Moment Pro ii and getting back to "real life" photography

I was doing some spring cleaning recently and came across old photos from the pre-mobile-phone-camera days (2000-2004 to be exact). These were photos taken with a very basic digital camera and then developed into actual, real-life photos! On paper! As I went through these “old” photos, there was feel to them that’s just not there with current iPhone photos. My iPhone 17 Pro takes amazing photos, but they come out looking good with little effort because of the computational photography. Computational photography (technology's attempt to make us all into professional photographers) has been the target of both accolades and criticism over the years. The average user probably really likes computational photography, as it results in photos that look pretty darn good, especially when posted on social media. But photographers (amateur and professional alike) often point out photos look too good, sharp, over-saturated, and crisp in every scenario. Several years ago I purchased a digital camera for situations where my iPhone wasn't powerful enough. When seeking recommendations online, someone warned me that I wasn't going to be happy with the digital camera’s photos because they weren't going to look as nice as what I can take with my iPhone. This internet stranger wasn't entirely wrong; the initial photos I took with the digital camera were too dark and lacked definition. But once I learned the most basic of settings on the digital camera, I quickly realized how much more "real" those photos felt. There was something pleasant about them; they weren't overly sharp, yet they still retained a lifelike feel. Someone in a video I recently watched (can't remember where, but don't want to take credit for this comparison) surmised that, just like our actual memories, old photos are appealing because they are a bit grainy, a little out of focus, not perfect. I loved that. Memories that feel like memories. That is what I love about those old digital camera and even film photos. They are a bit out of focus, a bit grainy, just like my own memories. But they still manage to feel real and lifelike in a way that computational photography does not. The problem with a separate digital camera, however, is that it's a pain in the ass to carry around. Despite my best attempts, I kept going back to my iPhone because that's what was in my hand. The 17 Pro has some amazing cameras, and I also happen to be a HUGE (huge) fan of the dedicated camera button (despite my initial reaction that it was a gimmick and I was never going to use it). That camera button elevated the speediness of taking photos more than I expected. I want it all. I want portability, computational photography when just shooting quick photos, and that nostalgic old-digital-camera feel when the mood strikes. Enter Third-Party Camera Apps In an effort to get back some of that nostalgic photo feel, I have spent a lot of time and money playing around with third-party camera apps. I have tried Halide many times over the years, one of the best in this space, but the lack of video capabilities is always frustrating. I recently also gave NoFusion a try, but that felt overly processed in a different way. I ultimately settled on Moment Pro II. Moment takes both photos and videos, making it pretty easy to switch between the two modes. The look that I get from Moment Pro II is, in my opinion, the closest to that early 2000s digital camera look. While the interface is a bit crowded and felt overwhelming at first, they have some great tutorial videos. Finally, Moment Pro II provides the ability to import LUTs Pro II includes natural processing, It took a tiny bit of effort to learn the camera’s interface, including how to upload and use LUTs. I find that LUTs are a great way to achieve a "look" without making the photo feel overly processed. I am still learning how to use this app and I've only had a couple of occasions to catch some interesting images in the last week, but thus far these images capture the "feel" I've been chasing now for awhile. I am also having fun exploring and even creating (with the help of Claude) my own LUTs.