Comparison

LightScope vs Miniature Lens

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

Head to head
About

LightScope

This app uses your device's camera to measure and analyze various light properties, including illuminance, luminous intensity, and color temperature. It offers real-time histograms, contrast ratio, and noise measurements, with options for image capture and history tracking.

Highlights
  • Illuminance (lux) measurement
  • Luminous intensity (candela) calculation
  • Color temperature (K) analysis
  • Real-time histogram
  • Contrast ratio measurement
  • Image capture and storage
  • Measurement history and trends
Features
Read full description

LightScope is a comprehensive solution providing professional light measurement and analysis using your iOS device's camera sensor. 【Key Measurement Features】 • Illuminance (lux) Measurement: Calculates accurate illuminance by analyzing EXIF data from the camera sensor. Illuminance is derived using the formula: (F-number² / (Exposure Time × ISO)) × Calibration Factor. • Exposure (EV) Calculator: Converts measured illuminance to EV and suggests proper exposure combinations in standard stops for your ISO and aperture (or shutter) settings. • Luminous Intensity (candela) Calculation: Automatically calculates the luminous intensity of a light source based on the set distance. Uses the formula: Illuminance (lux) × Distance². • Color Temperature (K) & Tint Analysis: Precisely measures the light source's color temperature (1500K~15000K) and tint (green-magenta bias) by analyzing the camera's white balance sensor data — useful for identifying fluorescent and LED lighting. • Real-time Histogram: Visualizes the balance of shadows, midtones, and highlights through 16-level brightness distribution analysis. • Contrast Ratio Measurement: Evaluates the brightness ratio between bright and dark areas of a scene (based on 10th/90th percentiles) according to WCAG accessibility standards. • Noise Measurement (SNR): Calculates the signal-to-noise ratio in dB to evaluate image quality in the shooting environment. 【Advanced Features】 • Image Capture and Storage: Captures camera images at the time of measurement and stores them with measurement data. • Full-screen Image View: Zoom, pan, and rotate captured images for detailed inspection. • Gallery Saving: Save captured images to your device's photo library. • Measurement History and Trends: Save all measurements chronologically and chart trends for lux, EV, color temperature, contrast, and SNR. • Continuous Logging: Automatically record measurements at a set interval (1-60s) — great for lighting design and site surveys. • Full-Resolution Image Storage: Keep captured images at original quality for detailed inspection and gallery saving. • Export All History: Export every measurement as a CSV file or a PDF report. • Notes & Location Tags: Attach notes to measurements and optionally save the measurement location. • Home Screen Widget: See your last measurement (lux, color temperature, contrast, SNR) right on the home screen. • Camera Full-screen Mode: Hide panels to focus on the camera view while checking key measurements via a mini info panel. • Measurement Lock: Freeze exposure and white balance for stable, steady readings. • Spot Metering: In full-screen mode, tap anywhere to meter around that point. • Perfect Dark/Light Mode Support: All UI elements automatically adapt to the system theme. 【User Settings】 • Calibration Wizard: Enter a reading from a reference lux meter and the calibration factor is calculated automatically. Manual slider adjustment is also available. • Distance Setting: Set the distance to the light source for precise luminous intensity (cd) calculations. • Front/Rear Camera Selection: Choose the appropriate camera for your measurement situation. 【Technical Features】 • Support for measuring various light source types: natural light, LED, fluorescent, incandescent, etc. • Color temperature and tint sourced directly from the camera ISP's white balance estimation for reliable readings • 10-frame moving average filter for measurement stabilization • Center-weighted or spot (tap-to-meter) analysis for accurate evaluation of the main subject • Automatic exposure quality assessment based on histogram analysis Perfect tool for photographers, videographers, lighting designers, UI/UX developers, and anyone who needs accurate light measurements.

About

Miniature Lens

Transform ordinary landscape photos into miniature dioramas with a real-time tilt-shift camera. Adjust blur, saturation, and focus with intuitive touch controls for easy and fun editing. Save and share your creations instantly.

Highlights
  • Real-time tilt-shift lens
  • Miniature diorama effect
  • Adjustable blur angle, strength, and range
  • Intuitive touch controls
  • Real-time monitor camera
  • Multiple blur effect types
Features
Read full description

● Equipped with real-time "Tilt-Shift Lens". ● You can transform monotonous landscape photos into miniature diorama-like photos. - Increases the saturation of the entire photo and blurs the edges. - You can freely control the blur angle, strength, range, etc. - Intuitive touch operations and real-time effects make editing easy and fun. - You can also shoot while checking the tilt-shift effect using the real-time monitor camera. - Edited image files can be copied, saved, and shared. [Photo Source] - Real-time camera captured images - Start the camera and take a photo - Select photo from photo album - Import shared files from other apps - Paste photos copied from web images, etc. [Types of Blur Effects] - Vertical Blur - Horizontal Blur - Linear Blur - Mirror Blur - Spot Blur [Settings] - Blur size - Angle, Range, etc. - Saturation - Resolution - Focus Position [Photo Outputs] - Save to Camera Roll - Photo sharing: AirDrop, LINE, Facebook, Dropbox, Instagram,...

Screenshots

LightScope4 screens
Miniature Lens4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Miniature Lens at $1.99 against LightScope's $9.99. Miniature Lens also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.6). LightScope's advantage is review sentiment (42% vs 33%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

LightScope costs $9.99 and Miniature Lens $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LightScope ships an update every 2 weeks, Miniature Lens fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
LightScope versus Miniature Lens: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLightScopeMiniature Lens
Price$9.99$1.99 — better
Rating—1.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.7% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperByungil ParkMasanori Katsuta

Customer experience

LightScope

Written reviews12 reviews
Positive41.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative58.3%

Miniature Lens

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

In-app purchases

None

LightScope

No in-app purchases

None

Miniature Lens

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LightScope free?
LightScope costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Miniature Lens free?
Miniature Lens costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do LightScope or Miniature Lens have ads?
Neither LightScope nor Miniature Lens shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LightScope or Miniature Lens?
LightScope ships an update every 2 weeks, and Miniature Lens fortnightly. Most recently, LightScope was updated on November 7, 2026 and Miniature Lens on November 8, 2026.

Other comparisons