ChobialChobial vs Leica LUX: a fair comparison
Leica LUX is Leica's own camera app for iPhone: Leica's colour as Looks, simulations of famous Leica lenses with their background blur, and a gallery where you can change the look, the focus and even the lens after the shot. If you love the Leica look, it's a lovely way to have it on your phone. Chobial is for a different wish: to make the film yourself, and use it on any photo you've ever taken.
| Chobial | Leica LUX | |
|---|---|---|
| Shoots RAW and ProRAW | Yes, every frame | Yes, in Photo Mode only, not with lens simulations |
| Look live while you frame | Yes | Yes |
| Change the look after the shot | Yes, with any film, including ones you make later | Yes, with Leica's Looks, plus focus, lens and crop |
| Make your own look | Yes: curves, 8-band colour mixer, split toning, grain modelled on real stocks, halation | No. Leica and Artist Looks; you can adjust intensity, grain and halation |
Import / export .cube LUTs | Yes / Yes | No / No |
| Share a look | QR code or .chobial file | No |
| Lens simulations with background blur | No | Yes, from depth data, at 12MP |
| Masks and heal | Yes | No |
| Manual shutter, ISO, focus | Yes: P, S, ISO, M | Yes in Photo Mode; white balance by preset |
| Lock Screen capture | Yes | Yes |
| Open other cameras' RAW | Yes | No |
| Video | No | No |
| iPad | No | No |
| Tracking | None | Identifiers and usage data, per its App Store privacy label |
| How you pay | Free to shoot, develop and make films; pay to export | Free to try; Pro from US$6.99/mo or US$69.99/yr |
"No" means the feature isn't offered according to the app's own website, guide and App Store listing on the date above. Prices are from the US App Store.
Where Leica LUX is ahead
- Lens simulations. Summilux, Noctilux, Thambar and other Leica lenses, with their focal length, depth of field, vignetting and highlight rendering simulated from depth data, and an aperture you can change after the shot. Chobial has nothing like it.
- The Leica name and its colour. More than 15 Leica Looks, from Leica's colour science, plus Artist Looks made with Greg Williams and Steve McCurry.
- Recompose. LUX keeps the full uncropped frame, so you can change the aspect ratio and crop later, and move the focus in Aperture Mode photos.
- Extras. Leica Perspective Control straightens verticals with a tap, and Leica sells a LUX Grip for a camera-like hold.
- Track record. Around 7,800 App Store ratings, averaging 4.9. Chobial is new.
Where Chobial is ahead
- Your own film. Build a film from scratch, from one of ours or from any
.cube, with the controls real film has, and see it live in the viewfinder. See making your own film. - RAW every time. Every Chobial frame is a RAW negative. In LUX, the lens simulations can't be combined with RAW or with manual shutter, ISO and focus.
- LUTs in and out, and sharing. Export a film as a
.cubefor Lightroom or Resolve, or send it as a QR code anyone can scan off a screen. - Editing in the same app. Masks for sky, subject and people, gradients, and heal and clone, plus RAW files from your Fujifilm, Sony, Canon or Nikon camera, which LUX doesn't open.
- No subscription, no tracking. Shooting, developing and making films are free, with no account, and Chobial doesn't track you.
And Halide?
If you're weighing Halide against Leica LUX: Halide is the fuller pro camera, with a waveform, zebras and focus peaking, an iPad Photo Lab, RAW from other cameras and a one-time purchase option. LUX is the one with lens simulations and Leica's colour. Neither lets you build a look from scratch or import a LUT. See Chobial vs Halide.
Pick Leica LUX
You want Leica's colour and the blur of a fast Leica lens on your iPhone, and are happy to subscribe for the full set.
Pick Chobial
You want to build your own film, shoot RAW every time and keep every photo open to it, forever.
Sources, opened on 12 October 2026: Leica LUX's App Store listing (version 2.0.0), Leica's LUX page, and Leica's LUX tutorial and support guide, including its pages on Aperture Mode, Leica Looks, editing and recomposing, manual controls and file formats. See all apps on the comparison page. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Questions
Is Leica LUX free?
It's free to download and try. Leica LUX Pro, which expands what the app can do, costs US$6.99 a month or US$69.99 a year in the US, and Leica says its new Steve McCurry Artist Look is for subscribers. Chobial is free to shoot, develop and make films in, and you pay only to export.
Does Leica LUX shoot RAW with the lens simulations?
No. Leica's own guide says RAW and ProRAW are only available in Photo Mode. In Aperture Mode, where the lens simulations and background blur live, the iPhone gives apps a depth map but not RAW, and photos are limited to 12MP. Chobial has no lens simulations, and every frame it takes is RAW.
Can I make my own Leica Look?
No. You choose from Leica's Looks and Artist Looks and can adjust their intensity, grain and halation, going by Leica's guide and App Store listing. There's no LUT import. In Chobial, making your own film is the core of the app, and you can start from any .cube LUT.