Viewfinder Preview vs sMoteWatch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Viewfinder Preview
Preview camera framing for any camera and lens combination. Select film/sensor size and focal length to visualize framing before setting up your main camera. Ideal for photographers and filmmakers for pre-visualization, location scouting, and storyboarding.
- Camera and lens framing preview
- Customizable film/sensor formats
- Configurable light meter
- Photo capture with metadata
- Photo gallery with data display
- Album and PDF creation
- Film stock emulation
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Viewfinder Preview is an iPhone app for previewing camera framing for any combination of camera and lens. Instead of spending all that time setting up your big camera, just choose your desired film/sensor size and focal length in the app and point the iPhone camera at what you want to photo to verify framing. If you are happy with the framing then you can get the big camera out. The app has a large database of camera sensors details and film formats but if the format you desire isn’t there you can add your own custom format. The app is targeted at stills photographers or film makers working in either film or digital. If you don’t have your big camera with you, Viewfinder Preview is still great for photo sketching, location scouting or story boarding. The app includes - Customisable menus so you can include the film/sensor formats and focal lengths you care about. - A fully configurable light meter. - You can take photos with it, so you have a record of shots you were framing. - Photos taken with the app include additional data that describe the film format, focal length and lighting meter settings at the time the shot was taken - Add notes to your photos - A photo gallery for viewing photos taken with the app which also displays the additional data - Share images in emails, messages - Create albums of photos from the same project, trip etc - Create PDF documents of albums - Film stock emulation - Wide angle lens adapter support
sMoteWatch
Control your Sony camera remotely using Bluetooth LE from your watch. This affordable app allows for focus acquisition and picture taking, as well as bulb mode control. A visual indicator shows focus and shutter status.
- Bluetooth LE camera remote
- Focus acquisition and capture
- Bulb mode control
- Shutter status indicator
- Affordable alternative to physical remotes
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Bluetooth LE remote Watch App for Sony cameras (see compatibility list below). An affordable alternative to physical remotes. Perfect for any situation you would like to remote control your Sony camera without cables using Bluetooth. The pressing the remote button will (just like on the camera) acquire focus and then take the picture. It can also be used in bulb mode, one press opens the shutter, next press close the shutter. A red ring around the button indicates that the shutter is open. A green ring around the button indicates that focus is acquired. Compatibility List [E-Mount] ILCE-6100 ILCE-6400 (with latest software version) ILCE-6600 ILCE-7C ILCE-7M3 (software version. Ver.3.00 or later) ILCE-7RM3 (software version. Ver.3.00 or later) ILCE-7RM3A ILCE-7SM3 ILCE-7M4 ILCE-7RM4 ILCE-7RM4A ILCE-7RM5 ILCE-1 ILCE-9 (with latest software version) ILCE-9M2 ZV-E10 [Compact cameras] DSC-RX0M2 (software version. Ver.3.00 or later) DSC-RX100M7 ZV-1 ZV-1F
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Viewfinder Preview at every 3 months against sMoteWatch's every 16 months. Viewfinder Preview also leads on ratings volume (295 vs 1) and chart position (#60 vs unranked). sMoteWatch's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and price ($0.99 vs $4.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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
Viewfinder Preview costs $4.99 and sMoteWatch $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
sMoteWatch holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Viewfinder Preview has 295 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Viewfinder Preview's written reviews are positive against 100% of sMoteWatch's.
Viewfinder Preview ships an update every 3 months, sMoteWatch every 16 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Viewfinder Preview | sMoteWatch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $0.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (295 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 86.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 295 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 16 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #60 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Adam Fowler | Mikael Soderstrom |
Customer experience
Viewfinder Preview
sMoteWatch
Bugs and requests
Viewfinder Preview
Reported bugs
11 issues- White screen on startup
- App crashes repeatedly
- Exposure offset resets when app closes
- Notes and shot data disappear after weeks
- In-app purchase screen loops indefinitely
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- Focal length inaccuracy on iPhone 14 Pro
- Manual metering mode shows darker frame than preview
- Tiny 1px border on cropped images
- Battery drains excessively
- App not loading on iOS 16
- Glitches requiring app restart
Requested features
20 requests- Embed camera/lens metadata directly in saved images
- Save custom film stock names
- Persistent exposure offset settings
- More film stock options (Kodak Gold 200, Fuji 400H, Catlabs 320 Pro, Ilford XP2, etc.)
- Lower ISO settings (support for ISO 0.5 and below)
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- Additional aspect ratios (6x17, 65x24)
- Save images with exposure data as overlay or separate versions
- Grid lines and level indicators
- Focus distance display
- Telephoto lens support (65mm-400mm)
- Wider focal lengths (below 35mm)
- Camera profile presets for quick switching
- Custom aperture values (e.g., f/3.5)
- Shift lens simulation for architectural photography
- Watermark saved photos with camera data
- Toggle HDR on/off for better film simulation
- Video tutorial or in-app help guide
- Ability to disable auto-display of config on images
- Telephoto lens compatibility
- Correct focal length rendering for newer iPhone models
sMoteWatch
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Viewfinder Preview
No in-app purchases
sMoteWatch
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Viewfinder Preview free?
Is sMoteWatch free?
Which has better reviews, Viewfinder Preview or sMoteWatch?
Do Viewfinder Preview or sMoteWatch have ads?
Which is updated more often, Viewfinder Preview or sMoteWatch?
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