Magic Cinema ViewFinder vs Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Magic Cinema ViewFinder
This tool simulates the field of view for specific camera and lens combinations, aiding filmmakers in preproduction. It offers precise framing previews and allows saving shots with detailed information. Users can adjust focus, white balance, and apply color presets.
- Precise framing preview
- Simulates camera/lens field of view
- Save shots with metadata
- Adjust focus and white balance
- Apply color presets (LUTs)
- Supports various Blackmagic cameras
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Magic Cinema ViewFinder presents you a precise framing preview for the real Blackmagic camera/lens combination you'll be shooting with, right where you stand with your iPhone / iPad. It simulates the field of view of any Blackmagic camera or lens and can help thousands of professionals in filmmaking at the preproduction. PLEASE READ: this app does not turn your Apple device into an external monitor, but operates as a stand-alone director's viewfinder. The app contains ad banners, which can be turned off with additional in-app purchase (in 'About the App' menu). The app is a digital directors viewfinder -- it helps you see the exact field of view for your future shot. Select the camera from the menu and rotate the wheel to select the focal length of the lens. Supported cameras: - Blackmagic URSA 4.6K / URSA Mini - Blackmagic URSA - Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro - Blackmagic URSA Broadcast - Blackmagic BMCC, BMPC 4K - Blackmagic Micro Cinema / Pocket / 4K Magic ViewFinder simulates using tele adapters or anamorphic optics on your camera (see menu). From the menu you can also select the aspect ratio of the frame guide overlaying your image. Magic ViewFinder also lets you apply some commonly used color presets (also known as LUTs) to the live picture, which brings you even closer to the final shot. When you have found the right view, you may save it for future reference, with additional data like the focal length, date and time and camera / lens information. While taking a photo, you may lock exposure and turn on and off the auto focus to better control the captured picture. You can set camera to work in constant auto-focus mode, or lock the focus temporarily. You can also tap the live screen to focus on particular objects (which turns on the focus-locked mode). White balance may work in Auto, Locked or Manual mode. If the field of view of your real camera is wider than your in-device camera, the app adds 'padding' around the image, since the device cannot 'see' what is beyond. It is the best solution that we developed first amongst other viewfinder apps. Please note that position of your iPhone/iPad should correspond to the 'nodal point' of your real lens, which is somewhere in the middle of the lens. Ad policy: The ads are designed to appear non-intrusively, and help me to develop. Additional info about the app may be read at: http://dev.kadru.net/index.php/magic-viewfinder/ If you have any issues please email us for a quick support: dev@kadru.net To activate additional settings (i.e. to use all available optical adapters and frame guides) and to turn off advertising, please subscribe to (Option #1) or purchase Premium Features (Option #2) in 'About the App' menu. In-App Purchase Option #1: - Title of service: Premium features: subscription - Length of subscription: a month (auto-renewable) - Contents of service: Turned off ads and additional options for frame guides, optical adapters, anamorphic indices, more LUTs - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase - Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable Terms of Use: http://dev.kadru.net/tos.html In-App Purchase Option #2: - Title of service: Premium features: purchase - Length of subscription: once and forever - Contents of service: Turned off ads and additional options for frame guides, optical adapters, anamorphic indices, more LUTs Privacy Policy: http://dev.kadru.net/privacy_policy/Privacy_Policy_Magic_Cinema_ViewFinder.html
Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic
Control Blackmagic cameras remotely via Bluetooth. Manage multiple cameras simultaneously, adjust settings like white balance, frame rate, and ISO, and even control focus and zoom with external controllers.
