I’ve had other pro camera apps, but having Video in this version is a big deal because it can totally replace the Camera app for daily situations rather than trying to specifically serve as a tool when I want to practice photography.

Plus, the minimalist design has settled in version 3 into a fine-tuned mechanism with discrete capture modes, all the controls I want, and I literally noticed myself think “Oh it should have *this* feature” and then promptly found it in Settings.

I’ve picked a few filters, taken some shots that I’m pleased with, and it’s now on my Home Screen too – I look forward to putting it through some more tests soon & if I have any suggestions will send them to the dev team 👍

by Jeffruth

To be honest, I was having issues with ObscuraProCamera originally. I loved the look, but it was crashing and not showing RAW photos correctly. I posted the issue on here and the developer reached out almost immediately and said they were working on it. Shortly after, I was added to the beta program and since then everything is working great. I’m enjoying ObscuraProCamera and the opportunity to give feedback on improvements.

I highly recommend Obscura 3. You have to praise an app that doesn’t copy the others and takes a fresh approach. Very well done!!

by CorralesDan

I wasn’t that impressed with the earlier versions, but the latest, Obscura 4, is perfect for me. Easy to navigate and takes great pictures. It is my main camera app now.

by Cyntrifical

I've been on iOS since iOS 11, using an iPhone 6, and currently I''m on iOS 16, using an iPhone 13. During that time I've purchased, downloaded and used many apps in the category of mobile photography and still have a folder loaded with them. I make an effort to bounce between different ones, giving each a chance to stand out to me, especially after an update. Typically my favorites are Pro Shot and Halide, and Obscura was more or less an impulse buy at the time, which sat on my homescreen exactly where it downloaded to. But once I took the time to try it out I was surprised I hadn't gotten it sooner. Easy UI, flexible controls and great photo processing have made Obscura ObscuraProCamera I keep finding myself gravitating towards everytime I see a shot I want to take. I own DSLR's and am amazed by how far mobile photography has evolved especially on iPhones - and I believe the team with Obscura is utilizing every bit of technological innovations to not only emulate DSLR grade photography, but to exceed and stand in a category it's own. Amazing job to the developers! Carpe Diem

by Jeff Golenski

This is a wonderful camera app. The UI takes a minute to get accustomed to, but it’s obvious a lot of thought was put into the IxD (interaction design). It’s super easy to change settings on the fly. What I love most is that you can live preview filters, just like you can with Fuji recipes. It’s so much fun.

For those complaining about a subscription fee, it’s $10 a YEAR. I’m more than happy to pay that for a well designed, lightweight, and highly functional camera app. Cheers to the development team!

by Wrw77

Best manual controls I've ever used. Great filter selection. Viewfinder crosshairs are a fantastic feature. The level of customization in camera mode presets is really impressive, and makes for an extremely well-tailored experience. Bravo!

by Tao-ish

For anyone who’s had a bit a bit of experience with a variety of iOS camera apps. I probably have too many. Obscura is opinionated and clever about USER INTERFACE and that’s a good thing. It may feel intuitive to some, maybe not so much to others. But, like anything, I gave it a moment and find it to be a very compelling photography app, with smart ideas and excellent performance.

by Kwottley

Fantastic to use with one hand. Well thought out UI for drilling down to the manual settings. My new go to camera app for manual photography.

by Marxcom

As an Obscura 2 user I was glad to see 3 out with so much features. I applaud the dev for not going the subscription route. ObscuraProCamera is loaded. I just want an option to preserve settings. I shoot 16:9 but camera launches 4:3 by default

by Greenldr79

This is the complete solution if you’re looking for more pro-camera features. Very intuitive, yet very powerful.

by Jkbrwn

Just bought your app because I saw it featured in an update to Darkroom. Anything Darkroom recommends, I’m in.