Comparison

FilmMeter vs mySpotMeter

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

mySpotMeter

This app transforms your iPhone into a precise spot meter for photographers. It allows for detailed exposure control by measuring specific areas, evaluating contrast, and calculating settings for film or digital photography.

Highlights
  • Selectable 1°, 2°, and 4° spot metering angles
  • Dedicated readings for shadows, highlights, and middle gray
  • Aperture or shutter speed priority
  • Store and compare measurements
  • Instant aperture calculation
  • Wide ISO, shutter speed, and aperture ranges
Read full description

Designed by a photographer, for photographers. Built with one clear goal: precise spot metering for photographers who want full control over exposure. mySpotMeter turns your iPhone into a dedicated spot meter with selectable 1°, 2° and 4° measuring angles. Whether you shoot film or digital, you can isolate specific areas, evaluate contrast and place your exposure with confidence. Key Features • Selectable 1°, 2° and 4° spot metering angles • Dedicated readings for shadows, highlights and middle gray • Aperture or shutter speed priority • Average readings mode • Store and compare measurements directly on the exposure scale • Clear EV difference between your target and the current reading • Instant aperture calculation based on the selected ISO and shutter speed • Shutter speed range from 240 seconds to 1/8000s • Aperture range from f/1.0 to f/128 • ISO range from 3 to 409.6K • Exposure settings in 1/3 or 1/2-stop increments • Measure using the on-screen control or the iPhone volume buttons • Automatic calibration and precise manual EV adjustment • Filter factor correction up to FF1000 Built for Deliberate Exposure Instead of averaging the entire scene, mySpotMeter lets you measure only the area that matters. Compare shadows and highlights, understand the available contrast and decide exactly where to place your exposure before pressing the shutter. Download the User Manual You can view or download the complete user manual before purchasing or downloading the app. Scroll to the Information section of this App Store page and tap Developer Website. About This app is built and maintained by an independent photographer and developer. It is a focused photographic tool, continuously refined through real-world use. If you have suggestions or need help, feel free to contact me: davidquiles@me.com

Screenshots

FilmMeter4 screens
mySpotMeter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: FilmMeter at Free against mySpotMeter's $5.99. FilmMeter also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (63 vs 6). mySpotMeter's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and chart position (#70 vs unranked). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads 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

FilmMeter is free to download; mySpotMeter costs $5.99 up front. FilmMeter sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. mySpotMeter asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FilmMeter holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FilmMeter has 63 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 96% of FilmMeter's written reviews are positive against 100% of mySpotMeter's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
FilmMeter versus mySpotMeter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFilmMetermySpotMeter
PriceFree — better$5.99
Rating4.8 (63 ratings) — better4.2 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews96.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings63 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 2 daysEvery 2 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#70 — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26
Further details — not scored
Size143 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer宗 侯David Quiles

Customer experience

FilmMeter

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

mySpotMeter

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
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
None

mySpotMeter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FilmMeter free?
FilmMeter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is mySpotMeter free?
mySpotMeter costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, FilmMeter or mySpotMeter?
FilmMeter is rated higher. FilmMeter averages 4.8 out of 5 from 63 ratings, while mySpotMeter averages 4.2 from 6 ratings.
Do FilmMeter or mySpotMeter have ads?
Neither FilmMeter nor mySpotMeter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FilmMeter or mySpotMeter?
FilmMeter ships an update every 2 days, and mySpotMeter every 2 days. Most recently, FilmMeter was updated on October 14, 2026 and mySpotMeter on October 10, 2026.

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