ChobialProRAW camera apps for iPhone, compared
A ProRAW photo is a negative. It holds more highlight and shadow detail than a HEIF, but it looks flat until it's developed. The apps below all shoot RAW. They differ in what they do next: give you a clean file and manual controls, or develop it into a finished look as you shoot. Checked 22 October 2026.
What ProRAW is, and which iPhones have it
Apple ProRAW is a RAW format for iPhone Pro models, from the iPhone 12 Pro on. It's a DNG file that combines the editing room of RAW with some of Apple's multi-frame processing. Other iPhones can shoot plain sensor RAW in a third-party app, with less processing and a slightly different file.
The built-in Camera app can shoot ProRAW on supported models once you turn it on in Settings, Camera, Formats. It saves the photo as a flat negative with no film look. Photographic Styles aren't available when you shoot RAW, so any look has to come from an editor or another camera app. For why that matters, see iPhone RAW vs HEIF for a film look.
The apps, in short
- Halide Mark III (Lux Optics). A pro camera with manual controls, focus peaking and a Process Zero mode that skips computational photography. Its Looks are built into the capture, and its listing says you can try any Look on existing ProRAW files, including photos shot in Apple's Camera app. It supports DNG files from the iPhone and Leica. Full comparison: Chobial vs Halide Mark III.
- Adobe Lightroom. Its camera shoots RAW as DNG, including HDR merged into a 32-bit DNG, with manual shutter, ISO, white balance and focus in Professional mode. You can pick a preset to apply as you shoot, and, on a paid plan, it syncs with the Lightroom library on other devices. Full comparison: Chobial vs Lightroom mobile.
- ProCamera (Cocologics). A long-running pro camera app. Its listing names RAW, ProRAW, TIFF, JPG and HEIF as formats, with manual controls, an editing suite that includes RAW and ProRAW editing, and a 7-day free trial before a subscription.
- NOMO RAW (the makers of NOMO). Built around ProRAW, with a 16-bit processing pipeline and colour calibration profiles of pro cameras, so you can choose a visual style before the shot. It offers monthly and yearly passes. Its listing mentions saving RAW and HEIF or JPEG together.
- Simple RAW Camera (Kaname Ohara). Does what it says: capture in ProRAW or DNG, or HEIC, and send the file out through Mail or File Sharing. The listing mentions no look or editing tools.
- Chobial. Always shoots RAW and develops it live with a film. The film is in the viewfinder, the negative is kept, and any photo can be developed again with another film. It has manual controls, a histogram and zebras too.
Which to pick
Pick a clean-RAW app
You edit in Lightroom or another editor and want a good file with full manual control: Halide, Lightroom's own camera, ProCamera or Simple RAW Camera. NOMO RAW if you like its colour profiles.
Pick Chobial
You want the finished look while you shoot, from the RAW negative, and the freedom to change it later. It also develops RAW files from your Fujifilm, Sony, Canon or Nikon camera: import them with the same films.
The two ideas also work together. Halide's listing says it can apply Looks to ProRAW files from other apps, and Chobial can develop RAW files from anywhere. What the RAW app gives you is a good negative; what you do with it is up to you. If you're choosing a look, film simulation on iPhone explains the options, and the iPhone 18 Pro's built-in Film texture is part of Photographic Styles, which are HEIF-only: here's why.
Sources, opened on 22 October 2026: the App Store listings for Halide Mark III, ProCamera, NOMO RAW and Simple RAW Camera. Features are as the listings describe them; apps change, so check before you buy.
Chobial is not affiliated with the makers of the apps on this page.
Questions
What is Apple ProRAW?
ProRAW is Apple's RAW format for iPhone Pro models. It's a DNG file that keeps the flexibility of RAW along with some of Apple's multi-frame processing, so it gives more room to edit than HEIF without starting from a bare sensor file.
Which iPhones can shoot ProRAW?
Pro models from the iPhone 12 Pro on. Other iPhones can shoot plain sensor RAW in apps that support it. Chobial shoots ProRAW on supported Pro iPhones and sensor RAW on the rest.
Can I shoot ProRAW with the built-in Camera app?
On supported Pro models, yes: turn on Apple ProRAW in Settings, Camera, Formats, then use the RAW button in the Camera app. The Camera app shows no film look on a RAW photo.
What's the best RAW camera app for iPhone?
It depends on what you want from the RAW file. For manual control and a clean file, Halide, Lightroom's camera, ProCamera or Simple RAW Camera. For a film look you see while shooting, and can change after, Chobial. The differences are below.
Does Apple's Photographic Styles work with ProRAW?
No. Photographic Styles aren't available when you shoot RAW. A film look has to come from an app, which is what Chobial's films do.
Is a RAW photo ready to share?
No. A RAW file is a negative: flat and unfinished until it's developed. An app with built-in films develops it for you.