Hi, after a long journey I've released my Camera App, called Lumina, on the AppStore!
Lumina is a Camera App that offers full control over shooting parameters:
Manual exposure,
Manual focus,
Macro mode on supported iPhones, with fully manual focus,
Live assistant tools like Focus Peaking and Exposure Zebra
RGB or Luminosity Histogram,
RAW and ProRaw format,
Bracketing mode, with manual controls and Raw support,
48MP shoots also in JPEG/HEIC
The amount of Post-Processing that is applied by the camera can be tweaked inside Lumina’s settings page.
The app is completely Free and any feedback is very welcome!
AppStore LINK
manual mode - Is there a way to take photos manually from iPhones? - Photography Stack Exchange
Best manual camera app?
For general purpose shooting I like ProCam. It supports the widest array of features and modes of operation. Camera+ is ok: I like its virtual "low ISO" features for long exposures. ProCamera is touted for its HDR, but to my eye it makes very flat and unrealistic looking images. ACDeeSee Pro performs acceptably in-camera, has a pretty nice editor, and seems to be available as a freebie frequently. ProShot has the seemingly unique ability to uncouple autofocus from exposure in video.
There are other, more specialized apps that I like such as Cortex Cam, which takes many exposures and blends them for noise reduction and clarity. This makes it unsuitable for action shots, but for static scenes the results can be gorgeous.
More on reddit.comI’ve released a Manual Camera App for iOS
Why Apple don’t give manual camera settings on their camera apps? Whereas in android phones it very common these days.
Videos
to take photos as good as photos taken manually from a DSLR?
Depends strongly on what "as good" means by your definition. If it's good enough for a tiny phone screen and you're shooting a well-lit scene with a low dynamic range, then yes. If you're trying to take a macro photo, a photo of an object at a distance, a photo with little (natural) depth of field, a wide-angle photo - basically anything outside the 35mm focal length of iPhones, then the answer is no, you cannot do it. A tiny 1/2.3" sensor in your phone would never beat an APS-C or Full-frame sensor, no matter how good technology gets. That being said...
Is there a way to take photos manually from iPhones?
There are numerous apps which help you take better-looking pictures with your phone: VSCO, Manual, Camera+, Procamera 11. Some do let you control the aperture, the ISO and the shutter speed manually. Others solve the problem by applying creative filters to the image. Give it a try and see what works for your style of photography.
I'm answering this using knowledge of an iPhone 6s running iOS 10.something.something.
As of this point, you cannot modify exposure using the native iOS camera app in something akin to M mode. This may change in either future software updates, phone updates, or both.
As Inkista points out, you do have a few stops of exposure compensation that can be applied by tapping and dragging up and down.
However, for full M control, your best bet is to scour the app marketplace to find an app that allows for these types of control. I've noticed that camera apps specifically designed for shooting the auroura borealis are great with long exposure settings. (Might come in handy when wanting to shoot moving water, etc)
As an aside - Apple prides itself on ease of use. Adding complex photography settings to their app doesn't feel in their nature to do; so, check the App Store.