Comparison

Exposure Calculator vs Manual Camera 4

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

Head to head
About

Exposure Calculator

This app helps photographers determine the correct shutter speed by calculating exposure values based on lighting conditions, f-stop, and ISO. It provides more accurate results than traditional tables, accounting for all f-stop and ISO values.

Highlights
  • Shutter speed calculation
  • Accurate f-stop and ISO input
  • Four lighting condition types
  • Exposure Value (EV) calculation
  • Comparison to standard tables
  • Precise value determination
Features
Read full description

Takes the guesswork out of what shutter speed to use. Ever struggled with an exposure meter or the camera's auto exposure system and found that it just cannot seem to determine the correct shutter speed? I have and that is why this App was written. There are tables and formulae to help you to work out the shutter speed for yourself, but that's not easy. This App takes some simple information about the lighting conditions, the f-stop of the camera and the ISO rating being used and calculates what the correct shutter speed should be. It is that simple. If you have used the pre-calculated tables before you might be suprised by the answers this App gives you but, believe me, I have implemented the formulae and the pre-calculated tables are approximations (sometimes rather wild ones). The tables do not include all f-stops, the tables do not take account the different ISO values cameras can be set to. This App does. This App takes this information and presents it in an easy to use form. Just type in the f/stop value using the keypad, type in the ISO rating using the keypad and then select the applicable lighting conditions from the four lighting condition types: Daylight, Twilight, Night and Indoors. Each has a range of Exposure Values to select from. The App then calculates what the effective EV value is (given the ISO rating) and so can calculate what the actual shutter speed should be. It also shows the applicable row from the standard tables for the EV. Depending on the ISO rating being used the Exposure value selected from the list can be increased or decreased e.g. if the light is low and the EV is -3 but you are using ISO 800 then the effective Exposure value is zero (ISO 800 counts as +3 to EV) the shutter speed needs to match this value not that selected from the standard lighting condition values. The tables only show some of f/stop values. For example the tables show f/2.0 and f/2.8 but you might have the camera set to f/2.4. Well it is possible to calculate the exact value so this is what the App does. Coupled with ISO values that do not generate exact EV numbers this value can show you the true value you should be attempting to use. An ISO of 250 adds +1.32 to the EV value. It is a log2 scale. Now you may not be able to set you camera to the exact value given but it does give you a much better idea of the real shutter speed required rather than trying to guess from the tables (which are calculated on a logarithmic scale and are approximations). By being able to set the ISO to 250 or 500, etc this App is can calculate the real EV value. If you set the ISO to 1000 then any EV value selected needs to have approximately 3.3 added to it to give the correct EV value. So if the selected EV is 6 then the effective EV with this ISO is actually 9.3. But there is no row for 9.3 in the standard tables and it does make a difference. If the camera is set to f/3.5 then the closest row in the table is for EV9 and f/2.8 (1/60th of a second) or f/4.0 (1/30th of a second). So do you err towards 1/30th or 1/60th. Well this App actually calculates the exact value and this shows as 1/52nd of a second. Generally a camera cannot be set to this but it can be set to 1/50th so I would try that and then maybe 1/60th and maybe 1/40th. The calculation comes out as 1/50th because the EV is not 9 it is 9.3 and therefore with the ISO at 1000 everything must be treated as brighter and so less exposure is needed. Being able to see the exact value to use is even more use when long exposures are needed. The standard tables get very vague for low light conditions i.e. EV -6 for f/22 is 64 minutes and for f/32 it is 128 minutes (over an hour more). So if you are using f/28 how many minutes at ISO 1250? Well the answer is 66.9 minutes which is much shorter than you might have guessed.

About

Manual Camera 4

Take professional-quality photos and videos with granular control over camera settings. Adjust focus, exposure, ISO, and more, with advanced features like RAW capture and real-time histograms. This app offers DSLR-like functionality for mobile photography enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Manual focus control
  • Adjustable exposure and ISO
  • RAW photo capture
  • Real-time histogram
  • Focus peaking
  • Video format switching
  • HDR and 4K video recording
Read full description

