Comparison

FilmMeter vs ShadowShot

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

ShadowShot

This camera app allows you to precisely replicate photo compositions by overlaying a reference image onto your live camera preview. Align angles and subject placement with adjustable transparency for consistent shots. Ideal for recreating specific scenes or practicing photography composition.

Highlights
  • Overlay reference images with adjustable transparency
  • Support for multiple aspect ratios
  • Smooth zoom and pinch-to-zoom
  • Tap to focus and exposure
  • Fast compare, retake, and save workflow
Features
Read full description

ShadowShot is a camera app that helps you precisely recreate photo composition. After importing a reference image, you can overlay it semi-transparently on the camera preview, so you can align angles and subject placement while shooting. Key features: Overlay template shooting with adjustable transparency Support for multiple aspect ratios (16:9, 4:3, 1:1) Smooth zoom and pinch-to-zoom gestures Tap to focus and exposure adjustment Fast compare, retake, and save workflow Whether you’re recreating a specific shot, filming consistent content, or practicing composition in daily photography, ShadowShot makes shooting more stable and efficient. Easily take the photo your partner actually wants!

Screenshots

FilmMeter4 screens
ShadowShot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: FilmMeter at 4.8 against ShadowShot's 1.0. FilmMeter also leads on ratings volume (63 vs 1). ShadowShot's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. FilmMeter sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. ShadowShot asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FilmMeter holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FilmMeter has 63 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
FilmMeter versus ShadowShot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFilmMeterShadowShot
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (63 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews96.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings63 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size143 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer宗 侯正华 孟

Customer experience

FilmMeter

All ratings63 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive96.2%
Neutral3.8%
Negative0.0%

ShadowShot

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

FilmMeter

One-time4
  • Buy me a coffee$0.99
  • Buy me lunch$2.99
  • 请我吃块蛋糕$9.99
Show 1 more
  • 赞助开发$19.99
None

ShadowShot

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FilmMeter free?
FilmMeter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ShadowShot free?
ShadowShot is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, FilmMeter or ShadowShot?
FilmMeter is rated higher. FilmMeter averages 4.8 out of 5 from 63 ratings, while ShadowShot averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do FilmMeter or ShadowShot have ads?
Neither FilmMeter nor ShadowShot shows ads.

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