FilmMeter vs Optaxis
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.
Optaxis
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Optaxis - Master the Axis, Connect the Like-minded This is not another filter camera app. Optaxis is a pro toolbox and community for 35mm full-frame, medium & large format, Leica, Sony, Fuji, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Hasselblad, Phase One, ALPA technical cameras, and film. 23 engineer-grade toolsets (40+ sub-tools), a 1500+ lens spec database, a global community, and an AI assistant - all in one app. 23 PROFESSIONAL TOOLSETS [PRE - PLANNING] - Weather & Light - live weather, golden / blue hour, moonrise & set, clouds - Aurora - regional visibility, cloud + moon factors, 3-day forecast - Burn Sky - multi-day burning-cloud index, probability model, share poster - Tide - tide forecast, photo / surf / fishing presets, multi-day charts - Specialty Weather - sea-of-clouds / rime / alpenglow probability, 28 locations - Field of View & Focal - 7 bodies x 19 backs, 35mm equiv, shift-stitch, image circle, DOF / hyperfocal - Scout - map sun / moon / Milky Way planner, azimuth, rise / set, spot check-in - Plan - pre-shoot planning, gear checklist, WeatherKit, linked log, cloud sync [SHOOT - IN THE FIELD] - Compose - multi-focal overlay, 9 grids, 6 live B&W filters, RGB histogram - AR Viewfinder - live overlay, level, light meter, sun / moon / Milky Way AR, AI Vision - Exposure - exposure triangle, EV, ND, bellows, film reciprocity - Scheimpflug Tilt / Swing - tilt / swing angle, focus distance (to f/64), linked DOF - Live Shift - real-time architectural shift, multi-back image circle, WYSIWYG - Exposure Session - reciprocity, bellows, filter & manual compensation on one screen - Timer - long-exposure countdown, safe shutter speed, cable release - Compass - true / magnetic north, declination, precise bearing [POST - DARKROOM] - Film Dev - 5-step wizard, +/-0.5C control, batch decay compensation, 11 verified recipes - Darkroom - dodge / burn notes, 4 safelights, F-stop test strips, MG filters - EI Calibration - reversal Zone VIII algorithm, community distribution, one-tap share - Reciprocity - reciprocity-failure curves, push / pull, multi-brand reference - Print Size - DPI rating, stitched megapixels, museum-grade, wall-mount preview [LOG - RECORD & SKY] - Diary - gear / params / notes, 12-field film mode, 2 clips, auto EXIF, cloud sync - Astro - star trails (500 / NPF), Milky Way, sun & moon paths, eclipse catalog 2026-2035, meteor showers, 53 stars + 5 planets AR EQUIPMENT ARCHIVE Manage bodies, backs, lenses, filters, kits, and film. Spec library: Leica M/SL/S, Hasselblad XCD/HC, Fuji GF, ALPA HR, Schneider / Rodenstock LF. Side-by-side comparison plus cloud sync. UNCOMPROMISED QUALITY Native HEIC, 10-bit Display P3, up to 80MB originals. Full dynamic range and color for medium and large format. GLOBAL PHOTOGRAPHER COMMUNITY - Multi-image posts - main + 100% detail crops, 9-image upload - Global map - discover nearby, spot check-in, meetups, community studios & dev labs - Hashtags, collections, Daily Inspiration, themed contests - Direct & group chat - text, image, file, equipment cards, params, group events - Voice & video calls - in-call photo + EXIF, equipment cards - Verification badges - ALPA, Cinema Lens, Leica, Hasselblad, Fuji, Large Format - Safety - report, block, moderation, AI pre-upload screening AI PHOTO ASSISTANT XiaoGuang AI - photo critique, captions, bio, log analysis, voice-to-text. Knowledge base across Leica, Hasselblad, Fuji GFX, ALPA, large format. Mention in group chats; CN/EN auto-translate. ARTICLES & NEWS In-depth Tips, industry News, community submissions, auto CN/EN translation. SUBSCRIPTION Free to use all calculators and community features. Pro unlocks the AI photo assistant and more. Monthly and yearly; pricing in-app. Billed through Apple ID, auto-renews, cancel anytime in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://optaxis.app/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://optaxis.app/privacy-policy.html Support: https://optaxis.app/support.html
Screenshots
Verdict
FilmMeter and Optaxis are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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. FilmMeter sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Optaxis sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
FilmMeter ships an update every 2 days, Optaxis every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FilmMeter | Optaxis |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (41 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 41 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 143 MB | 123 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 宗 侯 | XIAO MIN NI |
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
Optaxis
- Monthly14 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Yearly14 Days trial$49.991 Year








