Press kit · v2.0 · September 2026
Everything you need to review it, including where it falls short.
ROVEWORKS CAMERA records the single frame that existed when you pressed the shutter, and develops it outside Apple's computational pipeline. This page is written for reviewers: the facts, the shots that actually read on video, how to check every claim, and the things I'd rather you heard from me first.
- Price
- FreePro Pack $9.99, one-time
- Version
- 2.0September 2026
- Requires
- iOS 18.6+iPhone
- Capture
- 12MP · 4KSingle-frame Bayer RAW · HEVC video
- Data collected
- NoneApple privacy label
- Made by
- One personROVEWORKS, South Korea
In one sentence
Every other phone camera decides how the scene should look. This one records what was there.
Stacking frames to make a picture brighter and sharper also erases the shadows, the texture, and the exposure you chose. There is no fusion step here to switch off — the Bayer frame goes into a Metal debayer and that is the only path through the app.
What to film
The moments that read on video.
Reviewers usually ask which parts are worth putting on screen. These are them, in the order I'd shoot them.
The rangefinder patch — if you film one thing, film this
Get the phone screen on camera, close. In M mode the centre patch shows the live image twice, split apart. Turn the half-circle dial around the shutter button: the two images slide toward each other, and the patch border glows yellow the instant they align.
It's the Leica M coincidence-focusing idea carried over as-is, and nobody else has put it on iPhone.
Needs LiDAR and the wide lens — an iPhone 12 Pro or later Pro model. On telephoto and ultra-wide, M mode stays manual: you focus with the dial, without the patch.
The dials, with your mic on
ISO on the left edge, shutter speed on the right. Swipe up to raise a value, double-tap to drop back to auto. Every detent answers with haptics — the taps are audible, so leave the sound running.
Worth saying out loud: each dial only shows values your specific iPhone can actually produce. No dead stops at the ends.
The three-lamp meter
No scale, no numbers. Left lamp means under, right means over, a green centre means you're there. Walk from shade into sun and let the lamps move.
Film looks changing in the viewfinder
Twelve looks render live through Metal-based 3D LUTs in Display P3, so the colour on screen is the colour that gets written. The demo isn't the look itself — it's that there is no "apply filter" step anywhere in the app.
Side by side with the stock Camera app
Same scene, same moment. Watch what survives in the shadows and how the highlights roll off. Backlit portraits and high-contrast street scenes show the difference fastest.
Flat, even light shows almost none — which is worth saying on camera if you find it.
A clip with the look recorded in
Switch to video, pick a film look and record a few seconds with zebra on. Play the file back: the look is in the footage, the zebra stripes are not. Then turn the shutter dial — the 180° setting is marked, and nothing slower than one over the frame rate is offered.
One shutter press, two files
Open Photos afterwards: a HEIF or JPG with the look baked in, and a Bayer RAW .dng with nothing applied at all. Pull the DNG into Lightroom and show that it really is untouched.
Verify, don't trust
Every claim, and how to check it yourself.
Please test these rather than taking my word for them. If something doesn't hold up, I'd rather you say so on camera than skip the review.
| Claim | How to check it |
|---|---|
| No frame stacking or HDR fusion | Shoot a moving subject at a slow shutter. There's no ghosting from merged frames, because there's only ever one frame. |
| Preview matches the saved photo | Frame a scene, note the preview brightness, shoot, compare. They should track closely across scenes and devices. |
| The RAW file is untouched | Open the DNG in any RAW editor. No film look, no brightness lift, no crop. |
| You get the exposure you set | Set ISO and shutter manually, shoot, then read the EXIF. |
| The film look is in the video; the guides aren't | Record with a look and zebra on, then play the file in Photos. The colour matches the viewfinder; no zebra stripes are recorded. |
| Film looks are applied before capture | Switch looks and watch the viewfinder change. There's no filter step in the gallery. |
Stated plainly
Things I'd rather you heard from me.
You'll hit these anyway. Better they come from the developer than from a comment thread.
Photos are 12MP, not 48MP
A 48MP image on iPhone has to be assembled from several frames, and that assembly overrides the exposure you set. Refusing to stack frames means giving up the resolution number. That's the trade.
Rangefinder focus needs a Pro model
It runs on LiDAR distance data and the wide lens. On other devices and lenses, M mode is plain manual focus on the dial, without the split-image patch.
Video is for the look, not for grading
Footage is 8-bit HEVC in SDR, with the film look recorded in. No ProRes, no Log, no HDR video. This isn't a competitor to the cinema camera apps, and it isn't trying to be.
It won't rescue a badly lit scene
No night mode, no multi-frame noise reduction. In hard light it does something the stock app won't. In flat light the difference is small.
Not the fastest shutter on the App Store
Single-frame capture with a live LUT running in the viewfinder has its own cost.
One person built it
No team, no support desk, no roadmap promises. Email reaches me directly and I answer the same day.
Questions I get
The ones worth answering on camera.
Isn't this what Halide's Process Zero already does?
Same complaint, different depth. Process Zero turns Apple's processing off. ROVEWORKS CAMERA never routes through it in the first place — the Bayer frame goes into a Metal debayer I wrote, and that's the only path there is. It also adds coincidence focusing and live film looks, which Halide doesn't have.
Both are worth using. They aren't the same tool, and I'd rather you said so than pretended otherwise.
Why one-time pricing instead of a subscription?
It's one person's app and it doesn't run a service. Charging rent for it didn't sit right.
Where do the film looks come from?
Twelve 3D LUTs rendered live in Display P3 through Metal. They're built to sit on an unprocessed frame, which is why the colour holds together instead of fighting a computationally rebuilt image underneath.
What does the Pro Pack actually unlock?
Video recording, nine more film looks (twelve in total), rangefinder manual focus, RAW .dng capture, custom presets, and zebra and focus peaking overlays. The free tier keeps manual ISO, shutter speed, the light meter, three film looks, white balance, tone curve, grain and sharpness — with no time limit and no watermark.
Anyone who bought Pro Pack before 2.0 gets video at no extra cost.
Can I give my viewers a code?
Yes. I'll make a custom code with your channel name on it and a redemption limit that fits your audience. It unlocks the Pro Pack in full. No cost to you, and no expectation that you use it.
Assets
Free to use, no approval needed.
Use anything here in reviews, thumbnails and social posts. No credit required.
Need a specific shot, a particular film look, or a higher-resolution sample? Email me and you'll have it the same day.
No agreement. No approval over your video. No obligation to publish anything.
I won't ask to see a cut, I won't ask for changes, and I won't follow up more than once. If the app isn't good enough, say that.