myLightMeter PRO vs FilmMeter
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Extended low-light sensitivity
- Incident and reflected metering
- Manual exposure control
- Hyperfocal distance calculator
- Save and review exposure data
- Extract exposure data from photos
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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
FilmMeter
This app transforms your iPhone into a professional light meter for film photography. It offers real-time metering, LiDAR ranging for accurate focus, and comprehensive film roll management. Features include reciprocity calculation, ND filter compensation, and an exposure log to streamline your shooting workflow.
- Real-time light metering
- LiDAR ranging and depth of field
- Film roll and camera management
- Reciprocity and ND filter compensation
- Long exposure timer
- Exposure logging
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FilmMeter turns your iPhone into a professional light meter for film cameras. Real-time metering, LiDAR ranging, reciprocity calculation, and exposure logging — one app covers your entire shooting workflow from loading film to the final frame. Metering Measure exposure in real-time using your iPhone camera. Spot metering reads any point precisely, while average metering balances the whole scene. Full control over aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. iPhone 16 users can meter and adjust EV directly with the Camera Control button. Ranging & Depth of Field Get accurate focus distance with LiDAR-enabled devices. The depth of field scale shows your sharp range and hyperfocal distance, supporting 35mm (full frame) and medium format calculations. Camera Management Create profiles for your cameras and lenses. Set focal length and aperture range for each lens, then link a camera when loading film — aperture selection is automatically constrained to your lens's actual range. Manage your digital film bag the way you manage your real gear. Film Roll Management Create a roll, select your film stock, start shooting. Push/pull processing support lets you set development stops and automatically converts to effective ISO. Each metering links to your current roll automatically. The frame counter tracks remaining shots. Mark rolls as in progress, finished, or developed. ND Filters Built-in support for ND2 through ND10000. Select a filter and exposure is compensated automatically — no manual stop conversion needed. Pair with the long exposure timer to master daytime slow shutter work. Reciprocity Compensation Film loses sensitivity during long exposures. FilmMeter includes reciprocity data for popular film stocks and calculates the corrected shutter time automatically. Long Exposure Timer Long-press the metering button to start a countdown. The timer integrates with Dynamic Island — visible even when locked. Get notified when your exposure completes. No more counting seconds for star trails or light painting. Smart Exposure Suggestions Built-in scene recognition analyzes your frame. In tricky lighting like snow, backlight, or night scenes, it tells you "add one stop" instead of leaving you to figure it out. Exposure Log Every metering saves full parameters and location. Export to CSV. Review your decisions, build your film notes. More Features • ND filter auto exposure compensation • Film LUT live preview • Aspect ratio overlays (135/120 formats) • Focal length frame lines (28-200mm) • Darkroom-friendly red-on-black interface • Metric and imperial units Free to Use • No subscription, no account required • Fully offline, no ads • English and Chinese Designed for film photography. Professional enough for experienced shooters, simple enough for beginners.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: FilmMeter at Free against myLightMeter PRO's $4.99. FilmMeter also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days). myLightMeter PRO's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 64). On rating, 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
FilmMeter is free to download; myLightMeter PRO costs $4.99 up front. FilmMeter sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. myLightMeter PRO asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for myLightMeter PRO against 4.8 for FilmMeter. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: myLightMeter PRO has 1.2K ratings behind it against 64, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of myLightMeter PRO's written reviews are positive against 96% of FilmMeter's.
myLightMeter PRO ships an update every 5 days, FilmMeter every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | myLightMeter PRO | FilmMeter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.2K ratings) | 4.8 (64 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 90.3% of reviews | 96.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K — better | 64 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #17 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 93 MB | 143 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | David Quiles | 宗 侯 |
Customer experience
myLightMeter PRO
FilmMeter
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
FilmMeter
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
myLightMeter PRO
No in-app purchases
FilmMeter
- Buy me a coffee$0.99
- Buy me lunch$2.99
- 请我吃块蛋糕$9.99
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- 赞助开发$19.99
Questions
Is myLightMeter PRO free?
Is FilmMeter free?
Which has better reviews, myLightMeter PRO or FilmMeter?
Do myLightMeter PRO or FilmMeter have ads?
Which is updated more often, myLightMeter PRO or FilmMeter?
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