Comparison

Capture Pilot vs Phocus for X1D/H System

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

Head to head
About

Capture Pilot

This app allows photographers to remotely view, zoom, rate, and tag high-resolution images during a shoot. It can also transform your device into a virtual camera display for remote camera control and capture parameter adjustments.

Highlights
  • Remote image viewing, zooming, and panning
  • Image rating and tagging
  • Live view with compatible digital backs
  • Geotagging of images
  • Remote camera firing and parameter control
  • Virtual camera display
Features
Read full description

Use your iOS device to remotely view, zoom, rate, and tag high-resolution images during a photography shoot. Plus, combine Capture Pilot with the additional “Camera Control” in-app purchase to transform your iOS device into a virtual camera display, so you can remotely fire your camera and control essential capture parameters from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. For use with photo editing software Capture One Pro, Capture Pilot is the perfect tool for teams and multi-user shoots, while clients can use it to review shots in real-time and better communicate with photographers. “Whether it is clients, make-up artists, wardrobe stylists or photographers, or anyone who needs to keep an eye on the shoot, Capture Pilot allows them to see every detail of what is being shot. Most importantly, it successfully engages the entire team in the photographic process." - Daryn Labier, Blast Digital Studio “In all, I’m extremely impressed with Phase One’s iOS application Capture Pilot. It enhances the creative process in ways that you won’t be able to predict.” - Mike Hagen, Nikonians --------------- KEY FEATURES --------------- VIEW AND BROWSE - Wirelessly view, zoom and pan high-resolution DSLR and medium format RAW, JPEG and TIFF images during a shoot. - Unique and easy-to-use rating and tagging feature enables clients or staff in the studio or on remote locations to participate in the shoot and to provide instant feedback. LIVE VIEW WITH PHASE ONE IQ250 and IQ3 (CMOS) DIGITAL BACKS - Work wirelessly with remote live viewing functionality with a Phase One IQ250 and IQ3 50MP camera system, turning your mobile device into an electronic viewfinder. GEOTAGGING OF IMAGES WITH PHASE ONE IQ CAMERA SYSTEMS - Record location data and geotag your images 'CAMERA CONTROL' IN-APP PURCHASE - Connect directly to a Phase One IQ2 or IQ3 series digital back to remotely fire and control your camera and check capture previews directly on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Free for Phase One Digital Back users. - Connect your camera to a Mac or Windows computer running Capture One Pro and use your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch to remotely fire and control your Canon, Nikon, Sony, Phase One, Leaf or Mamiya camera. - Control your camera’s most important capture parameters on a virtual camera display: ISO sensitivity, exposure mode, shutter speed, aperture, and exposure compensation. ------- NOTES ------- To check for supported cameras and tethering support visit: https://www.captureone.com/features/supported-cameras Capture One Pro (11.1 or later) with supported camera tethered connection is required when pairing the camera control app with a Sony camera. Capture Pilot can connect directly over Wi-Fi to a Phase One IQ2 or IQ3 Digital back. Focus controls is currently only supported when used directly with a Wi-Fi capable IQ Digital Back running Feature Update 4. Capture Pilot can also connect over Wi-Fi to Capture One Pro (versions 20, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7 and 6) for browsing Capture One collections, or for control of supported cameras tethered to Capture One. Capture Pilot can use the GPS unit in your device to access and record location data. Synchronization of the recorded location data with images can happen either simultaneously when Capture Pilot is connected to a Phase One IQ2 or IQ3 digital back, or when the Capture Pilot connection is re-established later. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life, therefore a “Turn Geo tagging Off” timer option is available in the Capture Pilot preferences. You can download a trial version of Capture One Pro from www.captureone.com/en/download-trial

About

Phocus for X1D/H System

Remotely control your Hasselblad camera and browse captured images. Adjust camera settings, trigger capture, and zoom into photos for detailed review. Metadata is also accessible.

