ChobialChobial vs NOMO CAM: a lucky dip, or a film you chose?
NOMO CAM is for people who want to stop thinking and shoot. Pick a camera from its shop, press the button, and NOMO adds a random mix of curves, grain, dust, light leaks and a frame after the shot, the way a cheap 35mm camera surprised you at the lab. Chobial is for the opposite mood: see the film before you press, keep the RAW, and change your mind whenever you like.
| Chobial | NOMO CAM | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pick the look | Load a film: 46 built in, plus any you make | Pick a camera from its shop; each shot gets a random analog preset |
| Look live while you frame | Yes | Partly: the random effects are added after the shot |
| Same look every time | Yes, until you change film | No, on purpose |
| Shoots RAW | Yes: ProRAW or RAW, or HEIF and JPEG | Not mentioned; its maker has a separate NOMO RAW app |
| Change the look after the shot | Yes, any film, any time | Not described |
| Make your own look | Yes: curves, 8-band colour mixer, split toning, grain, halation | No |
Import / export .cube LUTs | Yes / Yes | No / No |
| Double exposure | No | Yes |
| Import your photos | Yes, from any iPhone or iPad, free | With NOMO PRO |
| Masks and heal | Yes | Not described |
| Devices | iPhone, iPhone Duo and iPad | iPhone and Apple silicon Macs |
| How you pay | Free to shoot, develop, edit and make films, and to save in 22 films. Pro saves in every film, with masks and heal: $29.99 once, $14.99 a year or $1.99 a month | Free; cameras from $0.99, or NOMO PRO for all at $24.99 a year |
Where NOMO CAM is ahead
- Zero decisions. No settings to fiddle with, no editor tempting you. You're out taking pictures, not tweaking them.
- Happy accidents. The random preset means the dust and the light leak land somewhere new every time. Just like real film, minus the lab bill.
- The wait. Its instant cameras make you wait for the picture to develop, like the real thing. (NOMO PRO can switch that off, for the impatient.)
- A big, happy crowd. About 48,000 ratings in the US App Store, at 4.7 stars, since 2018.
Where Chobial is ahead
- No surprises unless you want them. The film shows live in the viewfinder, so you can compose for it. Touch and hold a film's name in Controls › Film to peek at the scene without it.
- The RAW. Every photo keeps its original. Fall out of love with a look and develop it again with another film.
- Your own film. Make one from scratch, from ours or from a
.cubeLUT, and share it as a QR code. - Real controls when you want them: ISO and shutter by hand, manual focus, peaking, zebras, masks and heal.
Pick NOMO CAM
You want a point-and-shoot that surprises you, and you never want to open an editor.
Pick Chobial
You want to choose the film, see it live, and keep the negative for later. Join the beta.
Sources, opened on 26 October 2026: NOMO CAM's App Store listing (its description, in-app purchases, devices and ratings) and the comparison on Hipstamatic's film camera page. NOMO CAM has no website of its own. See all apps on the comparison page. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Questions
How much is NOMO CAM?
NOMO CAM is free to download, with some cameras free and others from $0.99 in its shop. NOMO PRO, $24.99 a year in the US, opens every camera and adds pro tools such as importing photos.
Why does every NOMO photo look a little different?
That's the design. NOMO CAM's App Store listing says random analog presets, such as curves, grain, dust, light leaks, vignette and frames, are added after you take each picture, like a real 35mm camera. Chobial does the opposite: the film you load is the film you get, shown live, and you can develop the photo again with another one.
Is NOMO CAM on iPad?
Its App Store listing names iPhone, iPod touch and Apple silicon Macs, not iPad. Chobial runs on iPhone, iPhone Duo and iPad.