Comparison

Shutter vs Light Meter + SensorArray

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

Head to head
About

Shutter

Test the shutter speeds of your analog cameras using your iPhone. For precise measurements, use with the PhotoPlug accessory. Without it, the app analyzes shutter sound for speeds below 1/30sec.

Highlights
  • Test analog camera shutter speeds
  • Use with PhotoPlug accessory for light measurement
  • Analyze shutter sound for speeds below 1/30sec
  • Store measurement values in a table
  • Manage multiple cameras and lenses
  • Calculate correction factors for faulty shutters
Features
Read full description

With Shutter-Speed you can test the shutter speeds of your analog cameras just with your iPhone. Please note that the full potential of this App is only reached if you use it in combination with the PhotoPlug. The PhotoPlug is an optical sensor which connects to the headphone-jack of your iPhone and enables you to measure the actual amount of light passing through the camera shutter. Please visit www.filmomat.eu for detailed information and for ordering the PhotoPlug. How-To: Point the camera towards a bright light source. Place the PhotoPlug closely behind the camera shutter. Start the measurement and release the shutter. The App automatically analyzes the signal and calculates the shutter speed. All measurement values can be stored into a handy table. Multiple different cameras/lenses can be stored. A correction factor is calculated, which you can use to compensate a faulty shutter speed. For example, if you measure the 1/60s and it turns out to be 1/50s, the App will tell you that the shutter-speed is 1/3 stops too long. This gives rise to a correction factor of -1, indicating that you have to close your aperture by 1/3 f-stop to get a correct exposure. Without PhotoPlug, the App will record the sound of the camera shutter and calculate the shutter speed from that. Please note that this procedure will only give useable results for speeds below 1/30sec. With the PhotoPlug, shutter speeds up to 1/500sec can be measured.

About

Light Meter + SensorArray

This app provides hardware-validated light metering for analog film, digital cinema, and audio. It offers features like spot metering, reciprocity compensation for long exposures, and ambient color balance estimation. It's designed for professionals and works offline with a privacy-first approach.

Highlights
  • Hardware-linked spot metering
  • Reciprocity compensation for long exposures
  • Ambient color balance estimation
  • Calibrated sound pressure level monitoring
  • NOAA solar tracking
  • Digital film log
  • Focus stacking assistant
Features
Read full description

Hardware-Validated Light Metering. Zero Subscriptions. Stop guessing and start measuring with SensorArray—a native, high-performance measurement suite that talks directly to your iPhone’s hardware. Built on international standards (APEX) and professional photographic physics, SensorArray delivers high-fidelity data for analog film, digital cinema, and studio audio. HARDWARE-LINKED SPOT METERING Unlike generic apps, SensorArray utilizes raw 14-bit ISP (Image Signal Processor) metadata. By gating measurements to hardware-ready states, we provide a precision Spot Meter that allows you to sample any pixel in your scene for instant, validated exposure data. THE RECIPROCITY SPECIALIST (Schwarzschild) Master long exposures with precision Schwarzschild Power Law compensation. Film Stocks: Integrated curves for 20+ professional stocks from Kodak, Ilford, and Fujifilm. Automatic math: Meter your scene and get the exact compensated exposure time instantly. THE SUPER SENSOR HUD (Mission Control) A unified interface for critical field data: Ambient Color Balance: Professional Kelvin estimation using McCamy’s Approximation for perfect white balance. SPL Sound Monitor: Calibrated Sound Pressure Level monitoring (30dB–100dB baseline) for ambient noise analysis. NOAA Solar Tracker: Official NOAA General Solar Equations for minute-perfect Golden Hour and Sunrise/Sunset tracking. PROFESSIONAL WORKFLOW SUITE: Digital Film Log: Record Aperture, Shutter, ISO, and Lens metadata for every analog frame. Exposure Equivalence: Built on the international APEX (Additive System of Photographic Exposure) standard. Focus Stacking Assistant: Precision math with a 25% safety overlap for macro composites. Field of View Simulator: Visualize focal lengths from 24mm to 135mm with accurate lens compression. BUILT FOR PROFESSIONALS: 100% Offline: Works in studio basements and remote locations. Privacy-First: No accounts. No tracking. No data collection. Native performance: Built with SwiftUI for ultra-fast response and low battery drain. Own your instruments. Join the "Anti-SaaS" movement and download SensorArray today.

Screenshots

Shutter4 screens
Light Meter + SensorArray4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shutter at none against Light Meter + SensorArray's 1. Shutter also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (23 vs 4). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. Light Meter + SensorArray sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Shutter asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.6 for Shutter against 3.5 for Light Meter + SensorArray. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shutter has 23 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 58% of Shutter's written reviews are positive against 50% of Light Meter + SensorArray's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shutter ships an update monthly, Light Meter + SensorArray every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Shutter versus Light Meter + SensorArray: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShutterLight Meter + SensorArray
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (23 ratings) — better3.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews58.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings23 — better4
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB19 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperFilmomat GmbHDynamic Star Pty Ltd

Customer experience

Shutter

All ratings22 ratings
Positive59.1%
Neutral9.1%
Negative31.8%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive58.0%
Neutral5.8%
Negative36.2%

Light Meter + SensorArray

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Shutter

Reported bugs

28 issues
  • No longer records shutter speeds longer than 1/2 second correctly
  • Gives nonsense value for 1 second exposure
  • Developer dismissive of problems
  • Version 2.0 is buggy
  • Cannot reliably measure shutter speeds
Show 23 more
  • Automatic signal analysis less reliable
  • Zooming of waveform is inconsistent
  • App does not recognize Photo Plug
  • Photo Plug device does not work
  • No signal from Photo Plug
  • Graph resolution too low for pinpointing times
  • App needs update for new devices display
  • Nothing works in the app
  • Difficult to zoom waveform
  • Inaccurate for speeds shorter than 1/60
  • Auto-gaining causes jagged lines
  • App does not work on iPhone 6
  • Screen controls do not work on iPhone 6
  • App crashes
  • App freezes
  • Interface not working correctly
  • Cannot change target speed
  • Zoom does not stay when zooming out
  • Crashes when saving waveform
  • App is not operational
  • Difficult to isolate shutter sound
  • Missing 1/1000 sec measurement
  • Measurement of amount off is confusing

Requested features

13 requests
  • See milliseconds in camera profile
  • 1000 shutter speed measurement
  • Desktop variant with sensor
  • Higher shutter speed support (e.g., 1/2000th)
  • Graphical tweak for newer iPhones
Show 8 more
  • Better explanation of auto-gaining
  • Adjustable recording duration
  • Filtering of results (moving average, band pass)
  • Add 1/75 shutter speed
  • Select any possible shutter speed
  • Organize and delete camera readings
  • More accurate measurement for speeds above 1/125
  • Improve automatic zooming for waveform

Light Meter + SensorArray

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Shutter

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Light Meter + SensorArray

One-time1
  • Access all Pro-tools & calculators$4.99

Questions

Is Shutter free?
Shutter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Light Meter + SensorArray free?
Light Meter + SensorArray is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Shutter or Light Meter + SensorArray?
Shutter is rated higher. Shutter averages 3.6 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while Light Meter + SensorArray averages 3.5 from 4 ratings.
Do Shutter or Light Meter + SensorArray have ads?
Light Meter + SensorArray shows ads; Shutter does not.
Which is updated more often, Shutter or Light Meter + SensorArray?
Shutter ships an update monthly, and Light Meter + SensorArray every 2 weeks. Most recently, Shutter was updated on November 1, 2026 and Light Meter + SensorArray on October 30, 2026.

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