Comparison

Optaxis 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

Optaxis

Features
Read full description

Optaxis - Master the Axis, Connect the Like-minded This is not another filter camera app. Optaxis is a pro toolbox and community for 35mm full-frame, medium & large format, Leica, Sony, Fuji, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Hasselblad, Phase One, ALPA technical cameras, and film. 23 engineer-grade toolsets (40+ sub-tools), a 1500+ lens spec database, a global community, and an AI assistant - all in one app. 23 PROFESSIONAL TOOLSETS [PRE - PLANNING] - Weather & Light - live weather, golden / blue hour, moonrise & set, clouds - Aurora - regional visibility, cloud + moon factors, 3-day forecast - Burn Sky - multi-day burning-cloud index, probability model, share poster - Tide - tide forecast, photo / surf / fishing presets, multi-day charts - Specialty Weather - sea-of-clouds / rime / alpenglow probability, 28 locations - Field of View & Focal - 7 bodies x 19 backs, 35mm equiv, shift-stitch, image circle, DOF / hyperfocal - Scout - map sun / moon / Milky Way planner, azimuth, rise / set, spot check-in - Plan - pre-shoot planning, gear checklist, WeatherKit, linked log, cloud sync [SHOOT - IN THE FIELD] - Compose - multi-focal overlay, 9 grids, 6 live B&W filters, RGB histogram - AR Viewfinder - live overlay, level, light meter, sun / moon / Milky Way AR, AI Vision - Exposure - exposure triangle, EV, ND, bellows, film reciprocity - Scheimpflug Tilt / Swing - tilt / swing angle, focus distance (to f/64), linked DOF - Live Shift - real-time architectural shift, multi-back image circle, WYSIWYG - Exposure Session - reciprocity, bellows, filter & manual compensation on one screen - Timer - long-exposure countdown, safe shutter speed, cable release - Compass - true / magnetic north, declination, precise bearing [POST - DARKROOM] - Film Dev - 5-step wizard, +/-0.5C control, batch decay compensation, 11 verified recipes - Darkroom - dodge / burn notes, 4 safelights, F-stop test strips, MG filters - EI Calibration - reversal Zone VIII algorithm, community distribution, one-tap share - Reciprocity - reciprocity-failure curves, push / pull, multi-brand reference - Print Size - DPI rating, stitched megapixels, museum-grade, wall-mount preview [LOG - RECORD & SKY] - Diary - gear / params / notes, 12-field film mode, 2 clips, auto EXIF, cloud sync - Astro - star trails (500 / NPF), Milky Way, sun & moon paths, eclipse catalog 2026-2035, meteor showers, 53 stars + 5 planets AR EQUIPMENT ARCHIVE Manage bodies, backs, lenses, filters, kits, and film. Spec library: Leica M/SL/S, Hasselblad XCD/HC, Fuji GF, ALPA HR, Schneider / Rodenstock LF. