ARC II vs Datacolor LightColor Meter
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ARC II
Control your Arc II unit to capture professional videos and time-lapses. Features automatic face tracking, manual video control with keyframes, and real-time remote operation. Easily set up time-lapses and trigger your camera's shutter.
- Automatic Face Tracking
- Manual Video Control with Keyframes
- Real-time Remote Control
- Time-Lapse Setup
- Camera Shutter Triggering
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Use this app to control your Arc II unit to capture incredible videos and time-lapses. There are multiple modes to choose from depending on what you’re filming. Automatic Face Tracking - Get in the frame and start filming. Arc II tracks your movement and keeps you in the shot. Change the framing, tracking speed, and even loop your slider for interview shots. Note: this mode requires you to mount your phone to your camera. See our website for the Camera Phone Mount. Video Mode - Use the intuitive trackpads to setup your move. Create keyframes to adjust up to 4 axis of movement. Remote Control - Use the trackpads to control Arc II and your Rhino Slider in real time. Loop your slider when you want to focus on nailing your pan/tilt move. You can lock off individual axis for more precise control and even change the sensitivity of the pad. Time-Lapse - Setup a time-lapse in minutes with the easy-to-use controls. Arc II can also trigger your camera’s shutter to eliminate motion blur. Note: shutter triggering requires a shutter release cable that can be purchased on our website.
Datacolor LightColor Meter
This pocket-sized device streams real-time light and color data to your smartphone, offering precise control over exposure and color consistency for photos, videos, and cinema. It measures various light types and color parameters, and includes gel filter libraries for creative adjustments.
- Real-time light and color data streaming
- Exposure and lighting ratio control
- Color consistency across setups
- Measures Lux, Chromaticity, CCT, DUV
- Includes gel filter libraries
- Simultaneous measurements from multiple meters
- Hands-free functionality
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· The Datacolor LightColor Meter is a Bluetooth-enabled, multifunctional tool that fits in your pocket, continuously streaming both light and color data in real-time, to your smartphone. · Perfect for photos, videos, cinema and hybrid photo/video shoots, the LightColor Meter takes the guesswork out of exposure settings, giving you better control of lighting ratios as well as color consistency across varied lighting conditions and multiple camera setups. · The Datacolor LightColor Meter accurately measures all types of lighting, from fluctuating outdoor light, mixed natural/artificial location lighting, plus any type of studio lighting, including continuous lighting and strobe/flash. · It goes beyond a regular light meter to also measure color temperature, Lux, Chromaticity, CCT and DUV. Additionally, the device comes with filter libraries from Profoto®, LEE® and Rosco® to help you choose the right color gels for functional or creative color adjustments. · The rugged, travel-friendly device goes anywhere you’re shooting, providing you with a wireless versatility that lets you easily fine-tune your lighting and exposure without having to leave your camera. · You can attach the device to a light stand or tripod, use the through-hole for lanyards to hang the meter where needed, use the alligator clip that’s included to attach the LightColor Meter to clothing or other fabrics or use the rare earth magnet on the back of the device for easy magnetic attachment. · You can seamlessly sync multiple Datacolor LightColor Meters to get light and color temperature measurements from several locations simultaneously. The device accurately measures light and color temperature from a distance of up to 80 feet, allowing you to cover wide areas and is perfect for ensuring uniform lighting for green screens for easy and effective chroma keying in post-production. Key Feature Highlights o Incident Metering for Ambient & Flash o Mobile App/Wireless Bluetooth 4.0 LE o Photo, Video, Cine Exposure Modes o Measures Lux, Chromaticity, CCT, and +/- Green (Duv) o Measures Any Kind of Light Source o Color Temperature Range: 1,600K - 20,000K o Luminance Range: 1.0 - 1,000,000 lux o Cine Settings: Frame Rate, Shutter Angle/Speed & ND Filter Compensation o HSS Flash & Flash Duration Measurements o Included: Gel Filter Libraries from Profoto®, LEE® and Rosco® o Simultaneous Measurements from Multiple Meters Up to 80 ft Away o Hands-Free Functionality - incl. Magnet, ¼”-20 Mount o Cord-in (PC Sync) o Custom Exposure Profiles
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ARC II at 2.4 against Datacolor LightColor Meter's 1.7. ARC II also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Datacolor LightColor Meter's advantage is review sentiment (17% vs 0%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ARC II holds the better App Store score, 2.4 against 1.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18 and 7 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of ARC II's written reviews are positive against 17% of Datacolor LightColor Meter's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
ARC II ships an update every 10 days, Datacolor LightColor Meter fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ARC II | Datacolor LightColor Meter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.4 (18 ratings) — better | 1.7 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 16.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 18 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rhino Camera Gear | Datacolor Inc. |
Customer experience
ARC II
Datacolor LightColor Meter
In-app purchases
ARC II
No in-app purchases
Datacolor LightColor Meter
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ARC II free?
Is Datacolor LightColor Meter free?
Which has better reviews, ARC II or Datacolor LightColor Meter?
Do ARC II or Datacolor LightColor Meter have ads?
Which is updated more often, ARC II or Datacolor LightColor Meter?
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