Light Meter vs TimerGlass
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Light Meter
This app helps film photographers precisely measure light, distance, and depth of field before taking a shot. It offers tools for exposure evaluation, flash calculation, and reciprocity failure compensation, with advanced features available via a one-time purchase.
- Light metering
- Zone metering
- Flash calculator
- Reciprocity failure compensation
- Distance meter (LiDAR)
- Depth of field calculator
- Gear library
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FilmBox Toolkit Shoot film with greater confidence. From exposure decisions and manual focusing to long-exposure compensation and photo notes, FilmBox Toolkit brings essential film photography tools together on your iPhone. Make informed choices before you press the shutter. ZONE SYSTEM METERING Visualize readings from different areas of your scene using Zone System principles. Compare highlights and shadows, decide which details to preserve, and adjust your exposure. Built for situations where careful exposure control matters. FREE TOOLS • Light Meter (basic mode): Evaluate ambient light and get exposure settings to work from. • LiDAR Rangefinder (up to 1 meter): Estimate subject distance to assist manual focusing and flash calculations. Requires compatible hardware. • Flash Calculator (GN): Calculate settings from the guide number for shooting without TTL. • Depth of Field Calculator: Estimate your focus range and hyperfocal distance. • Reciprocity Failure Compensation: Calculate long-exposure adjustments based on your selected film. • Shutter Speed Test: Help check your camera's shutter speed and assess its performance. • Negative Viewer: Use the camera to preview negatives as positive images and inspect their contents. For previewing only; not a replacement for professional scanning or post-processing. • Gear Library & Photo Log: Organize film stocks, flashes, and preferred settings, and keep shooting notes for later reference. FREE & PRO FilmBox Toolkit is free to download. All features are free except the three Pro features below. Free features include manual input for Zone System metering, basic light metering, rangefinding up to 1 meter, the Shutter Speed Test, and the Negative Viewer. FilmBox Pro unlocks: • Zone System metering: real-time light readings. • Light Meter: 1-degree spot metering mode. • Rangefinder: distance measurements beyond 1 meter. Choose either: • A one-time lifetime purchase. • An annual subscription with access during the subscription period. See the in-app purchase screen for current pricing and purchase terms. DEVICE COMPATIBILITY • Standard SDR metering: Compatible iPhones running iOS 17 or later. • Apple Log metering: Uses 10-bit Apple Log data. Supported on iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max, 16 Pro/Pro Max, and 17 Pro/Pro Max. The app selects the appropriate mode for your device. • LiDAR rangefinding: Requires a LiDAR-equipped iPhone: Pro and Pro Max models in the iPhone 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 families. Devices without Apple Log or LiDAR can still use other compatible features. Hardware support and Pro access are separate requirements. PRIVACY Metering, depth of field, and other calculations run locally on your device. We do not collect or upload your personal data. Privacy Policy: https://www.filmboxtoolkit.com/privacy.html TERMS OF USE This app is licensed under Apple's standard End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
TimerGlass
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TimerGlass is the field companion for film photographers — reciprocity, pinhole geometry, exposure estimation, and a beautiful timer, all in one quietly designed app. WHAT IT DOES • Reciprocity failure correction for 100+ film stocks (Ilford, Kodak, Fuji, Foma, Rollei, ADOX, CineStill, Lomography and more) — built from manufacturer data sheets. • ND filter stack and bellows extension compensation are folded into the same calculation. • Pinhole camera tool — Lord Rayleigh's optimal aperture, effective f-number, equivalent angle of view by film format, and Sunny-16 exposure estimation that flows straight into the timer. • Long-exposure timer with Live Activity and Dynamic Island, accurate even when your phone is locked. • Long-exposure side-effects advice — pull-development guidance for B&W, color-shift tips for negative and slide film, contextual to your actual exposure time. • History of recent exposures with all the parameters you used. • Custom film stocks — define your own with power-law or lookup-table reciprocity curves. DESIGNED FOR Large-format and pinhole photographers who do long exposures often, 35mm and medium-format shooters chasing dusk and night scenes, and anyone tired of squinting at a film data sheet by torchlight. LANGUAGES English, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 日本語, Deutsch, Français. PRIVACY TimerGlass collects nothing. Everything you do stays on your device.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Light Meter at Free against TimerGlass's $7.99. Light Meter also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). TimerGlass's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Light Meter is free to download; TimerGlass costs $7.99 up front. Light Meter sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year. TimerGlass asks for nothing beyond the download.
Light Meter ships an update weekly, TimerGlass fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Light Meter | TimerGlass |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $7.99 |
| Rating | 3.6 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 85.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 卓 朱 | 存滨 崔 |
In-app purchases
Light Meter
- FilmBox Toolkit Pro Subscription$7.991 Year
- FilmBox Toolkit Pro$17.99
TimerGlass
No in-app purchases









