pCAM Pro vs starCTRL
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Depth of Field calculations
- Field of View preview
- Focal Length matching
- Exposure calculations
- HMI Flicker-free settings
- Speed Booster adapter calculations
- VFX tracking markers
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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."
starCTRL
Design custom lighting setups with this app. Connect and control compatible fixtures, adjusting color, intensity, and effects. Save presets and group lights for complex designs.
- Auto-discovery of compatible fixtures
- Control lamp color and intensity
- Adjust color temperature and green offset
- Access built-in lighting effects
- Group lights for larger designs
- Save favorite colors and effects
- Set smooth transitions with fade times
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Designed for Litepanels Astra IP and Quasar Science Rainbow 2 and Double Rainbow, starCTRL is a simple-to-use app that allows users to connect wirelessly, create custom lighting designs and quickly adjust standard parameters. Unlock fast and creative lighting designs with the starCTRL app. 1. Connect instantly The starCTRL app is compatible with the following fixtures: - Quasar Science Rainbow 2 and Double Rainbow - Litepanels Astra IP series Supported fixtures are automatically discovered by starCTRL for fast easy setup. Simply set your lights to starCTRL mode in the fixture menu and open the starCTRL app — it’s that simple! 2. Control simply Take full control of your lights from your fingertips. Quasar Science control parameters: Intensity, CCT (1750-10000K), ±Green, Hue, Saturation, Output Mode, and FX Litepanels Astra IP control parameters: DIM and CCT (2700-6500K) Quickly adjust color and temperature using common presets. Access the full range of Rainbow series lighting effects, with the ability to fine-tune individual effect parameters. 3. Customize Group lights for more complex designs. Apply settings to an entire group or fine-tune individual fixtures. Save your own Colors and FX settings to Favorites for quick recall onto any selected fixture or group. Enable smooth transitions by setting a fade time of up to 5 seconds. Firmware Requirements Rainbow 2 & Double Rainbow - Recommended*: QS 0.9B with TimoTwo v1.1.1.5 - Minimum compatible: QS 0.8B with TimoTwo v1.0.7.2 *iOS26 users must update to recommended versions or later Litepanels Astra IP - Firmware v1.5.0 with VLPM v1.0.2m (or later)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: pCAM Pro at 97% against starCTRL's 25%. pCAM Pro also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.9) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 months). starCTRL's advantage is price (Free vs $34.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). 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
starCTRL is free to download; pCAM Pro costs $34.99 up front. pCAM Pro sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. starCTRL asks for nothing beyond the download.
pCAM Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: pCAM Pro has 221 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 97% of pCAM Pro's written reviews are positive against 25% of starCTRL's.
pCAM Pro ships an update every 9 days, starCTRL every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | pCAM Pro | starCTRL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $34.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (221 ratings) — better | 2.9 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 97.4% of reviews — better | 25.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 221 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #167 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | David Eubank | Videndum Production Solutions, Inc. |
Customer experience
pCAM Pro
starCTRL
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
starCTRL
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
pCAM Pro
- Small Tip$1.99
- Medium Tip$4.99
- Large Tip$7.99
starCTRL
No in-app purchases









