CamControl BM vs RingThing
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CamControl BM
Remotely control Blackmagic cameras via WiFi, Ethernet, or Bluetooth LE from your iPhone or iPad. Manage recording, exposure, focus, audio, and more. Offers Apple Watch integration for hands-free operation and a streamlined Cine View mode for essential settings.
- Remote camera control (recording, exposure, focus)
- Apple Watch integration
- Cine View declutter mode
- Focus Profiles with easing
- Multicam sync control
- LUT Manager
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Control your Blackmagic camera remotely via WiFi, Ethernet, or Bluetooth LE - from your iPhone or iPad. Full control of recording, exposure, focus, iris, codec, monitoring, audio, and playback. Works with Pocket 4K/6K, PYXIS 6K/12K/17K, URSA Cine 12K/17K, URSA Mini Pro, and more. No cloud or account required. APPLE WATCH Roll record, monitor timecode, see battery and card status from your wrist. Direct over WiFi - no phone tether needed. Designed for crane shots, tight rigs, and anywhere your phone can't go. CINE VIEW One-tap declutter mode for set use. Hides everything except the essentials - ISO, WB, Shutter, FPS, Record, Timecode. Built with feedback from working 1st ACs. RECORDING One-tap record. Pre-record buffer (5s-10min). Live timecode. Still capture. EXPOSURE ISO, white balance, tint, shutter angle. Quick presets and step controls. Auto WB. ND filter control. FOCUS AND IRIS Precision slider with Near/Far controls. Unlimited named Focus Profiles with per-profile duration (0.5-5s) and easing - smooth, linear, ease in, ease out. Iris with f-stop readout. Auto-focus trigger. AUDIO Per-channel input selection (mic, 3.5mm, XLR). Gain control with live VU meters. Headphone level. CODEC AND FORMAT BRAW and ProRes. Resolution up to 12K. Multiple aspect ratios. Compression 3:1 to 18:1. HIGH FRAME RATE Off-speed toggle. Custom sensor frame rates for slow motion. MONITORING Focus peaking, zebras (highlight and skin tone), false colour, frame guides, safe area, clean feed output. LUT Manager with per-display toggle for SDI, LCD and USB-C, plus a free .cube library at camcontrol.com.au/luts. COLOR CORRECTION Lift, Gamma, Gain, Offset. RGBL sliders. Contrast, hue, saturation, luma. PRESETS Save and recall complete camera snapshots - ISO, white balance, shutter, codec and format - in one tap. Up to 20 named presets. DIGITAL SLATE Scene, take, reel, shot type and good-take flag. Take number auto-increments after every record stop, so the phone stays out of your way between setups. MULTICAM Gang cameras for sync control. Record, ISO, WB, shutter across up to 10 Blackmagic cameras over WiFi. PLAYBACK Browse and play clips via SDI/HDMI. Transport scrub controls. MEDIA AND METADATA Storage monitoring across media slots. Slate metadata written on set. CONNECTIVITY WiFi and Ethernet (REST API). Bluetooth LE. Auto-discover cameras - no manual IP entry. COMPATIBLE CAMERAS PYXIS 6K/12K/17K, URSA Cine Immersive 17K, URSA Mini Pro 12K, URSA Broadcast G2 via WiFi/Ethernet. Pocket Cinema Camera 4K/6K via Bluetooth LE. Built for cinematographers, 1st ACs, camera ops, DITs, and directors. FREE AND PRO Core control is free. Pro unlocks Apple Watch control, Presets, Digital Slate, Focus Profiles, LUT Manager, Multicam Gang and custom frame guide ratios - one-time in-app purchase.
RingThing
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RingThing turns focus ring labels into something you actually want to put on your kit. Built for camera assistants working with ARRI Hi-5, ARRI WCU-4 or Tilta Nucleus M2 hand units (with others in development), it lets you design, preview and export beautifully laid out focus, iris and zoom ring labels straight from your iPhone. Open a .rng file exported from a Hi-5, or import ARRI, cmotion or Tilta LDA calibration tables for the lenses you're using — and RingThing renders a ring label that matches the engraved scales, mark for mark. DESIGN • Carefully drawn typography for imperial and metric focus scales, including superscript fractions and decimals. • Interpolated minor marks with adjustable density so dense ends of the scale stay readable. • Theme system with presets you can override; build and save your own themes, or import a friend's with a QR code. • Live preview with rotation, contrast cues and a print-accurate layout. SOURCES • Open .rng files exported from an ARRI Hi-5. • Import ARRI, cmotion and Tilta LDA (.tab, .cml, .tl) lens calibration tables — by file, by scanning a QR code, or from a photo. • Choose which scale to render from a multi-axis LDA: focus, iris or zoom. • Convert ARRI LDAs to Tilta Nucleus M2 LDA files (Pro) • Files restore on cold launch, so the lens you were just working on is right there when you re-open the app. EXPORT & SHARE • Print-ready PDFs and PNGs sized for A4 stock. • Crisp SVGs for design and cutting tools (Pro). • Themed story-image exports for sharing your work. • Optional contrasting border on print exports for cleaner trimming. • Share imported LDAs with the rest of your camera department. 3D-PRINTABLE APPLICATION JIGS • Share an STL for a left- or right-handed Hi-5, WCU-4 or Tilta Nucleus M jig and print one on any FDM or resin printer. • The jigs hold the labels squarely against the rings while you press down — no more wonky applications. PRO A one-time, no-subscription Pro purchase unlocks SVG export, .rng import, ARRI-to-Tilta LDA conversion, Data Matrix barcodes, persistent theme and LDA libraries, and saved custom themes. Free version users can take LDA imports for a test drive each session before deciding. Feedback and feature requests are very welcome via the Instagram link inside the app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: CamControl BM at 3 against RingThing's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. CamControl BM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and RingThing sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
CamControl BM ships an update fortnightly, RingThing every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on July 27, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CamControl BM | RingThing |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Anthony Shorten | Damien Bateman |
In-app purchases
CamControl BM
- BMControl Pro$9.99
RingThing
- RingThing Pro$19.99





