Comparison

Viewfinder Preview vs Phonochrome

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

Phonochrome

Read full description

Phonochrome turns the photos on your iPhone into mirrored black-and-white negatives for your darkroom enlarger and offers unique timing tools – known from your analogue darkroom workflow. Load any photo and the app immediately converts it into a monochrome, mirrored negative on your screen. From there, you fine-tune it for analogue printing. Then place your iPhone in the enlarger where the negative carrier normally sits and expose real silver-gelatin paper using your existing lens, column, and easel. Features: - Automatically converts photos into mirrored black-and-white negatives ready to enlarge in an analogue darkroom process - Maximum screen brightness locked for consistent, repeatable exposures - Adjustment controls for exposure, contrast, highlights, and shadows - Optional grain overlay for a film-like texture - Test strip assistant with adjustable time per segment and base exposure - Final exposure assistant and timer - Audio metronome for manual exposures

Screenshots

Viewfinder Preview3 screens
Phonochrome4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Viewfinder Preview at $4.99 against Phonochrome's $9.99. Viewfinder Preview also leads on chart position (#135 vs unranked) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 6 months). On ads and in-app purchases 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

Viewfinder Preview costs $4.99 and Phonochrome $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Viewfinder Preview ships an update every 3 months, Phonochrome every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Viewfinder Preview versus Phonochrome: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterViewfinder PreviewPhonochrome
Price$4.99 — better$9.99
Rating4.7 (301 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews86.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings301 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#135 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdam FowlerChristoph Hoehmann

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
Show 6 more
  • 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)
Show 15 more
  • 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

Phonochrome

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Viewfinder Preview

No in-app purchases

None

Phonochrome

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Viewfinder Preview free?
Viewfinder Preview costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Phonochrome free?
Phonochrome costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Viewfinder Preview or Phonochrome have ads?
Neither Viewfinder Preview nor Phonochrome shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Viewfinder Preview or Phonochrome?
Viewfinder Preview ships an update every 3 months, and Phonochrome every 6 months. Most recently, Viewfinder Preview was updated on November 11, 2026 and Phonochrome on November 10, 2026.

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