- External controller support (Tilta Nucleus)
- Multi-cam control (up to 12 cameras)
- Camera grouping and custom settings
- Remote focus and zoom control
- Start/stop recording
- Adjust white balance, ISO, frame rate
- Digital slate metadata entry
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-- NEW External Controllers -- Connect Tilta Nucleus Nano & Nucleus-M to control Focus, Iris and Zoom, as well as Start & Stop Recording. Zoom and Focus control supported on Pocket 4K only. This is part of the new Pro feature set, which also includes Multi-Cam mode. -- MULTI-CAM MODE -- Multi-Cam Mode is now part of the Pro feature set, and includes these fantastic features: • Control up to 12 Blackmagic cameras at once • Create up to 3 distinct Control Groups, to give you fine-grain control over different settings for different cameras • You can choose to have changes made on one camera automatically update all the other cameras in its Control Group, or control everything straight from Bluetooth+ • Give your cameras Nicknames to quick, easy control Multi-Cam gives you control over the following features synced across an entire Group: • Start/Stop Recording • White Balance + Tint • Project frame rate (off-speed frame rates not supported) • Shutter Angle/Speed • ISO • Overlays • Slate • Trigger Auto-focus You can still control all other settings on a camera-by-camera basis, including: • Trigger stills capture • Iris control • Focus + Zoom (on supported lenses) • Codec + Resolution • Playback control • You can also set ISO specifically, rather than by camera group And of course, everyone has access to all of these amazing features: • Follow Focus (limited support for EF Mount cameras). See below for more info • Zoom Control on supported lenses • Trigger Stills capture • Record Start/Stop • White Balance + Tint, including 5 helpful presets and Auto White Balance • Audio Controls • Trigger Autofocus (for supported electronic lenses with autofocus enabled on lens) • Off-speed frame rates • Aperture (for supported electronic lenses) • Shutter Angle • ISO • Auto-Exposure Control • Active Card • Power On/Off • Monitor Overlays • Codec & Resolution • Enter metadata in the Digital Slate (including location data from your iPhone or iPad if you give permission) • Control Lock - locks critical controls while recording, preventing accidental settings changes during takes -- Follow Focus -- You can now pull focus wirelessly right from your iPhone or iPad. There are some limitations outlined below. • Currently only fully supports Pocket 4K, but as of v1.4 we now have limited support for EF mount cameras - Pocket 6K, Ursa Mini Pro G1 & G2 • The camera does not supply the app with any information on the lenses current focus distance, so the app will not update in real time if you pull focus manually on the lens • Due to the nature of bluetooth, focus pulls may not be 100% smooth. It works well for nice slow pulls, but fast pulls my not feel entirely natural and organic. Unfortunately this is a limitation of the available technology. • On EF mount cameras, we can only offset focus from its current position, with no broader knowledge of where the lens is in its focus range. This means that focus marks are not possible. In addition, focus pulls on EF mount cameras can be quite jerky depending on the lens in use. -- Playback Control -- With Bluetooth+ you can control the playback of clips right from your iOS device. There are some notable limitations at this point. Currently you can: • Start playing a clip, either forwards or backwards • Navigate between clips, either forwards or backwards For now, you will not be able to: • Pause a clip that is already playing • Change the speed of a clip that is already playing • Control clip looping -- Zoom Control -- Control the zoom level on supported lenses. For the most part, this will only work on MFT lenses with electronic zoom. We are currently unaware of EF lenses that support this feature -- Slate-Only Mode -- As the name suggests, this feature locks the app into Slate-Only mode, without the ability to change critical camera settings or start/stop recording. This means you can let an assistant keep metadata up to date without the fear of interfering with important camera settings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Magic Cinema ViewFinder at Free against Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic's $5.99. Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 82). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence 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
Magic Cinema ViewFinder is free to download; Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic costs $5.99 up front. Magic Cinema ViewFinder sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Magic Cinema ViewFinder against 4.7 for Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic has 1.2K ratings behind it against 82, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Magic Cinema ViewFinder's written reviews are positive against 60% of Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic's.
Magic Cinema ViewFinder ships an update every 5 weeks, Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Magic Cinema ViewFinder | Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $5.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (82 ratings) | 4.7 (1.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.0% of reviews — better | 60.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 82 | 1.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #52 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Roman Medvid | We Are Empire PTY LTD |
Customer experience
Magic Cinema ViewFinder
Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic
Bugs and requests
Magic Cinema ViewFinder
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic
Reported bugs
4 issues- Recording issues with high frame rates
- Incorrect codec/resolution display for some cameras
- Focus control not working with certain lenses
- App freezes during playback
Requested features
6 requests- Add ability to take photos remotely
- Implement live video feed from camera
- Allow custom focus preset points
- Improve focus control sensitivity and UI
- Add support for more camera models
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- Integrate Apple Watch remote control
In-app purchases
Magic Cinema ViewFinder
- Premium features: subscription1 Month trial$1.491 Month
- Premium features: purchase$4.99
Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic
- Multi-Cam Control$9.99
- Pro$9.99
Questions
Is Magic Cinema ViewFinder free?
Is Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic free?
Which has better reviews, Magic Cinema ViewFinder or Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic?
Do Magic Cinema ViewFinder or Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic have ads?
Which is updated more often, Magic Cinema ViewFinder or Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic?
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