Comparison

Darkroom Lab Timer vs ProFilm Meter

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Darkroom Lab Timer

This advanced timer app is designed for photographic processes like C-41, E-6, and B&W. It offers customizable steps, separate agitation sequences, and helpful tools like a volume mixer and safelight simulation.

Highlights
  • Customizable steps
  • Separate agitation sequences
  • Process templates
  • Volume and dilution mixer
  • Safelight simulation
Features
Read full description

The Darkroom Lab Timer App is an advanced multi-phase timer designed for use with C-41, E-6, ECN-2, RA-4 and B&W photographic processes. Key Features: Up to 25 customizable steps Separate agitation sequences for each step Templates for easy configuration Volume and Dilution Mixer Safelight simulation modes

About

ProFilm Meter

This app acts as a comprehensive light meter and exposure toolkit for film photographers. It supports various film formats and calculates complex exposure adjustments like reciprocity failure and bellows compensation. Features include real-time metering, film stock libraries, and flash metering.

Highlights
  • Precision reflected-light meter
  • On-device film stock library
  • Reciprocity failure correction
  • Bellows compensation calculation
  • RA4 Color Reversal estimates
  • Flash metering and trigger
  • Lens-independent viewfinder zoom
Read full description

ProFilm Meter is the most complete light meter and exposure toolkit for film photographers. From 35mm to 8×10 large format, dry plates to tintypes, it handles every calculation you'd normally reach for three separate tools to solve — all offline, all in real time. LIGHT METERING Your phone's camera becomes a precision reflected-light meter. Choose spot, center-weighted, or average metering and dial in exposure with ⅓-stop, full-stop, or any combination of increment sets running simultaneously. A live RGB histogram keeps highlight and shadow zones in view at all times. Native per-frame ISO, shutter, and aperture capture at ~10 fps Multi-point metering: average 2–4 scene readings into one exposure value Tap-to-focus and multi-lens camera selection Adaptive EV smoothing adjusts for scene changes automatically Screen stays awake during active metering sessions CALIBRATION Two-point guided calibration locks each camera to a trusted reference. After calibration, a fine-tune step lets you match any external meter in ⅓-stop increments. Uncalibrated cameras are gated with a full-screen prompt so you never shoot on an unmeasured body. FILM STOCKS & RECIPROCITY An on-device film stock library covers 35mm, 120, and large format emulsions — including the full Zebra Dry Plate collection. Every stock carries its own reciprocity profile. Eight built-in profiles (Acros II, T-Max, HP5+, Portra, Fomapan, Zebra, and more) plus full custom profile creation, including Schwarzschild p-factor and optional threshold. Add custom film formats and reciprocity profiles inline, without leaving the film stock screen. COMPENSATIONS Reciprocity failure — corrected automatically for exposures beyond threshold Bellows compensation — calculated stop-for-stop from draw and focal length RA4 Color Reversal — estimates scene color temperature and gives you Mired-shift filter corrections for color positives; works in both ambient and flash mode Spectral sensitivity — metering coefficients adjusted for panchromatic, orthochromatic, and blue-sensitive emulsions Lens filters — ND (1–10 stops), polarizer, yellow/orange/red/green contrast filters, R72 and deep IR, plus custom filters Positive/reversal process — +0.5 stop compensation, auto-enabled for tintype stocks UV/environmental compensation — adjustable for altitude and atmospheric conditions IR Light Estimator — dedicated tool for infrared exposure estimation FLASH Flash metering detects incident flash via fast polling with peak-hold and sticky arming. A built-in flash trigger supports Optical Slave (fires the LED torch to trip slaved units) and Cable Sync (audio click for USB-C to PC-sync adapters). VIEWFINDER A lens-independent viewfinder zoom gives consistent framing regardless of which physical lens the phone uses. Overlay your chosen film format frame lines and compose like you're looking through a director's viewfinder. FIELD JOURNAL Save any exposure to the journal with one tap. Each entry records ISO, aperture, shutter speed, EV, reciprocity correction, RA4 and spectral corrections, GPS coordinates, and a cropped preview photo. Entries are exportable and shareable. EXTRA TOOLS Depth of Field Calculator — for any format and focal length Zebra Exposure Guide — zone-system reference for dry plate work Alternative Processes Meter — cyanotype, platinum, salt print, and more Step Wedge Tool — exposure planning for contact printing Rolling Shutter Calculator — flash sync safety for focal-plane shutters 20 FILM FORMATS 35mm · 6×4.5 · 6×6 · 6×7 · 6×9 · 4×5 · 5×7 · 8×10 · 9×12cm · 10×10 · 10×12 · 11×14 · 12×12 · 13×18cm · 20×24 · Sixth Plate · Quarter Plate · Half Plate · Whole Plate · custom dimensions 7 LANGUAGES English · Slovenian · Spanish · French · German · Japanese · Simplified Chinese PRIVACY All metering and calculation runs entirely on-device. No account required. No data leaves your phone.

Screenshots

Darkroom Lab Timer4 screens
ProFilm Meter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ProFilm Meter at 5.0 against Darkroom Lab Timer's 3.0. ProFilm Meter also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 70%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 11 months). Darkroom Lab Timer's advantage is price ($8.99 vs $14.99) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and chart position there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Darkroom Lab Timer costs $8.99 and ProFilm Meter $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ProFilm Meter holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Darkroom Lab Timer's written reviews are positive against 100% of ProFilm Meter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Darkroom Lab Timer ships an update every 11 months, ProFilm Meter weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Darkroom Lab Timer versus ProFilm Meter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDarkroom Lab TimerProFilm Meter
Price$8.99 — better$14.99
Rating3.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#195#114 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFreestyle Photo & ImagingScott Henderson

Customer experience

Darkroom Lab Timer

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative20.0%

ProFilm Meter

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Darkroom Lab Timer

No in-app purchases

None

ProFilm Meter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Darkroom Lab Timer free?
Darkroom Lab Timer costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ProFilm Meter free?
ProFilm Meter costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Darkroom Lab Timer or ProFilm Meter?
ProFilm Meter is rated higher. Darkroom Lab Timer averages 3.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while ProFilm Meter averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Darkroom Lab Timer or ProFilm Meter have ads?
Neither Darkroom Lab Timer nor ProFilm Meter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Darkroom Lab Timer or ProFilm Meter?
Darkroom Lab Timer ships an update every 11 months, and ProFilm Meter weekly. Most recently, Darkroom Lab Timer was updated on October 7, 2026 and ProFilm Meter on October 2, 2026.
Which is more popular, Darkroom Lab Timer or ProFilm Meter?
Darkroom Lab Timer currently peaks at #195 in the App Store charts, and ProFilm Meter at #114. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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