Lightme vs ObscuraFlex
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lightme
This app helps analog photographers meticulously track their film rolls, shots, and development processes. It allows for detailed logging of gear and consumables, with features for data visualization and export. Users can also manage film holders and add post-development notes with photos of final results.
- Log film rolls, shots, and development
- Track gear and consumables
- Data visualization with graphs/histograms
- Data export in JSON/CSV formats
- Manage large format film holders
- Post-development notes with photos
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Lightme - Logbook is a clean and powerful tool to record and keep track of your rolls, shots, developments, and all the gear that revolves around shooting film — from 35mm to medium and large format. The idea behind it is simple: logging a shot should take seconds, not steal time from actually shooting. Lightme pairs a beautiful, immediate interface with enough depth and flexibility to fit any workflow, whether you shoot a couple of rolls a year or fill several large format holders in an afternoon. LOGGING, EFFORTLESSLY • Log a shot in seconds: aperture, shutter speed, focal length, filters, bellows correction, measured EV, notes and more • Log straight from your wrist with the companion Apple Watch app, with Siri and Shortcuts, or from the home screen and lock screen widgets • Together with the Lightme Lightmeter app, your meter readings can prefill a new shot automatically • Every shot can carry a location and address, a preview photo, and later its final scan, plus a star rating ROLLS, SHEETS AND DEVELOPMENTS • Track rolls from loading to unloading, with film stocks from a growing database and a processing pipeline: waiting for development, off to the lab, back from the lab, to be scanned, scanned • Keep detailed development notes — developer, dilution, time, temperature, agitation — for rolls and single sheets alike, including push/pull (N+ / N-) development • Add post-development notes and a photo of the final result to rolls, sheets and individual shots YOUR GEAR, ORGANIZED • Cameras and lenses with nicknames, formats (including custom formats you define), pinhole and bellows flags, custom shutter speeds and selectable shutter step sizes • Roll film backs and lens filters with their exposure compensation • Film holders and backs can be marked as compatible with specific cameras, and everything is searchable from a single bar LARGE FORMAT, COVERED • Keep track of your film holders with three states — unloaded, loaded and exposed — always knowing which film is inside each one • Group holders together and follow every sheet from exposure through development INSIGHTS FROM YOUR DATA • Build and save custom queries, filtering by date (fixed or rolling windows), camera, lens, film stock, format, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, focal length and notes • Visualize results with histograms — by camera, lens, film stock, shutter speed, aperture, focal length, ISO, format, rating or hour of the day — alongside aggregate stats like mean aperture and average exposure • Save the queries you use most and re-run them anytime YOUR DATA, YOURS • Everything syncs privately through iCloud across your iPhone and iPad • Export any selection of data as CSV or JSON, or as a beautifully formatted PDF with customizable columns and a contact-sheet mode, bundled with your images in a single ZIP • Batch-write shooting metadata (EXIF) onto your scans — for a whole roll at once, or by matching files from the Files app • Viewing and exporting your data is free, forever; adding and editing is unlocked with a one-time purchase or a subscription AND MORE • Full-text search, favourites and an archive to keep things tidy • Available in English, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese • A roadmap of what's coming next lives right in the app — new very cool features are on the way :) If you have any suggestion or issue, write me at lightme.apps@gmail.com Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
ObscuraFlex
This app provides a high-resolution, right-side-up live feed of your large format camera's image plane. It enhances composition and focusing, offering greater detail and clarity than a standard ground glass. Use it to shoot stills, video, or reference images alongside your film negatives.
- High-resolution live feed
- Right-side-up image display
- Composition and focusing aid
- Supports various large format cameras
- Capture stills and video
- Reference image creation
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ObscuraFlex is a camera app designed for use with the ObscuraFlex™ large format camera viewfinder adapter for cameras including 4x5 Graflex, Linhof, Chamonix, and some vintage Polaroid cameras. The app provides a high resolution live feed of your large format camera's image plane (ie: ground glass) rotated to reverse the upside-down image created by any traditional optical system. When using the camera adapter as a composition and focusing aid for large format film photography the ObscuraFlex™ provides a greater level of detail and clarity than working with a standard ground glass, and with an image that's right-side-up! You can also use the adapter with this app (or other camera app) to shoot stills, video, or reference images to accompany your film negatives.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ObscuraFlex at none against Lightme's 8. ObscuraFlex also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 75%). Lightme's advantage is ratings volume (104 vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating 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. Lightme sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. ObscuraFlex asks for nothing beyond the download.
ObscuraFlex holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lightme has 104 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Lightme's written reviews are positive against 100% of ObscuraFlex's.
Lightme ships an update every 2 weeks, ObscuraFlex every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lightme | ObscuraFlex |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (104 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 104 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Giuseppe Bertolini | Toby Wilkins |
Customer experience
Lightme
ObscuraFlex
In-app purchases
Lightme
- 1 Cappuccino7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Focaccia Barese7 Days trial$12.991 Year
- Spaghetti Carbonara7 Days trial$29.991 Year
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- Homemade Pizza party7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- A smile :)Free
- Box of Prosecco$59.99
- Fuel for my '90s camper$119.99
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- Terme for two$239.99
ObscuraFlex
No in-app purchases









