# Exposure Calculator

> Calculates precise camera shutter speed based on lighting, f-stop, and ISO. (iPhone/iPad app by Essence Computing.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exposure-calculator/id359149599 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Essence Computing](https://appshunter.io/developer/333177404)
- Category: Photo & Video, Utilities
- Price: $0.99 with in-app purchases
- Rating: 3.80/5 from 5 App Store ratings · 17 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.6 · 18 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2010-03-03
- Data updated: 2026-08-26
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exposure-calculator/id359149599/reviews.md

## What is Exposure Calculator?

Takes the guesswork out of what shutter speed to use.  Ever struggled with an exposure meter or the camera's auto exposure system and found that it just cannot seem to determine the correct shutter speed?  I have and that is why this App was written.  There are tables and formulae to help you to work out the shutter speed for yourself, but that's not easy.  This App takes some simple information about the lighting conditions, the f-stop of the camera and the ISO rating being used and calculates what the correct shutter speed should be.  It is that simple.  If you have used the pre-calculated tables before you might be suprised by the answers this App gives you but, believe me, I have implemented the formulae and the pre-calculated tables are approximations (sometimes rather wild ones).  The tables do not include all f-stops, the tables do not take account the different ISO values cameras can be set to.  This App does.

This App takes this information and presents it in an easy to use form.  Just type in the f/stop value using the keypad, type in the ISO rating using the keypad and then select the applicable lighting conditions from the four lighting condition types: Daylight, Twilight, Night and Indoors.  Each has a range of Exposure Values to select from.

The App then calculates what the effective EV value is (given the ISO rating) and so can calculate what the actual shutter speed should be.  It also shows the applicable row from the standard tables for the EV.

Depending on the ISO rating being used the Exposure value selected from the list can be increased or decreased e.g. if the light is low and the EV is -3 but you are using ISO 800 then the effective Exposure value is zero (ISO 800 counts as +3 to EV) the shutter speed needs to match this value not that selected from the standard lighting condition values.

The tables only show some of f/stop values.  For example the tables show f/2.0 and f/2.8 but you might have the camera set to f/2.4.  Well it is possible to calculate the exact value so this is what the App does.  Coupled with ISO values that do not generate exact EV numbers this value can show you the true value you should be attempting to use.  An ISO of 250 adds +1.32 to the EV value.  It is a log2 scale.

Now you may not be able to set you camera to the exact value given but it does give you a much better idea of the real shutter speed required rather than trying to guess from the tables (which are calculated on a logarithmic scale and are approximations).  

By being able to set the ISO to 250 or 500, etc this App is can calculate the real EV value.  If you set the ISO to 1000 then any EV value selected needs to have approximately 3.3 added to it to give the correct EV value.  So if the selected EV is 6 then the effective EV with this ISO is actually 9.3.  But there is no row for 9.3 in the standard tables and it does make a difference. If the camera is set to f/3.5 then the closest row in the table is for EV9 and f/2.8 (1/60th of a second) or f/4.0 (1/30th of a second).  

So do you err towards 1/30th or 1/60th.  Well this App actually calculates the exact value and this shows as 1/52nd of a second.  Generally a camera cannot be set to this but it can be set to 1/50th so I would try that and then maybe 1/60th and maybe 1/40th.  The calculation comes out as 1/50th because the EV is not 9 it is 9.3 and therefore with the ISO at 1000 everything must be treated as brighter and so less exposure is needed.

Being able to see the exact value to use is even more use when long exposures are needed.  The standard tables get very vague for low light conditions i.e. EV -6 for f/22 is 64 minutes and for f/32 it is 128 minutes (over an hour more).  So if you are using f/28 how many minutes at ISO 1250?  Well the answer is 66.9 minutes which is much shorter than you might have guessed.

## Key features

- Shutter speed calculation
- Accurate f-stop and ISO input
- Four lighting condition types
- Exposure Value (EV) calculation
- Comparison to standard tables
- Precise value determination

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: $0.99.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Purchase Depth of Field Calculator | $0.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Depth of Field Variants | $0.99 | one-time |
| Purchase EXIF Manager | $1.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 17)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exposure-calculator/id359149599/reviews.md

### 1/5 — „Cannot calculate“

*2025-11-24*

Rubbish!

### 5/5 — Highly recommend. Very useful for night sky shots

*2016-05-26*

This is a very useful app. It has helped me zero in on the correct exposures for lunar and other night sky photos. 

Back I high school we had a full darkroom at home and I did a lot of my own b/w work with an Argus 35mm rangefinder and a GE light meter. Then I took a 30-year sabbatical; my wife is the much better photographer anyway. But recently, I've gotten an Olympus OM-D M10 micro 4/3 with a plethora of controls and options and am just starting to scratch the surface of digital photography. This app extends my capability and increases my fun with this camera. It's basic but solid and I recommend it.

### 5/5 — Pulls it all together......

*2016-02-23*

This is a fabulous self-teaching tool. It forces one to learn one's camera and pulls together the relationships among aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.   I am an old duck, feeling younger.

### 1/5 — Rip off

*2014-05-13*

Beware. Hidden fees for each feature (fee for depth of field calculator, zoom, etc).  Had I known that I would not have bought the base app.

