Comparison

myLightMeter PRO vs Viewfinder Preview

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

Head to head
About

myLightMeter PRO

This app provides precise exposure metering for photographers, supporting both digital and analog workflows. It offers a comprehensive set of manual controls and advanced tools like a hyperfocal distance calculator.

Highlights
  • Extended low-light sensitivity
  • Incident and reflected metering
  • Manual exposure control
  • Hyperfocal distance calculator
  • Save and review exposure data
  • Extract exposure data from photos
Features
Read full description

Designed by a photographer, for photographers. Built for reliable, precise exposure measurement across film and digital workflows. myLightMeter PRO gives you full control over exposure through a clean, professional set of tools. Key Features • Incident and reflected-light metering • Classic and Pro interface styles • Full manual control over aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and exposure compensation in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments • Exposure range from 4 hours in Long Exposure mode to 1/8000 s, f/1.0 to f/512, and ISO 0.8 to 409,600 • Aperture-priority (Av) and shutter-priority (Tv) modes • Automatic ISO adjustment or ISO lock • Reciprocity correction for long film exposures • Sensitivity down to −2.5 EV, ideal for low-light scenes • Average multiple readings • Import shutter speed, aperture, and ISO from photos in your library • Organize readings into Sessions with photos, exposure data, camera and lens details, and notes • Keep your Sessions synced through iCloud, so they remain available when you switch phones or use another device • Export Sessions as PDFs or print them Advanced Tools • Hyperfocal-distance calculator • Five configurable presets, each storing camera, lens, ISO, filter, and film settings • EV display with an analog scale or numerical reading • mySPOTMETER and f/Tools integration About This app is built and maintained by an independent photographer and developer. It is the tool I personally use and continuously refine. If you have suggestions or need support, contact me at: davidquiles@me.com

About

Viewfinder Preview

Preview camera framing for any camera and lens combination. Select film/sensor size and focal length to visualize framing before setting up your main camera. Ideal for photographers and filmmakers for pre-visualization, location scouting, and storyboarding.

Highlights
  • Camera and lens framing preview
  • Customizable film/sensor formats
  • Configurable light meter
  • Photo capture with metadata
  • Photo gallery with data display
  • Album and PDF creation
  • Film stock emulation
Features
Read full description

Viewfinder Preview is an iPhone app for previewing camera framing for any combination of camera and lens. Instead of spending all that time setting up your big camera, just choose your desired film/sensor size and focal length in the app and point the iPhone camera at what you want to photo to verify framing. If you are happy with the framing then you can get the big camera out. The app has a large database of camera sensors details and film formats but if the format you desire isn’t there you can add your own custom format. The app is targeted at stills photographers or film makers working in either film or digital. If you don’t have your big camera with you, Viewfinder Preview is still great for photo sketching, location scouting or story boarding. The app includes - Customisable menus so you can include the film/sensor formats and focal lengths you care about. - A fully configurable light meter. - You can take photos with it, so you have a record of shots you were framing. - Photos taken with the app include additional data that describe the film format, focal length and lighting meter settings at the time the shot was taken - Add notes to your photos - A photo gallery for viewing photos taken with the app which also displays the additional data - Share images in emails, messages - Create albums of photos from the same project, trip etc - Create PDF documents of albums - Film stock emulation - Wide angle lens adapter support

Screenshots

myLightMeter PRO4 screens
Viewfinder Preview3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: myLightMeter PRO at every 5 days against Viewfinder Preview's every 3 months. myLightMeter PRO also leads on chart position (#11 vs #170) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 295). Viewfinder Preview's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

myLightMeter PRO costs $4.99 and Viewfinder Preview $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for myLightMeter PRO against 4.7 for Viewfinder Preview. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 295 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of myLightMeter PRO's written reviews are positive against 86% of Viewfinder Preview's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

myLightMeter PRO ships an update every 5 days, Viewfinder Preview every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
myLightMeter PRO versus Viewfinder Preview: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermyLightMeter PROViewfinder Preview
Price$4.99$4.99
Rating4.8 (1.1K ratings) — better4.7 (295 ratings)
Positive reviews90.2% of reviews — better86.4% of reviews
Number of ratings1.1K — better295
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#11 — better#170
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid QuilesAdam Fowler