Capture photos and videos with precise control over focus, exposure, ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and flash level. Manual Camera gives you DSLR-like control with an intuitive, easy-to-use interface. Also includes: • RAW photo capture • Real-time histogram • Focus peaking • Lock exposure, focus, and white balance • Manual lens selection • Quick video format switching • HDR (Dolby Vision / HLG) on iPhone 12 and later • 4K at 60p / 24p, and slow motion on supported devices • Ultra Wide and Telephoto lens support • Audio level meter • Photo and video filters • Live shutter speed preview in viewfinder • Cinematic video stabilization • Timer • Smooth focus transitions while recording • Save photos and videos directly to the camera roll — browse and delete within the app • Geotagging • Wide-gamut color capture • Face-driven autofocus • Apple ProRAW capture on iPhone 12 Pro and later • Apple ProRes recording on iPhone 13 Pro and later • 48MP resolution support on iPhone 14 Pro and later

Screenshots

Exposure Calculator4 screens
Manual Camera 44 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Manual Camera 4 at 4.6 against Exposure Calculator's 3.8. Manual Camera 4 also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (343 vs 5). Exposure Calculator's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $3.99). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads 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

Exposure Calculator costs $0.99 and Manual Camera 4 $3.99 up front. Exposure Calculator sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Manual Camera 4 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Manual Camera 4 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Manual Camera 4 has 343 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Exposure Calculator's written reviews are positive against 67% of Manual Camera 4's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Exposure Calculator ships an update every 2 months, Manual Camera 4 every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Exposure Calculator versus Manual Camera 4: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExposure CalculatorManual Camera 4
Price$0.99 — better$3.99
Rating3.8 (5 ratings)4.6 (343 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.7% of reviews67.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5343 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEssence ComputingKenneth Kao

Customer experience

Exposure Calculator

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral11.8%
Negative23.5%

Manual Camera 4

All ratings343 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral2.9%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews110 reviews
Positive67.3%
Neutral9.1%
Negative23.6%

Bugs and requests

Exposure Calculator

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Manual Camera 4

Reported bugs

21 issues
  • App crashes on iOS beta versions
  • App crashes immediately upon opening
  • Crashes during video recording on longer clips
  • Crashes when zooming in video mode
  • Crashes when setting shutter speed to half second
Show 16 more
  • Shutter speed not accurate
  • Photos save differently than displayed
  • Zoom function jumps from 1.0x to 1.4x during recording
  • Focus lock doesn't work as advertised
  • Blurry images with flash in dark environments
  • Blank photos saved to camera roll
  • Video files not saving to camera roll
  • Settings revert to auto after reviewing footage
  • Histogram display persists after turning off
  • Gyroscope orientation confusion with histogram
  • EV control has no effect after setting shutter speed
  • ISO and shutter speed appear linked together
  • Slider adjustments snap to unintended values
  • Interferes with keyboard functionality
  • Bluetooth shutter release causes volume adjustment
  • Safari redirection to malicious sites

Requested features

22 requests
  • Physical camera button support
  • HDR mode (On/Off/Auto)
  • 1:1 aspect ratio support
  • Mute shutter sound option
  • Longer shutter speeds (bulb/time exposure mode)
Show 17 more
  • Aperture control
  • Preset saving functionality
  • Dropdown menu for video resolution/frame rate selection
  • App icon redesign
  • Wide Color Gamut (P3) compatibility
  • Zoomed preview for precision focusing
  • Smooth zoom without jerky motion
  • Multiple simultaneous sliders on screen
  • Time-lapse function
  • Faster shutter speeds (above 1/1000)
  • Temperature and tint control in video mode
  • Lock all settings button
  • Manual number input for white balance
  • Real-time filters and masks
  • TIFF file format support
  • Settings persistence after app closure
  • Increment/decrement buttons for ISO and shutter speed

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Exposure Calculator

One-time3
  • Purchase Depth of Field Calculator$0.99
  • Purchase Depth of Field Variants$0.99
  • Purchase EXIF Manager$1.99
None

Manual Camera 4

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Exposure Calculator free?
Exposure Calculator costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Manual Camera 4 free?
Manual Camera 4 costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Exposure Calculator or Manual Camera 4?
Manual Camera 4 is rated higher. Exposure Calculator averages 3.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Manual Camera 4 averages 4.6 from 343 ratings.
Do Exposure Calculator or Manual Camera 4 have ads?
Neither Exposure Calculator nor Manual Camera 4 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Exposure Calculator or Manual Camera 4?
Exposure Calculator ships an update every 2 months, and Manual Camera 4 every 5 weeks. Most recently, Exposure Calculator was updated on October 23, 2026 and Manual Camera 4 on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons