Comparison

FilmMeter vs Zenso

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

Zenso

Control your Nikon camera remotely from your iPhone or iPad. View a live feed, adjust settings, and instantly transfer photos and GPS data. Ideal for studio, outdoor, and self-portrait photography.

Highlights
  • Remote camera control
  • Live view with setting adjustments
  • Instant photo transfer
  • GPS data embedding
  • USB and Wi-Fi connectivity
  • Camera status monitoring
Features
Read full description

Frame from afar. Capture in silence. Zensō is a remote shooting and photo management tool designed for Nikon camera users. It turns your iPhone or iPad into a second screen beside your camera, helping you connect, control shooting, receive photos, and sync location data more smoothly during studio work, self-portraits, product photography, outdoor recording, and remote framing. Each feature maps to a real moment on a shoot: - Plug in over USB for an instant connection, or connect over Wi-Fi. - Live view with exposure, focus, white-balance control and more. - New shots arrive on your device as you take them, ready to review on a larger screen. No card swapping. - Browse the camera album and download only the files you want. - Write your device's GPS into each photo, so outdoor and travel sets keep their location. - Check connection, transfer, battery, and camera status at a glance; including on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. Frames you can trust, images that come to you, locations that stay attached — handled quietly in the background. --- Compatible with the full Nikon Z mirrorless lineup: Full-frame (FX): ZR, Z9, Z8, Zf, Z6 III, Z6 II, Z6, Z7 II, Z7, Z5 II, Z5 APS-C (DX): Z50 II, Z50, Zfc, Z30 Nikon is a trademark of its respective owner. This app is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Nikon Corporation.

Screenshots

FilmMeter4 screens
Zenso4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: FilmMeter at free against Zenso's free with in-app purchases. FilmMeter also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 10 days) and ratings volume (64 vs 2). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 and Zenso sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Zenso holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FilmMeter has 64 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FilmMeter ships an update every 2 days, Zenso every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
FilmMeter versus Zenso: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFilmMeterZenso
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (64 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews96.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings64 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.1
Further details — not scored
Size143 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer宗 侯俊尧 周

Customer experience

FilmMeter

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

Zenso

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
2 purchases

Zenso

One-time2
  • 5-Day TrialFree
  • Lifetime Pro$9.99

Questions

Is FilmMeter free?
FilmMeter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zenso free?
Zenso is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FilmMeter or Zenso?
Zenso is rated higher. FilmMeter averages 4.8 out of 5 from 64 ratings, while Zenso averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do FilmMeter or Zenso have ads?
Neither FilmMeter nor Zenso shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FilmMeter or Zenso?
FilmMeter ships an update every 2 days, and Zenso every 10 days. Most recently, FilmMeter was updated on October 25, 2026 and Zenso on October 12, 2026.

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