Customer experience

myLightMeter PRO

All ratings1,125 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews654 reviews
Positive90.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative7.3%

Viewfinder Preview

All ratings295 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral2.7%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews103 reviews
Positive86.4%
Neutral4.9%
Negative8.7%

User reviews

myLightMeter PRO

From 1.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate and reliable
  • 👍 Convenient and easy to use
  • 🔍 Useful for vintage/manual cameras
  • 💡 Helpful for learning photography
  • ⭐ Excellent value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs in recent versions
  • 🔍 Spot metering mode not precise enough
  • 🔧 Needs more customization options
  • 🔋 Volume control issues

Viewfinder Preview

From 295 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📸 Excellent film emulation and visualization
  • 💡 Comprehensive light meter functionality
  • 📝 Useful note-taking and shot logging features
  • 🎯 Customizable camera formats and focal lengths
  • 👍 Intuitive interface and easy to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes and white screen issues
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 📱 Poor image resolution and quality
  • ⚠️ Limited focal length range (35mm minimum)
  • 🎬 Focal length accuracy issues on newer iPhones

Bugs and requests

myLightMeter PRO

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Inconsistent behavior between free and pro versions
  • Incorrect shutter speed and aperture options for some cameras

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to lock shutter speed and aperture
  • Smaller spot metering area
  • Support for more film/sensor formats
  • Improved incident metering with diffuser

Viewfinder Preview

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • White screen on startup
  • App crashes repeatedly
  • Exposure offset resets when app closes
  • Notes and shot data disappear after weeks
  • In-app purchase screen loops indefinitely
Show 6 more
  • Focal length inaccuracy on iPhone 14 Pro
  • Manual metering mode shows darker frame than preview
  • Tiny 1px border on cropped images
  • Battery drains excessively
  • App not loading on iOS 16
  • Glitches requiring app restart

Requested features

20 requests
  • Embed camera/lens metadata directly in saved images
  • Save custom film stock names
  • Persistent exposure offset settings
  • More film stock options (Kodak Gold 200, Fuji 400H, Catlabs 320 Pro, Ilford XP2, etc.)
  • Lower ISO settings (support for ISO 0.5 and below)
Show 15 more
  • Additional aspect ratios (6x17, 65x24)
  • Save images with exposure data as overlay or separate versions
  • Grid lines and level indicators
  • Focus distance display
  • Telephoto lens support (65mm-400mm)
  • Wider focal lengths (below 35mm)
  • Camera profile presets for quick switching
  • Custom aperture values (e.g., f/3.5)
  • Shift lens simulation for architectural photography
  • Watermark saved photos with camera data
  • Toggle HDR on/off for better film simulation
  • Video tutorial or in-app help guide
  • Ability to disable auto-display of config on images
  • Telephoto lens compatibility
  • Correct focal length rendering for newer iPhone models

In-app purchases

None

myLightMeter PRO

No in-app purchases

None

Viewfinder Preview

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is myLightMeter PRO free?
myLightMeter PRO costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Viewfinder Preview free?
Viewfinder Preview costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, myLightMeter PRO or Viewfinder Preview?
myLightMeter PRO is rated higher. myLightMeter PRO averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Viewfinder Preview averages 4.7 from 295 ratings.
Do myLightMeter PRO or Viewfinder Preview have ads?
Neither myLightMeter PRO nor Viewfinder Preview shows ads.
Which is updated more often, myLightMeter PRO or Viewfinder Preview?
myLightMeter PRO ships an update every 5 days, and Viewfinder Preview every 3 months. Most recently, myLightMeter PRO was updated on September 24, 2026 and Viewfinder Preview on September 21, 2026.
Which is more popular, myLightMeter PRO or Viewfinder Preview?
myLightMeter PRO currently peaks at #11 in the App Store charts, and Viewfinder Preview at #170. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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