### 5/5 — Straight forward,  easy to use and understand

*2014-04-30*

My main use of this app is to determine approximate EV values and also look at the approximate dynamic ranges ( white and black clipping points) of raw files  after the photos have been shot. For that it works very well.

### 5/5 — Works great, simple, useful!

*2014-01-25*

Exposure Calculator is simple to use and does what it says. It has frequent updates that add more camera models.

Thanks for an awesome app!

### 3/5 — Bof

*2013-05-27*

Le nombre de situation pourrait être bonifié. Et les éclairs ? Les arc en ciels?   Les soupers à la bougie? Les fêtes de Noël?  Les party à l'intérieur? Etc

### 3/5 — Great app

*2013-01-09*

I downloaded app on my IPAD1 to use as a helpful tool. If you use it like it is described, it gives a lot of helpful info

### 4/5 — Missing EVs

*2012-09-29*

There is no EV 1, EV -1 or EV 0 in the Night tab but the author plans to add them in the ios 6 upgrade.

### 1/5 — Has Possibilities, but

*2012-04-11*

A good, well laid out app.  However:

1.  Bottom chart is off two stops (EV) from chosen scene.

2.  Would like option on shutter constant OR aperture constant.

## Frequently asked questions about Exposure Calculator

### What is Exposure Calculator?

Exposure Calculator is a paid app designed to help photographers accurately determine the correct shutter speed. It calculates exposure values based on lighting conditions, f-stop, and ISO, offering more precision than traditional exposure tables.

### How accurate is Exposure Calculator?

This app implements precise formulae to calculate shutter speed, accounting for all f-stop and ISO values. This offers a more accurate result compared to pre-calculated tables, which are often approximations and may not include all possible settings.

### What lighting conditions can Exposure Calculator handle?

Exposure Calculator supports four lighting condition types: Daylight, Twilight, Night, and Indoors. Each type offers a range of Exposure Values to select from, allowing for diverse shooting scenarios.

### Can Exposure Calculator handle non-standard ISO values?

Yes, Exposure Calculator can handle non-standard ISO values. For example, it correctly calculates the impact of ISO 250 or ISO 1000 on the Exposure Value, providing a more accurate shutter speed recommendation than standard tables.

### Does Exposure Calculator work on all devices?

Exposure Calculator is available for iPhone and iPad. It requires iOS 4.0 or later and is compatible with iPod Touch devices.

### How often is Exposure Calculator updated?

The latest version of Exposure Calculator is 1.8.22, last updated on December 20, 2025. Updates typically address bug fixes and performance improvements.

### What is the price of Exposure Calculator?

Exposure Calculator is a paid application, priced at $0.99. There are no in-app purchases or subscriptions required after the initial purchase.

### What is the age rating for Exposure Calculator?

Exposure Calculator has an age rating of 4+. This indicates it is suitable for users of all ages and does not contain mature content.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.8.22 — 2025-12-20

Added more cameras to Depth of Field

### 1.8.21 — 2024-12-10

Added a camera Fuji GW690. Bug fixes.

### 1.8.20 — 2024-10-09

Added a new camera for Depth of Field

### 1.8.19 — 2024-01-10

More cameras added

### 1.8.18 — 2023-07-18

Added the sony a1 camera

## Apps similar to Exposure Calculator

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Manual Camera – Focus, ISO, WB](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/manual-camera-focus-iso-wb/id1543743256) | 4.3 (440) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Manual Camera, Pro DSLR \| RAW+](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/manual-camera-pro-dslr-raw-plus/id1152205153) | 4.4 (2,385) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Slow Shutter Cam](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slow-shutter-cam/id357404131) | 4.6 (2,779) | $2.99 | Photo & Video |
| [ProCamera. Professional Camera](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/procamera-professional-camera/id694647259) | 4.7 (11,155) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Night Camera HD](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/night-camera-hd/id562160609) | 4.4 (337) | $12.99 | Photo & Video |
| [Filmic Pro－Video Camera](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/filmic-provideo-camera/id436577167) | 3.7 (10,049) | Free | Photo & Video |

## More apps by Essence Computing

- [Weight Monitor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/weight-monitor/id333177401)
- [Alcohol Units Calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alcohol-units-calculator/id339966988)
- [Depth Of Field Calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/depth-of-field-calculator/id356339910)
- [Fractions Calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fractions-calculator/id365570678)
- [Fractions/Decimals/Fractions](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fractionsdecimalsfractions/id366955739)

All apps by Essence Computing: https://appshunter.io/developer/333177404

## Related topics

[sunny16 exposure calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/sunny16-exposure-calculator) · [camera exposure calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/camera-exposure-calculator) · [fujifilm exposure calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/fujifilm-exposure-calculator) · [exposure studio](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/exposure-studio) · [backstep exposure tracker](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/backstep-exposure-tracker) · [camera exposure calculator pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/camera-exposure-calculator-pro) · [exposure ed](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/exposure-ed) · [ge film exposure calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ge-film-exposure-calculator) · [long exposure buddy](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/long-exposure-buddy) · [exposure calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/exposure-calculator)

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*