Comparison

Lightframer Pro vs RecceBoard

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Lightframer Pro

This app transforms your iPhone into a professional cinema viewfinder, allowing you to preview shots with specific camera and lens combinations. It also features real-time sun tracking to help plan shoots around natural light conditions and exports scout photos with detailed metadata.

Highlights
  • Real-time AR viewfinder
  • Camera and lens simulation
  • Sun path tracking
  • Customizable frame lines
  • Metadata export
  • Golden hour and blue hour prediction
Features
Read full description

Lightframer Pro turns your iPhone into a professional cinema viewfinder with real-time sun tracking. PREVIEW YOUR FRAME Select from a library of cinema cameras and lenses — ARRI, RED, Sony, Canon, Blackmagic, and more. See exactly how your chosen setup frames the shot, right on location. No guesswork. No rental truck needed. TRACK THE SUN Plan your shoot around the light. Lightframer Pro shows the sun's path across the sky in real time — golden hour, blue hour, sunrise, and sunset — overlaid directly on your viewfinder. Know your light before you call "action." FRAME LINES FOR EVERY RATIO Overlay frame lines for any aspect ratio: 2.39:1 anamorphic, 1.85:1 theatrical, 17:9 DCI, 16:9 HD, 4:3 open gate, or set your own custom ratio. See your final deliverable frame while you scout. EXPORT WITH FULL CINEMA DATA Every capture includes a metadata strip with camera, lens, focal length, aspect ratio, sun position, compass heading, and white balance. Share scout photos your entire crew can reference. BUILT FOR CINEMATOGRAPHERS - Real-time AR viewfinder matched to your camera and lens - Sun path with golden hour, blue hour, sunrise, and sunset times - Compass heading overlay - Portrait and landscape modes - Frame line shading and color controls - Photo export with cinema metadata Whether you're a DP scouting a commercial, an indie filmmaker planning your next short, or a director blocking scenes on location — Lightframer Pro gives you the tools to plan every shot with precision.

About

RecceBoard

Features
Read full description

A recce board for directors, cinematographers. Previz made simple. Walk a location, film the shots you're thinking of, and push them around until the order feels right. Then press play and watch the whole thing as a film. The camera opens already framed to the board's format, and the lens buttons are labelled in millimetres — the real focal length, so it means the same on any iPhone. Stop recording and you're in the trim. Next takes you back to the camera for the following shot. Shots sit where you put them, and the order of the film is the arrangement: left to right, top to bottom, the way a page reads. Move a shot and you've changed the cut. Record a voice-over over the whole thing or over a single shot, and lay music underneath. Export the film as a video or the board as a contact-sheet PDF, with your frame lines burned in. Boards sync through your own iCloud account, so you can start on the phone at the location and finish on the Mac. One purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac. Share a board with a six-character code. Nothing is collected — no analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs. One purchase, no subscription. Want it to do something it doesn't yet? mail@carlooppermann.com

Screenshots

Lightframer Pro4 screens
RecceBoard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: RecceBoard at Free against Lightframer Pro's $19.99. RecceBoard also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). Lightframer Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On 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

RecceBoard is free to download; Lightframer Pro costs $19.99 up front. RecceBoard sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Lightframer Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lightframer Pro ships an update every 3 weeks, RecceBoard every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Lightframer Pro versus RecceBoard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLightframer ProRecceBoard
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developereric HernandezCarlo Oppermann

In-app purchases

None

Lightframer Pro

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

RecceBoard

One-time2
  • 7-Day TrialFree
  • RecceBoard$8.99

Questions

Is Lightframer Pro free?
Lightframer Pro costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is RecceBoard free?
RecceBoard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Lightframer Pro or RecceBoard have ads?
Neither Lightframer Pro nor RecceBoard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lightframer Pro or RecceBoard?
Lightframer Pro ships an update every 3 weeks, and RecceBoard every 4 days. Most recently, Lightframer Pro was updated on October 3, 2026 and RecceBoard on October 3, 2026.

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