Comparison

pCAM Pro vs ThunderCam

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

Head to head
About

pCAM Pro

This app provides 27 essential tools for cinematography and photography professionals and students. It offers instant calculations for depth of field, field of view, exposure, and more, with a user-friendly interface designed for on-the-go use.

Highlights
  • Depth of Field calculations
  • Field of View preview
  • Focal Length matching
  • Exposure calculations
  • HMI Flicker-free settings
  • Speed Booster adapter calculations
  • VFX tracking markers
Features
Read full description

Plan shots, choose lenses, calculate exposure, and pre-visualize the frame in seconds. 27 pro tools. Every result illustrated. 2,000+ camera formats plus unlimited user-defined formats. I've deliberately kept pCAM Pro a one-time purchase, with none of the subscriptions that have crept into so many apps. • Universal app for iPhone, iPad, Apple Silicon Mac, and Apple Vision Pro • Depth of Field (hyperfocal, total depth, near and far, image circle) • Field of View (and angle of view) • Field of View Preview in both Portrait & Landscape camera positions (8 images to pre-visualize & size shots by distance & focal length) • Focal Length (lens) Matching — match to horizontal, vertical, or diagonal dimensions • Relative Size (compares sensors) • Exposure calculations • HMI Flicker-free (safe shutters & safe camera speeds) • Reference (technical charts, lists & tables. Cine film stocks with film can labels, cine lens specs, false color/exposure change, diopter distance table, miniature shooting, safe panning speeds, zone system) • Insert Slate (4 font colors plus white or black backgrounds) • Splits — Aperture Finder calculation • Speed Booster® Adapter — calculate reduced Focal Length & Boosted Aperture with various adapters. Also create camera format profiles with attached adapters for use in other tools • Eye Light (soft-edged light shapes — Full Screen, Oval, Ring, and Strip) • Chroma Key & VFX Tracking (green and blue screen and VFX tracking markers) • Light Effects for handheld light or via Apple AirPlay to HDTV. Includes templates for: fire, television, siren, neon, strobe, flashbulb, lightning. Create unlimited custom animations • Mired Shift — Gel Selector • Conversion calculator • 4 Test Charts (incl. Siemens Star) • Triangulate calculation (calculate distances, image circle, etc.) • Film Running Time to Length • Shooting to Screen Time • Color Correction (chooses color correction filters) • Time Lapse (shooting interval, event duration, screen time) • Scene Illumination (beam intensity) • Light Coverage (width/distance) • Underwater Distance • Diopter (lens focus, diopter power) • Macro (object distance, magnification, corrected stop, DoF, object size, image size, fill percentage) • Built-in user guides on each screen • Calculates instantly & automatically as each entry is entered • 2,000+ camera formats plus unlimited customizable, user-defined camera formats, CoC & filters • Designed by a working camera technician who understands that calculations must be done simply and on-the-run AND ONE THING THAT ISN'T A CALCULATOR Crew Wheel — spin to settle who's buying the coffee. Not a tool, just a small gift for the standing-around time. Every long day needs one. TRUSTED WORLDWIDE BY DPs, Photographers, Camera Assistants, Camera Operators, Production Designers, VFX, Videographers, Gaffers, plus Film, Television, and Digital Media students. INDUSTRY RECOGNITION • Membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Production and Technology Branch). • 75th Primetime Emmy Awards — Emmy® for "Outstanding Achievement in Engineering, Science & Technology" from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. • 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards — Engineering Plaque for "Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development" from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. • Technical Achievement Award from Society of Camera Operators — "For outstanding contributions to cinematography through the design and development of the pCAM Film+Digital Calculator."

About

ThunderCam

Features
Read full description

ThunderCam is a camera app that automatically triggers your camera shutter when lighting occurs in the sky. Put your iPhone on a tripod, point it at the sky and let it do the work! Shutter is released at significant change of brightness between following frames. An app can shoot still and Live Photo, and it supports all available iPhone rear lenses. LivePhoto is recommended as you can manually pick the best captured frame. Features: - automatic photo taking at significant changes in brightness - still and Live Photo - wide, ultra wide and telephoto lens

Screenshots

pCAM Pro4 screens
ThunderCam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ThunderCam at $2.99 against pCAM Pro's $34.99. ThunderCam also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (14.1 vs 17.0). pCAM Pro's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 39 months) and chart position (#141 vs unranked). On ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

pCAM Pro costs $34.99 and ThunderCam $2.99 up front. pCAM Pro sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. ThunderCam asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

pCAM Pro ships an update weekly, ThunderCam every 39 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
pCAM Pro versus ThunderCam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterpCAM ProThunderCam
Price$34.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.9 (222 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews97.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings222 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 39 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#141 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.014.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid EubankTomasz Lukaszyk

Bugs and requests

pCAM Pro

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • None explicitly mentioned, but feature requests imply areas for improvement.

Requested features

3 requests
  • Access iPhone camera for exact POV simulation
  • Implement a night mode
  • Relocate hyperfocal 'apply' button in Depth-of-Field calculator

ThunderCam

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

pCAM Pro

One-time3
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
  • Large Tip$7.99
None

ThunderCam

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is pCAM Pro free?
pCAM Pro costs $34.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is ThunderCam free?
ThunderCam costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do pCAM Pro or ThunderCam have ads?
Neither pCAM Pro nor ThunderCam shows ads.
Which is updated more often, pCAM Pro or ThunderCam?
pCAM Pro ships an update weekly, and ThunderCam every 39 months. Most recently, pCAM Pro was updated on October 24, 2026 and ThunderCam on October 14, 2026.

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