Comparison

CalcuLight vs LapseArc

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

Head to head
About

CalcuLight

This app provides advanced light metering for film photographers, offering multiple metering modes and exposure control options. It helps users achieve precise exposures for their shots, with features like Zone System display and a log book for tracking. A free version is available, with an optional Pro upgrade for more advanced tools.

Highlights
  • Center Weighted metering
  • 3D Matrix metering
  • Spot metering (Pro)
  • Calculated metering (Pro)
  • Shutter Priority metering
  • Aperture Priority metering (Pro)
  • Zone System overlay (Pro)
  • Log book with GPS (Pro)
Features
Read full description

CalcuLight is a powerful, intuitive light meter for film photographers who want more than a handheld meter can offer. METERING MODES Center Weighted: Classic center focused metering (approximately 30 degree field of view), similar to vintage film cameras. Matrix: Full frame averaging for tricky scenes. Uses your camera's EXIF data for the fastest possible readings. Spot (Pro): Measure a precise 5% area of the frame. Tap anywhere to position the metering point. Calculated (Pro): Tap up to five areas for an averaged reading, plus the brightness range between your darkest and brightest points. Set your film type and CalcuLight warns when a scene's contrast will not fit. EXPOSURE COMBINATION SCALE Instead of a single pair of numbers, the readout shows a scale of equivalent exposures, so you can see at a glance that 1/125 at f/5.6 matches 1/250 at f/4. Swipe to scroll through combinations, or tap one to switch instantly. Combinations your camera cannot reach are flagged before you commit. EXPOSURE CONTROLS Shutter Priority: Set your shutter speed. Aperture Priority (Pro): Set your aperture. EV Compensation: Per shot adjustment in full, half, or third stops. ISO, shutter, and aperture (Pro) values in full, half, or third stop increments. Camera Range Limits (Pro): Restrict ISO, shutter and aperture to what your gear can actually do. Apertures reach f/0.7 for fast optics like the Noctilux. SHOOTING PROFILES (Pro) Save a named setup for how you are actually shooting: the film, how you are rating it, and the filter on your lens. Push and pull in third stops, up to three either way. Push two stops on ISO 400 film and CalcuLight meters it as EI 1600. Filter compensation up to ten stops, from a yellow filter to an ND10. Switch setups from the viewfinder. The active profile is always shown on screen, so a reading is never quietly adjusted without you seeing why. ZONE SYSTEM VALUE DISPLAY (Pro) Displays the current zone from 0 to X beside your metering point. In Calculated mode, each point shows its own zone value. LIVE HISTOGRAM (Pro) Real time RGB histogram to catch clipped highlights and blocked shadows before you shoot. Toggle combined RGB, red, green, and blue channels. LOG BOOK (Pro) Save every reading with full exposure data, metering mode, GPS location (choose precise or general) and timestamp. Notes are pre-populated with captured values in Calculated mode. Export as CSV, JSON, or plain text. MULTI-LANGUAGE SUPPORT English, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 日本語, 한국어, हिन्दी, Русский, Deutsch, Français, Español, Português, Nederlands FREE vs PRO The FREE version is completely ad-free and covers over 90% of what film shooters need for exposure metering. Free version features: Center Weighted and Matrix metering Shutter Priority metering Exposure combination scale EV compensation Single metering mode ISO, shutter and EV compensation stop increments Light and dark themes Portrait and landscape with orientation lock Overlay transparency All 12 languages Pro version: All free version features Spot metering with adjustable area Calculated metering Aperture Priority metering Shooting profiles with push/pull and filter compensation Vintage camera shutter speed options Zone System overlay Live histogram Log book with optional GPS location recording Continuous metering mode Global EV offset Exposure settings range limits Aperture stop increment control cd/m2 display Remember settings between sessions Silent metering (turn off the meter beep) Experimental features (lens switch) You can try Pro version at no cost for 14-days. After that, you can access the Pro version in two ways: Pay as you go for only $0.99 USD per month to access all Pro features (cancel any time); or $14.99 USD for lifetime access to all Pro features and future updates. Privacy Policy: https://calculight.ocutrain.com/privacy-policy.html Terms of Service: https://calculight.ocutrain.com/terms-of-service.html

About

LapseArc

Features
Read full description

8K time-lapse. Smart stabilization. Capture the details of time. LapseArc brings 8K time-lapse and smart stabilization together in one photography app. Capture change frame by frame with high-resolution photos, then automatically analyze and correct subtle camera shake. Turn drifting clouds, shifting light and the city from day to night into clear, steady time-lapse films. Shoot, color grade and export in one app. 8K TIME-LAPSE, RICH IN DETAIL Turn high-resolution photo sequences into time-lapse videos at up to 8K, with landscape 7680 × 4320 and portrait 4320 × 7680 output. Keep each original frame in Apple ProRAW or HEIF/JPEG for large-screen viewing and further editing. 8K availability depends on source resolution and the export capabilities of your device. SMART STABILIZATION, STEADIER MOTION Automatically analyze visual features across your sequence to correct small shifts and rotations between frames, reducing jitter during playback. Choose Fast, Standard or Fine analysis, preview the stabilization, then apply it to your final film. Stabilization is nondestructive and preserves your original photos. Results depend on scene detail and the amount of shake, and some cropping around the edges is required. CAPTURE PHOTO SEQUENCES Set a capture interval and start countdown, and shoot in Apple ProRAW or HEIF/JPEG. Choose from the resolutions supported by your device and lens. Each original photo is saved separately, giving you room to refine your work later. TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR SHOT Adjust ISO, shutter speed, exposure compensation and white balance. Use focus lock, a grid, a horizon level, a histogram and overexposure warnings to guide composition and exposure. Preview your look as you shoot with live LUT monitoring. EDIT THE ENTIRE SEQUENCE Browse individual frames and apply LUTs, light and color adjustments across the whole sequence. Shape different areas with global, linear gradient and radial masks, then refine the composition with crop, rotation and stabilization. Edits are saved nondestructively, preserving your original photos. EXPORT YOUR WAY Export a time-lapse video, the current frame or the entire image sequence. Choose from multiple frame rates, resolutions and codecs, including H.264, HEVC and ProRes. Save to Photos when supported, or share files to continue creating elsewhere. 8K—time as verse, light as art. Apple ProRAW, 24MP/48MP capture, 4K/8K, HDR and ProRes availability depends on your device, lens, OS version, source media and encoding capabilities. The app shows the options available for your setup. Before a long capture, make sure you have enough storage space and keep your device steady.

Screenshots

CalcuLight4 screens
LapseArc4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LapseArc at none against CalcuLight's 2. CalcuLight's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence and ads 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. CalcuLight sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. LapseArc asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CalcuLight ships an update monthly, LapseArc every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
CalcuLight versus LapseArc: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalcuLightLapseArc
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLi Fan原 胡

In-app purchases

2 purchases

CalcuLight

Subscriptions1
  • CalcuLight$0.991 Month
One-time1
  • CalcuLight$14.99
None

LapseArc

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CalcuLight free?
CalcuLight is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LapseArc free?
LapseArc is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do CalcuLight or LapseArc have ads?
Neither CalcuLight nor LapseArc shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CalcuLight or LapseArc?
CalcuLight ships an update monthly, and LapseArc every 4 weeks. Most recently, CalcuLight was updated on October 31, 2026 and LapseArc on November 6, 2026.

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