Cine Meter vs LensKit
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cine Meter
This app provides professional video production tools, including an RGB waveform monitor, false-color display, and a cine-style reflected light meter. It helps analyze light levels, color imbalances, and contrast ranges for precise exposure control in video shoots.
- RGB waveform monitor
- False-color display
- Cine-style reflected light meter
- Shutter-priority metering
- Adjustable light meter calibration
- Contrast range analysis
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SEE the light: Cine Meter gives you an RGB waveform monitor and a false-color picture in addition to a cine-style, shutter-priority reflected light meter, using the camera in your iPhone / iPod / iPad. • The light meter shows you your stop as a decimal value (such as f/5.0, good for cameras with EVF iris readouts) or as a full stop and fraction (like f/4.0 ⅔, good for cine lenses with marked iris rings). You can calibrate Cine Meter to match other meters to a tenth of a stop. • The waveform monitor shows you how light levels vary across a scene. You'll see how smooth and even the lighting is on a greenscreen or background, and find subtle hotspots and shadows at a glance. The waveform’s RGB mode shows you color imbalances in the image and gives you a handy way to check color purity and separation for chroma-keying. • The false-color mode lets you define allowable contrast ranges, and see instantly which shadows are underexposed and what highlights risk clipping. _______________________ READ BEFORE YOU BUY: Cine Meter is NOT a color-temperature meter; it can't measure white balance. It's NOT a flash meter; it can't measure strobes. It's designed solely for cine/video work and isn't optimized for still photography; for example, it's shutter-priority only. Cine Meter gives you *absolute* light meter readings, but *relative* picture and waveform monitor levels: 1) Cine Meter’s picture and waveform monitor do not use the *exact* exposure shown by the light meter (they are close to the meter reading, but can differ from it slightly). The picture and waveform monitor show you *relative* levels within a scene, not *absolute* levels based on the meter reading. 2) You can't *preset* exposure or color temperature in Cine Meter. To compare exposures and colors, you lock Cine Meter’s auto-exposure and auto-white-balance settings while looking at a known good reference, such as a gray card. The picture and waveform monitor then show you levels and colors relative to your locked settings. See http://www.adamwilt.com/cinemeter/details.html#How_It_Works for details. (Why am I telling you this? I would rather have you understand these limitations up-front and not buy Cine Meter, than have you buy Cine Meter unaware of them and be disappointed.)
LensKit
This app provides professional tools for filmmakers and cinematographers, offering extensive lens specifications, camera coverage simulations, and advanced depth of field calculations. It helps plan shoots, make on-set decisions, and ensure compatibility with various cameras and lenses, including Netflix-approved formats.
- Extensive lens database (2000+ lenses)
- Camera sensor coverage simulation
- Lens matching for various configurations
- Depth of field calculator
- Shot preview and framing simulation
- Netflix 4K mandate compliance tool
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Whether you’re planning a shoot or making decisions on set, LensKit has you covered. Search over 2000 lenses from Angenieux, Arri, Cooke, Hawk, Leica, Zeiss and more. All specs and data sourced by hand: no AI means no hallucinations. SPECS Includes max aperture, lens mounts, weight, length, close focus, front diameter and more* COVERAGE Overlay a lens’ image circle on your camera sensor to make sure it’s covered. Includes over 200 cameras from Arri, Canon, Red, Sony, Blackmagic, Panasonic and more* LENS MATCH Mix and match spherical, anamorphic, speed boosters and extenders, and even factor in post-production extractions— the lens match tool can handle it all. EQUIVALENT No need to worry about crop factors or sensor sizes, just choose a focal length and a camera and get the Super35 equivalent. Or pick the S35 equivalent length you want and see the lens you’ll need. NETFLIX APPROVAL A game changer for anyone who’s struggled with the complexity of which formats and resolutions meet the Netflix "4K mandate"— especially when shooting in anamorphic. Designed in collaboration with Netflix. DEPTH OF FIELD An easy to use yet comprehensive DOF tool that allows for customizing circle of confusion with presets and manual input. PREVIEW See a simulation of your shot based on lens, camera and distance. Or pinch, zoom and reposition to get the exact frame you want, and see what lens or distance you’ll need for it. AND MORE Filter lenses to see only what fits your specific camera and needs. Save your calculations and return to them later. Group together lenses you rent or own for quick access. • Support • For support, send me an email at zak@grayhourmedia.com or message me on Instagram @_zakray. To see all supported cameras and lenses, just install the app (it's free to download!) and open the main dropdown menu. No internet connection required: all data is hard-coded into the app, so there’s no syncing process, and you’ll be able to access it even without a cell signal. • Disclaimer • The "price" feature uses affiliate links from B&H Photo Video. I receive a commission if you make a purchase from one of these links. • About • LensKit is developed by Zak Ray and the team at Gray Hour Media in NYC & LA. Gray Hour produces fresh and original content for film, episodic and the web. Head to www.grayhourmedia.com to check out our work! *Every lens in this app has complete specs, with the exception of some Panavision lenses. We’ve chosen to include these incomplete lenses in the app because of Panavision's importance in the industry. Additionally, while the large majority of lenses have exact image circle data, some—especially some vintage lenses—list only generic format coverage (e.g. Super35, Full Frame, etc) EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: LensKit at 4.9 against Cine Meter's 3.3. LensKit also leads on ratings volume (56 vs 3) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). Cine Meter's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (81% vs 70%). On price, 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
Both are free to download. LensKit sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Cine Meter asks for nothing beyond the download.
LensKit holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LensKit has 56 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of Cine Meter's written reviews are positive against 70% of LensKit's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Cine Meter ships an update every 4 months, LensKit every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cine Meter | LensKit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (3 ratings) | 4.9 (56 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.8% of reviews — better | 70.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 56 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 5.1.1 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 165 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Adam Wilt | Zak Ray |
Customer experience
Cine Meter
LensKit
In-app purchases
Cine Meter
No in-app purchases
LensKit
- Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
- Annual Subscription$49.991 Year
- Lifetime Access$99.99









