ChobialChobial vs Halide Mark III: a fair comparison
Halide is one of the best iPhone cameras made. If you want Lux's Looks, a waveform, an iPad Photo Lab and years of polish, it's a great choice. Chobial is for a different wish: to make the film yourself, and use it on any photo you've ever taken.
| Chobial | Halide Mark III | |
|---|---|---|
| Shoots RAW and ProRAW | Yes | Yes |
| Look live while you frame | Yes | Yes |
| Re-develop a RAW with another look later | Yes, with any film, including ones you make later | Yes, with Halide's Looks |
| Make your own look | Yes: curves, 8-band colour mixer, split toning, grain modelled on real stocks, halation | No. Looks are made by Lux with a Hollywood colourist; you can adjust grain, halation, MTF and vignette |
Import / export .cube LUTs | Yes / Yes | No / No |
| Share a look | QR code or .chobial file | No |
| Masks and heal | Yes | No |
| Zebras, focus peaking, histogram | Yes | Yes, plus a waveform |
| Camera Control and Lock Screen | Yes | Yes |
| Open other cameras' RAW | Yes | Yes (beta) |
| iPad | No | Yes |
| Video | No | No (Lux makes Kino for video) |
| Account | None | None |
| How you pay | Free to shoot, develop and make films; pay to export | Free week, then a subscription or a one-time purchase |
Where Halide is ahead
- Polish and track record. Halide has been refined since 2017, has an Apple Design Award and over 13,000 App Store ratings.
- Curated Looks. If you'd rather choose from a few beautifully made looks than build your own, Halide's are excellent.
- Monitoring. A waveform alongside the histogram, zebras and peaking.
- iPad. Halide has a Photo Lab on iPad. Chobial is iPhone only.
Where Chobial is ahead
- Your own film. Build a film from scratch or from one of ours, with the controls real film has, and see it live in the viewfinder. See making your own film.
- LUTs in and out. Start a film from any
.cube, and export yours for Lightroom or Resolve. See shooting through a LUT. - Sharing. Send a film as a QR code anyone can scan off a screen.
- Editing in the same app. Masks for sky, subject and faces, gradients, and heal and clone.
Pick Halide
You want curated looks, a waveform, an iPad workflow and a camera with a long record.
Pick Chobial
You want to build your own film and keep every photo open to it, forever.
Sources, opened on 28 September 2026: halide.cam, Lux's Halide Mark III page, and Halide's App Store listing. See all apps on the comparison page. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Questions
Can I make my own Look in Halide?
No. Halide's Looks are made by Lux with a professional colourist. You can adjust their grain, halation, MTF and vignette in Photo Lab, but you can't build a new one or import a LUT, going by Halide's own site and App Store listing.
Can I use both?
Yes. Both save standard RAW files. You can shoot in Halide and open the DNG in Chobial to develop it with any film, including your own, or the other way round.
Which is better for beginners?
Both have an automatic mode and full manual control. Chobial is free to shoot and develop in, and its Learn lessons teach the basics with the app. Halide has a free week, then a subscription or a one-time purchase.