Comparison

Very Good Camera vs Second View

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

Head to head
About

Very Good Camera

This app offers a range of film and digicam-inspired color grades for your photos. Customize your look with focus and exposure tools, various aspect ratios, and file formats. Achieve unique styles from monochrome to low-light with iconic shutter sounds and natural processing.

Highlights
  • Film and digicam color grades
  • Focus and exposure controls
  • Multiple aspect ratios
  • RAW and HEIC file support
  • Customizable color grades
  • Iconic shutter sounds
  • Grid, level, and histogram overlays
Read full description

Very Good Camera is based on the most popular film grades by Very Good Co. Three color grades suit every style of photography: VG400 for anytime, VG800 for low-light, and VGTX for monochrome. This camera is feature-rich, with tools you'd expect to find in any camera: focus & exposure modes, tools to overlay, and various file formats. This camera also includes three iconic shutter sounds, natural processing for a digicam look, and the ability to dial in and customize each of our color grades. Whether you want a filmic, digicam, or modern look, Very Good Camera has what you need to get the best colors right out of your iPhone. Features include: - Camera modes for a full or minimal experience - Various aspect ratios, including native 4:3 as well as 2:3, 5:4, 1:1, 16:9, and XPAN - File formats with JPG, HEIC, and RAW - Resolution of 12MP or 48MP - Standard or Natural Processing - Build out a custom lens kit of common focal lengths - Auto or Manual Exposure Modes to control ISO & Shutter - Exposure lock to prevent exposure changes - Exposure push and pull, based on film scans - Tap or Tracking Focus Modes - Mirrored or True modes for the Selfie cam - Three iconic shutter tones - Grid, level, and histogram overlay tools - Self timer - White, black, and film-inspired frames

About

Second View

This tool assists photographers in planning shots by simulating their actual camera's field of view and aspect ratio. It includes a light meter, filter logging, and reciprocity correction for film stocks. Features like LiDAR distance measurement and composition guides help refine framing and exposure before taking the shot.

Highlights
  • Precise field-of-view matching
  • Real-time light meter with spot metering
  • ND, polarizer, and color filter logging
  • Reciprocity failure correction for 60 film stocks
  • LiDAR distance measurement
  • Composition and grid tools
  • Panorama simulation
Read full description

PLEASE READ FIRST Second View is not a camera app and does not take photos for you. It helps you frame, meter, and plan shots before you press the shutter on your own camera. The photos it saves are framing aids, not final images. --- Second View turns your iPhone into a precision field toolkit for analog photographers. Set your lens and format, and it crops the iPhone camera to match what your film camera will capture: same field of view, aspect ratio, and framing. Supports 35mm, medium format (6x4.5 through 6x17), large format (4x5, 5x7, 8x10), digital sensors, and custom sizes. VIEWFINDER Precise field-of-view matching for any focal length and format. Portrait or landscape, control side of your choice, preview rotation per kit. AUTOMATIC LENS SELECTION Frames through the sharpest back camera that holds your crop (ultra-wide, wide or tele), so long lenses look crisp. Calibrate each lens with a sheet of paper. FRAMES MODE Rangefinder-style bright lines for every lens in your kit at once. WORKSPACES Design your own control panel and switch layouts with a swipe. FREEZE MODE Hold a full-resolution still to compose rise and shift, spot-meter, and measure distance without the scene moving. LIGHT METER Pick your aperture and get the shutter speed. EV compensation, hyperfocal distance, auto/manual modes, and whole/half/third stops. SPOT METERING Meter the whole frame or a spot down to 1° through the telephoto. METER CALIBRATION Calibrate against your reference meter at several light levels, per lens. BELLOWS COMPENSATION Folds close-focus light loss into the reading, set manually or by LiDAR. LENS FILTERS Log ND, polarizer, and color filters. The meter compensates and every capture records them. RECIPROCITY CORRECTION 60 film stocks with accurate reciprocity curves, plus your own: Portra, CineStill, Tri-X, Velvia, ECN-2 and more. Exposures over one second are corrected automatically. FILM PREVIEW Simulate B&W film with color filters, and preview color-film white balance from the loaded stock. LONG EXPOSURE TIMER Countdown with a full-screen progress ring, on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, with an optional end alert. HARDWARE BUTTONS Map the volume buttons, Camera Control, the Action button or a Bluetooth remote to shutter, timer, freeze, lens steps and more. LIDAR DISTANCE AND PARALLAX Measure subject distance with LiDAR (iPhone 12 Pro and later) or enter it manually. Parallax between the iPhone and your lens is corrected automatically. RISE, FALL AND SHIFT Simulate view camera movements in 1mm steps, up to your kit's maximum travel. COMPOSITION TOOLS Rule of thirds, phi grid, golden triangle, square, and custom grids up to 12x12. Bubble level with roll and pitch. PANORAMA SIMULATION Preview a stitched multi-frame panorama and save it as a plan. SHOT CHECKLIST Run a per-kit checklist in the viewfinder. One step can fire the shutter automatically. CAMERA KITS Save complete setups and switch instantly: lenses, format, stocks, workspace, parallax, and checklist. Pick a body and the format picker shows only the masks it can shoot. FILM ROLL TRACKING Know which roll is loaded and when every frame was exposed. CAPTURE AND GALLERY Save a reference photo with the exact framing and full metadata: lens, format, stock, filters, exposure, rise/shift, GPS, and time. Export with a data overlay, add notes, group into rolls, and export a CSV log. --- Terms of Use : https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy : https://secondview.app/privacy

Screenshots

Very Good Camera4 screens
Second View4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Second View at Free against Very Good Camera's $9.99. Second View also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). Very Good Camera's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On 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

Second View is free to download; Very Good Camera costs $9.99 up front. Second View sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year. Very Good Camera asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Very Good Camera holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 19 and 5 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Very Good Camera versus Second View: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVery Good CameraSecond View
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (19 ratings) — better4.0 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews—55.6% of reviews
Number of ratings19 — better5
Update frequency—Weekly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#5 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGray Ribbon, Inc.Benoit Linard

In-app purchases

None

Very Good Camera

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Second View

Subscriptions2
  • Second View Basic Yearly7 Days trial$7.991 Year
  • Second View Pro Yearly7 Days trial$14.991 Year

Questions

Is Very Good Camera free?
Very Good Camera costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Second View free?
Second View is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Very Good Camera or Second View?
Very Good Camera is rated higher. Very Good Camera averages 5.0 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Second View averages 4.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Very Good Camera or Second View have ads?
Second View shows ads; Very Good Camera does not.

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