FilmMeter vs Very Good Camera
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
Very Good Camera
Capture stunning photos with film and digicam-inspired color grades. Offers advanced camera controls, multiple aspect ratios, and various file formats for a professional editing experience.
- Film and digicam inspired color grades
- Focus & exposure modes
- Multiple aspect ratios
- JPG, HEIC, and RAW file formats
- Customizable color grades
- Iconic shutter sounds
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Very Good Camera is based on the most popular film grades by Very Good Co. Three color grades suit every style of photography: VG400 for anytime, VG800 for low-light, and VGTX for monochrome. This camera is feature-rich, with tools you'd expect to find in any camera: focus & exposure modes, tools to overlay, and various file formats. This camera also includes three iconic shutter sounds, natural processing for a digicam look, and the ability to dial in and customize each of our color grades. Whether you want a filmic, digicam, or modern look, Very Good Camera has what you need to get the best colors right out of your iPhone. Features include: - Camera modes for a full or minimal experience - Various aspect ratios, including native 4:3 as well as 2:3, 5:4, 1:1, 16:9, and XPAN - File formats with JPG, HEIC, and RAW - Resolution of 12MP or 48MP - Standard or Natural Processing - Build out a custom lens kit of common focal lengths - Auto or Manual Exposure Modes to control ISO & Shutter - Exposure lock to prevent exposure changes - Exposure push and pull, based on film scans - Tap or Tracking Focus Modes - Mirrored or True modes for the Selfie cam - Three iconic shutter tones - Grid, level, and histogram overlay tools - Self timer - White, black, and film-inspired frames
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: FilmMeter at Free against Very Good Camera's $9.99. FilmMeter also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). Very Good Camera's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and chart position (#18 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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; Very Good Camera costs $9.99 up front. FilmMeter sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Very Good Camera asks for nothing beyond the download.
Very Good Camera holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 65 and 22 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 96% of FilmMeter's written reviews are positive against 100% of Very Good Camera's.
FilmMeter ships an update every 2 days, Very Good Camera fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FilmMeter | Very Good Camera |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (65 ratings) | 5.0 (22 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 96.2% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 65 — better | 22 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #18 — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 143 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | 宗 侯 | Gray Ribbon, Inc. |
Customer experience
FilmMeter
Very Good Camera
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
Very Good Camera
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is FilmMeter free?
Is Very Good Camera free?
Which has better reviews, FilmMeter or Very Good Camera?
Do FilmMeter or Very Good Camera have ads?
Which is updated more often, FilmMeter or Very Good Camera?
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