Citus iPhone Camera App Builds Film Looks From Real Scanned Rolls, No Monthly Subscription Fee

Citus Camera is a new iPhone camera app that shows film looks live in the viewfinder, so the photo is finished and film-like the moment you press the shutter. Its Film Stock looks are built from measurements of real scanned rolls. Everything runs on the phone, there’s no AI processing, and there’s no subscription. Once you get the app, it’s yours forever.

The app comes from Leon Yakobov, a commercial photographer from Tel Aviv. He built it alone in five months, from the first line of code in May 2026 to the App Store launch on October 20 the same year. What’s more, Citus has also been nominated for the top new apps of the autumn.

“I never trusted the photos my phone gave me,” Leon says in the announcement. “They were sharp and correct and they felt like nothing. I wanted the character of my film cameras with the convenience of my phone, and I refused to fake it. So I measured it.”

Measured, Not Guessed (Well, Partly)

Citus ships with 28 looks across four sets: Citus (10), Film Stock (6), Cinema (6), and Mono (6). In the Film Stock set, each look started as a real roll of film. Leon scanned it and measured how the stock renders color and skin, where its highlights roll off, and how its grain behaves in shadows compared to highlights. So if you’ve ever wondered if digital “film looks” can even get close to the real deal, I believe this is as good as it gets.

However, the other three sets are graded by eye, which is worth knowing before you buy them. Still, Leon is a seasoned film photographer, so I believe his eye is better than the one of someone who’s been shooting exclusively digital.

Interestingly, Leon has made the method public, which is a rare move in a market full of “vintage vibes” presets. “You can argue with a measurement. You cannot argue with a mood,” Leon says. “That is why the method is public: I would rather be checked than believed.”

How Does Citus Camera Work?

Note that Citus isn’t a set of presets that you apply after taking the shot. Instead, you compose with the look already applied, with grain rendered into the capture rather than laid on top of it. You also get live controls for tones, clarity, structure, saturation, vignette, fringe, black-and-white, and white balance presets with a lock.

“When the look is there while you compose, you shoot differently,” Leon tells DIYP. “You are making a photograph, not a file to fix later.”

The Recipe Lives in the File

Every photo stores its full recipe in its EXIF data: the look, the grain, and every setting you used. You can open any photo’s recipe in the app, save it under your own name, and share it with other photographers. “A look you cannot share is a secret. A recipe in the file is a conversation between photographers,” says Leon.

No AI, No Account Needed

More to like about Citus Camera is that it doesn’t use generative or AI processing on your images. Photos never leave your phone, and you don’t need an account. The app collects anonymous feature-usage data, but you can switch it off in Settings.

What’s Coming (and What Isn’t)

Leon tells DIYP that a film lab with diffusion, halation and depth of field is already built and will arrive later as a free update. Sadly for those who don’t use iPhone, the Android version isn’t coming anytime soon, as Leon tells us.

Availability and Pricing

Citus Camera is available now on the App Store for iPhones running iOS 16.6 or later. It’s in English only. Note that the 48 MP and ProRAW (DNG) capture work on the iPhone 14 Pro and later.

The app is free to download with three looks (FROST, AMBER and LINEN) and the full camera. If you want Citus Pro, it costs $14.99 one-time and unlocks every look, all film controls, 48 MP and ProRAW, and unlimited recipes.

The Film Stock, Cinema and Mono packs cost $4.99 each, also one-time. There’s no free trial, but you don’t need one: every look previews live before you buy. “Photographers should own their tools. You buy a lens once. You should buy this once,” Leon says.

Finally, it’s worth noting that Leon himself doesn’t consider this a film camera replacement. “I am not replacing film – I am giving its eye to the frames film could never afford,” he concludes. I believe this is a great app for all of you who want the look of film, but aren’t ready to dedicate themselves to the craft completely, or aren’t ready to pay the price, as it’s a pretty pricy hobby.

If you’d like to learn more about Citus, you can find more info and photos on its website.

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