Comparison

XP4N vs Zone Meter

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

Head to head
About

XP4N

Capture stunning panoramic photos with a cinematic aspect ratio. Emulate the look of 8 distinct film types, from moody night shots to soft daylight portraits. Enjoy a simple, ad-free, and subscription-free photography experience.

Highlights
  • 65:24 cinematic aspect ratio
  • 8 distinct film type simulations
  • No ads, subscriptions, or in-app purchases
  • Haptic and visual feedback
  • EV compensation by swiping
  • Save as lossless HEIF files
  • EXIF and GPS data saving
Features
Read full description

Based on the legendary XPAN with its unique cinematic panoramic 65x24 images, XP4N turns any scene into a movie set; every shot into a movie still. - Shoot in the amazing 65:24 cinematic aspect ratio - Simulate 8 distinct film types (some inspired by popular film types, such as Cinestill 800T) - NO ADS, NO SUBSCRIPTIONS, NO IN-APP-PURCHASES! - Use all available lenses - Haptic and visual feedback when taking pictures - Use volume up key as shutter button - EV compensation by swiping - Access to the high-resolution sensor (if available and enabled in settings) - Option to save as lossless HEIF files - Saves EXIF and GPS data in photos This app is designed to simulate the cinematic qualities of the XPAN, including emulation of 8 distinct film stocks that are often paired with this camera: NIGHT MODE Based on the Cinestill 800T film character with its moody teal cast and signature "halation" (red halos) around bright spots in the image. BALANCED MODE Inspired by Vision3 250D film stock, with its versatile personality and typical Hollywood-style color and contrast curves. DAYLIGHT MODE Based on the popular Portra 400 film; soft and warm hues and moderate contrast profile. Great for skin tones and dreamy landscapes. GRITTY MODE Inspired by the Lomography Metropolis film, which adds a "bleached" look that is reminiscent of gritty 90s movies. BLACK & WHITE MODES Following the characteristics black & white films, one mode offers a punchy and contrasty B&W style, while the other is soft and dreamy. NEON NIGHT (NEW) Enhances bright spots in night photos and adds vibrant, saturated glows for a "cyberpunk" vibe ETHEREAL (NEW) Classic soft focus mode, without the need to put grease on your lens! XP4N is consciously made to be the ultimate one-trick-pony. A point and shoot camera with only a single button: the shutter button. The internal image processing engine does the rest, based on your preferred film mode setting. (so don't expect deep camera controls... ;-). The resulting images are carefully tuned to have the pleasant silky quality of film and to get away from the oversharpened, hyper-punchy look typical of today's digital cameras.

About

Zone Meter

Features
Read full description

Zone Meter is a professional light meter for photographers who shoot manual - on film, with legacy lenses, or in the studio. Point your iPhone at a scene and Zone Meter instantly reads the light from the camera sensor, calculating exposure values in real time. Scroll the drum wheels to set your aperture, shutter speed, or ISO, and Zone Meter works out the third value for you. LIGHT METER - Live EV reading from the iPhone camera sensor - Four metering modes: Aperture Priority (Av), Shutter Priority (Tv), ISO Priority, and Manual (M) - Classic drum-roller wheel pickers for aperture, shutter speed, and ISO - Tap anywhere on the live preview to spot-meter a specific area of the scene - Switch between lenses (0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x) to meter a distant subject with the telephoto - Live colour temperature reading with descriptive label (Tungsten, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade) - EV condition display from Very Dark to Very Bright HISTOGRAM - Live luminance histogram overlaid on the camera preview - tap the chart icon to show or hide - Shadows on the left, highlights on the right - just like every other histogram you know - Colour-coded bars: blue for shadows, white for midtones, amber for highlights - Clip indicators warn when shadows or highlights are being lost - In Manual mode, the histogram shifts left or right to predict how your chosen settings will affect the tonal distribution MANUAL MODE - Set aperture, shutter speed, and ISO independently - nothing is computed or locked - Exposure delta bar shows how far your settings deviate from the metered value - Bar shifts left for underexposure, right for overexposure - consistent with the histogram - Contextual label: Correct exposure, Overexposed by 1.3 stops, Underexposed by 2 stops - Use with the histogram to dial in exposure before you shoot ND FILTER CALCULATOR - Calculates long-exposure shutter speed for any ND filter - Presets for all standard filters: ND2 through ND32000, Little Stopper, Big Stopper, Super Stopper - Custom stop input - Uses the live meter reading or a manually chosen base shutter speed - Warns when exposure exceeds 30 seconds (Bulb mode required) DEPTH OF FIELD CALCULATOR - Hyperfocal distance calculator for any lens and sensor format - 8 sensor formats: Full Frame, APS-C (Canon and Nikon/Sony), Micro 4/3, 1-inch, Medium Format, 4x5, 8x10 - 18 focal length presets from 14mm to 600mm - Shows near focus limit, far focus limit, and total depth of field - Visual range bar showing subject position relative to hyperfocal distance - Contextual advice: tells you exactly how far to refocus to bring infinity sharp STROBE CALCULATOR - Guide number calculator for flash and studio strobes - Presets for speedlights and studio heads from 100Ws to 1200Ws - 8 power settings from Full to 1/128 - Solve for aperture (given distance) or distance (given aperture) - ISO-aware: guide numbers automatically adjust for any ISO - Fill light ratio calculator: instantly shows the aperture difference for 1:1 through 16:1 ratios READING HISTORY - Save and name any meter or strobe reading - Add notes to any saved reading - Share individual readings or export the full history - Organised by name, date, light condition, and exposure values DESIGNED FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS - Clean dark interface designed for use in any light - Metric or imperial measurements (set in Help) - Available in English, Japanese, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Korean - Full help documentation built in: explains EV, hyperfocal distance, guide numbers, and more - No ads. No subscription. No account required. Zone Meter is the meter you always have with you.

Screenshots

XP4N4 screens
Zone Meter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Zone Meter at Free against XP4N's $1.99. XP4N's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). On ads, in-app purchases, 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

Zone Meter is free to download; XP4N costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

XP4N ships an update every 2 days, Zone Meter every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
XP4N versus Zone Meter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXP4NZone Meter
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (44 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews86.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings44 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBram BosGreg Anderson

Bugs and requests

XP4N

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App feels laggy at times
  • 48MP camera option doesn't increase image resolution

Requested features

10 requests
  • Portrait mode
  • Tap to focus and focus/exposure lock
  • Selfie mode
  • Self-timer
  • HDR or max-latitude mode for post-processing
Show 5 more
  • No-filter mode
  • Tri-X 400 film simulation
  • Sprocket emulation
  • Ability to change focus point
  • Preview of image in viewfinder before capture

Zone Meter

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

XP4N

No in-app purchases

None

Zone Meter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is XP4N free?
XP4N costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Zone Meter free?
Zone Meter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do XP4N or Zone Meter have ads?
Neither XP4N nor Zone Meter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, XP4N or Zone Meter?
XP4N ships an update every 2 days, and Zone Meter every 2 months. Most recently, XP4N was updated on September 23, 2026 and Zone Meter on September 5, 2026.

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