Comparison

MetaLog vs Light Meter Ultra

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

Head to head
About

MetaLog

This app helps film photographers meticulously record and log photo settings, locations, and equipment details. It offers a simple interface for tracking film rolls, individual shots, and managing your camera gear for cataloging or post-processing.

Highlights
  • Log film roll details (load/unload dates, frames)
  • Record photo settings (lens, aperture, shutter speed, location)
  • Intelligent pre-fill and filtering for quick logging
  • Manage multiple film rolls and cameras
  • Pinpoint photo locations on a map
  • Export logged data as CSV
  • Create a gear inventory with camera/lens details
Read full description

Are you a meticulous film photographer that prefers to record settings/locations for the film photos that you take? Are you looking for a simple and easy to use app for tracking and logging that information? Are you tired of the buggy, crash-prone, or convoluted photo logging apps currently available? I happen to be all of those things. Which is why I developed MetaLog. MetaLog is a simple yet powerful data logging utility for photographers who want to quickly record photo metadata for photo cataloging or EXIF tagging during post-processing. In addition to keeping track of the settings for each photo, MetaLog can also act as an equipment inventory for your gear. Feature Highlights: • See all of your added film rolls at a glance, including the number of frames added to each roll, as well as load/unload dates to show which rolls are still in use. • Quickly log settings for each photo including date, lens, aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, as well as location coordinates, accessories, and notes about the shot. • Intelligent pre-fill and filtering for dates, locations, and equipment, making adding new frames a snap. • Easily manage multiple rolls loaded into multiple cameras simultaneously. • Pinpoint photo locations with a simple and familiar pinch-and-zoom map interface. • Export all logged data as convenient CSV files. • Gear pages can record camera and lens models as well as serial numbers, allowing for a complete gear inventory that's handy for tracking and insurance.

About

Light Meter Ultra

This app provides precise light metering for film photography, eliminating the need for external hardware. It offers various metering modes and customizable profiles to ensure perfect exposures for manual cameras. Advanced features like reciprocity failure correction are available with a PRO plan.

Highlights
  • Aperture Priority Metering
  • Shutter Priority Metering
  • Exposure Priority Metering
  • Customizable ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture
  • Exposure Compensation
  • Reciprocity Failure Correction
  • Custom Camera Profiles
Read full description

Fast, precise and easy to use. Get perfect exposures every time. No additional hardware required. Say goodbye to arcane Sunny 16. Figuring out the best exposure settings for your manual camera doesn’t have to be difficult. Light Meter Ultra for iPhone gives you the exact readings you need for your camera by simply pointing your device at the scene. Precise measurements mean you can dial in the perfect exposure settings for capturing the widest dynamic range, whilst customizable shooting profiles allow you to switch between settings with a single tap. Download now and take advantage of our free plan which includes our precision Aperture Priority metering mode, limited settings, and single-use shooting profiles. Or choose one of our PRO plans and gain access to everything the app has to offer, including our full suite of professional metering modes, quick-select reusable shooting profiles, plus advanced features such as reciprocity failure correction that you won't find elsewhere. Capture your creative vision with powerful features, including: - Aperture Priority Metering Mode - Shutter Priority Metering Mode* - Exposure Priority Metering Mode* - Stop increment selection of full, half or third stops* - Customizable ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture ranges* - Exposure Compensation - Exposure Lock - Sample Offset - Custom Camera Profiles* - Detachable Lens Profiles* - Film/Emulsion Profiles* - Bulb-mode* - Reciprocity Failure Correction* *Features marked with an asterisk require an active PRO plan Download now and start metering on your iPhone today. Terms of Use: https://lightmeterultra.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://lightmeterultra.com/privacy

Screenshots

MetaLog4 screens
Light Meter Ultra4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Light Meter Ultra at Free against MetaLog's $0.99. Light Meter Ultra also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.8) and ratings volume (738 vs 12). MetaLog's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and review sentiment (67% vs 38%). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Light Meter Ultra is free to download; MetaLog costs $0.99 up front. Light Meter Ultra sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. MetaLog asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Light Meter Ultra holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Light Meter Ultra has 738 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of MetaLog's written reviews are positive against 38% of Light Meter Ultra's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MetaLog ships an update every 3 weeks, Light Meter Ultra every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
MetaLog versus Light Meter Ultra: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMetaLogLight Meter Ultra
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.8 (12 ratings)4.7 (738 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better37.9% of reviews
Number of ratings12738 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB81 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristopher CurzioUltrafine

Customer experience

MetaLog

All ratings12 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative26.7%

Light Meter Ultra

All ratings738 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral2.4%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews87 reviews
Positive37.9%
Neutral11.5%
Negative50.6%

Bugs and requests

MetaLog

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Light Meter Ultra

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Camera integration issues causing failed exposures
  • Inconsistent metering results compared to standalone meters

Requested features

4 requests
  • Offline mode for remote shooting
  • Wider aperture and shutter speed range
  • Support for more camera/film types
  • Customizable exposure bias/compensation

In-app purchases

None

MetaLog

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Light Meter Ultra

Subscriptions3
  • Light Meter7 Days trial2 variants$7.997 Days
  • Light Meter2 variants$11.991 Month
  • Light Meter2 variants$39.991 Year

Questions

Is MetaLog free?
MetaLog costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Light Meter Ultra free?
Light Meter Ultra is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MetaLog or Light Meter Ultra?
Light Meter Ultra is rated higher. MetaLog averages 3.8 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Light Meter Ultra averages 4.7 from 738 ratings.
Do MetaLog or Light Meter Ultra have ads?
Neither MetaLog nor Light Meter Ultra shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MetaLog or Light Meter Ultra?
MetaLog ships an update every 3 weeks, and Light Meter Ultra every 8 days. Most recently, MetaLog was updated on October 24, 2026 and Light Meter Ultra on October 25, 2026.

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