Comparison

SmartConvert Live vs Light Meter

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

Head to head
About

SmartConvert Live

Transform film negatives into digital images in real-time. Preview conversions instantly and capture them directly on your phone. Create contact sheets for easy sharing and archiving of your analog photography.

Highlights
  • Real-time negative conversion
  • Instant preview
  • Capture results on phone
  • Create contact sheets
  • Archive negative library
Read full description

Experience real-time conversion of your film negatives with unmatched quality. SmartConvert Live allows you to preview your negatives instantly, and capture the results on your phone. Create beautiful contact sheets for sharing and archiving, or just browse through your negative archives. An essential tool for every analog photography enthusiast.

About

Light Meter

This app helps film photographers precisely measure light, distance, and depth of field before taking a shot. It offers tools for exposure evaluation, flash calculation, and reciprocity failure compensation, with advanced features available via a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Light metering
  • Zone metering
  • Flash calculator
  • Reciprocity failure compensation
  • Distance meter (LiDAR)
  • Depth of field calculator
  • Gear library
Features
Read full description

FilmBox Toolkit Shoot film with greater confidence. From exposure decisions and manual focusing to long-exposure compensation and photo notes, FilmBox Toolkit brings essential film photography tools together on your iPhone. Make informed choices before you press the shutter. ZONE SYSTEM METERING Visualize readings from different areas of your scene using Zone System principles. Compare highlights and shadows, decide which details to preserve, and adjust your exposure. Built for situations where careful exposure control matters. FREE TOOLS • Light Meter (basic mode): Evaluate ambient light and get exposure settings to work from. • LiDAR Rangefinder (up to 1 meter): Estimate subject distance to assist manual focusing and flash calculations. Requires compatible hardware. • Flash Calculator (GN): Calculate settings from the guide number for shooting without TTL. • Depth of Field Calculator: Estimate your focus range and hyperfocal distance. • Reciprocity Failure Compensation: Calculate long-exposure adjustments based on your selected film. • Shutter Speed Test: Help check your camera's shutter speed and assess its performance. • Negative Viewer: Use the camera to preview negatives as positive images and inspect their contents. For previewing only; not a replacement for professional scanning or post-processing. • Gear Library & Photo Log: Organize film stocks, flashes, and preferred settings, and keep shooting notes for later reference. FREE & PRO FilmBox Toolkit is free to download. All features are free except the three Pro features below. Free features include manual input for Zone System metering, basic light metering, rangefinding up to 1 meter, the Shutter Speed Test, and the Negative Viewer. FilmBox Pro unlocks: • Zone System metering: real-time light readings. • Light Meter: 1-degree spot metering mode. • Rangefinder: distance measurements beyond 1 meter. Choose either: • A one-time lifetime purchase. • An annual subscription with access during the subscription period. See the in-app purchase screen for current pricing and purchase terms. DEVICE COMPATIBILITY • Standard SDR metering: Compatible iPhones running iOS 17 or later. • Apple Log metering: Uses 10-bit Apple Log data. Supported on iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max, 16 Pro/Pro Max, and 17 Pro/Pro Max. The app selects the appropriate mode for your device. • LiDAR rangefinding: Requires a LiDAR-equipped iPhone: Pro and Pro Max models in the iPhone 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 families. Devices without Apple Log or LiDAR can still use other compatible features. Hardware support and Pro access are separate requirements. PRIVACY Metering, depth of field, and other calculations run locally on your device. We do not collect or upload your personal data. Privacy Policy: https://www.filmboxtoolkit.com/privacy.html TERMS OF USE This app is licensed under Apple's standard End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SmartConvert Live3 screens
Light Meter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Light Meter at Free against SmartConvert Live's $8.99. Light Meter also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 60%) and update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). SmartConvert Live's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and rating (3.9 vs 3.6). On ratings volume, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Light Meter is free to download; SmartConvert Live costs $8.99 up front. Light Meter sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year. SmartConvert Live asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SmartConvert Live holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 5 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of SmartConvert Live's written reviews are positive against 85% of Light Meter's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SmartConvert Live ships an update monthly, Light Meter every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
SmartConvert Live versus Light Meter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmartConvert LiveLight Meter
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating3.9 (9 ratings) — better3.6 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews85.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9 — better5
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFilmomat GmbH卓 朱

Customer experience

SmartConvert Live

All ratings9 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral11.1%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%

Light Meter

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive85.2%
Neutral7.4%
Negative7.4%

In-app purchases

None

SmartConvert Live

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Light Meter

Subscriptions1
  • FilmBox Toolkit Pro Subscription$7.991 Year
One-time1
  • FilmBox Toolkit Pro$17.99

Questions

Is SmartConvert Live free?
SmartConvert Live costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Light Meter free?
Light Meter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SmartConvert Live or Light Meter?
SmartConvert Live is rated higher. SmartConvert Live averages 3.9 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Light Meter averages 3.6 from 5 ratings.
Do SmartConvert Live or Light Meter have ads?
Neither SmartConvert Live nor Light Meter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SmartConvert Live or Light Meter?
SmartConvert Live ships an update monthly, and Light Meter every 9 days. Most recently, SmartConvert Live was updated on October 30, 2026 and Light Meter on October 25, 2026.

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