Light Meter vs Negative Scanner
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/
Negative Scanner
Digitize film negatives quickly and easily. This tool automatically detects borders, corrects distortion, and converts negatives to positives with accurate color correction. Supports batch scanning and custom image enhancements for film photographers.
- Automatic film border detection and cropping
- Perspective distortion correction
- Automatic negative to positive conversion
- Automatic base color correction
- Batch scanning for entire film rolls
- Custom color grading and image enhancement
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Negative Scanner is a mobile scanning tool designed for film photography users. Simply place your negatives on a light panel or any even light source, and the app will automatically detect the film area, frame the image, correct perspective distortion, and convert negatives into positives with automatic base color correction based on film characteristics and image analysis. You can quickly scan a single frame or enable batch scanning mode to continuously process an entire roll of film. The app attempts to recognize different film formats and film stock types automatically, while saving scan records for easier organization, color grading, and export later. Key Features: * Automatically detects film borders, crops frames, and corrects perspective * Automatically identifies or lets you select film stock types for color mask removal and basic color correction * Supports quick custom color grading, cropping, and image enhancement * Add camera information, film stock details, and custom white borders to exported images * Batch scan entire film rolls with automatic scan history saving * Import images from the photo library for continued editing Perfect for users who want a fast way to digitize 35mm, 120, and other film negatives, while also creating beautifully framed images ready for sharing.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Negative Scanner at 5.0 against Light Meter's 3.6. Negative Scanner also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). Light Meter's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Light Meter sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year. Negative Scanner asks for nothing beyond the download.
Negative Scanner holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Light Meter has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Light Meter ships an update weekly, Negative Scanner every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Light Meter | Negative Scanner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 卓 朱 | 浩宇 李 |
Customer experience
Light Meter
Negative Scanner
In-app purchases
Light Meter
- FilmBox Toolkit Pro Subscription$7.991 Year
- FilmBox Toolkit Pro$17.99
Negative Scanner
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Light Meter free?
Is Negative Scanner free?
Which has better reviews, Light Meter or Negative Scanner?
Do Light Meter or Negative Scanner have ads?
Which is updated more often, Light Meter or Negative Scanner?
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