Highlights
  • Remote camera control
  • Image browsing and rating
  • Adjust camera parameters
  • Live view
  • Zoom into images
  • View image metadata
Features
Read full description

Phocus for X1D/H System enables you to remote control a Hasselblad camera and perform basic browsing and rating of images. It connects to a host that can either be the Phocus by Hasselblad software running on Mac or Windows or alternatively directly to one of our WiFi equipped H5D, H6D and X1D cameras. Do note that for connecting directly to X1D II, CFV II cameras and later you will need Phocus Mobile instead. Camera control includes setting parameters like aperture, shutter, exposure mode etc. It's possible to trigger auto focus, mirror up/down and of course image capture. All this is done via a control panel that neatly simulates the actual UI on the camera itself. Camera live view is also available. When browsing images you can zoom all the way into 100% and handle the star rating. Basic image metadata is available. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Requires iOS 13.0 or later.

Screenshots

Capture Pilot4 screens
Phocus for X1D/H System2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Phocus for X1D/H System at none against Capture Pilot's 1. Phocus for X1D/H System also leads on rating (2.7 vs 2.5). Capture Pilot's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 12 months) and ratings volume (96 vs 15). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support 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

Both are free to download. Capture Pilot sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Phocus for X1D/H System asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Phocus for X1D/H System holds the better App Store score, 2.7 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Capture Pilot has 96 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Capture Pilot's written reviews are positive against 33% of Phocus for X1D/H System's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Capture Pilot ships an update every 4 months, Phocus for X1D/H System every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Capture Pilot versus Phocus for X1D/H System: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCapture PilotPhocus for X1D/H System
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (96 ratings)2.7 (15 ratings) — better
Positive reviews31.1% of reviews32.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings96 — better15
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 12 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCapture One A/SHasselblad

Customer experience

Capture Pilot

All ratings96 ratings
Positive29.2%
Neutral13.5%
Negative57.3%
Written reviews180 reviews
Positive31.1%
Neutral14.4%
Negative54.4%

Phocus for X1D/H System

All ratings15 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral13.3%
Negative46.7%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive32.8%
Neutral13.8%
Negative53.4%

Bugs and requests

Capture Pilot

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • App crashes every 10-15 minutes
  • Server connection failures
  • Camera controls not functioning
  • Focus button greyed out despite camera capability
  • Photos fail to load from large libraries
Show 10 more
  • Adjustment application causes crashes
  • Force quit on M1 iPad Pro with larger files
  • Freezing when swiping through images during import
  • In-app purchase not syncing across devices
  • Restore purchase button non-functional
  • App crashes after a few minutes on older iOS
  • Pixelated image rendering
  • Connection drops during fast shooting
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • Camera not recognized despite being connected

Requested features

13 requests
  • Live view compatibility for remote shooting
  • Full Capture One editing tools on mobile
  • Camera control without additional purchase
  • AppleTV wireless display support
  • Bluetooth connectivity without WiFi
Show 8 more
  • Image tagging and commenting features
  • Print functionality
  • Download to device option
  • Cross-device purchase sharing
  • Histogram display
  • Shutter mode and timer controls
  • Improved UI with dropdown menus instead of dial controls
  • Retina display optimization

Phocus for X1D/H System

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Capture Pilot

One-time1
  • Camera Control$14.99
None

Phocus for X1D/H System

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Capture Pilot free?
Capture Pilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Phocus for X1D/H System free?
Phocus for X1D/H System is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Capture Pilot or Phocus for X1D/H System?
Phocus for X1D/H System is rated higher. Capture Pilot averages 2.5 out of 5 from 96 ratings, while Phocus for X1D/H System averages 2.7 from 15 ratings.
Do Capture Pilot or Phocus for X1D/H System have ads?
Neither Capture Pilot nor Phocus for X1D/H System shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Capture Pilot or Phocus for X1D/H System?
Capture Pilot ships an update every 4 months, and Phocus for X1D/H System every 12 months. Most recently, Capture Pilot was updated on October 16, 2026 and Phocus for X1D/H System on October 12, 2026.

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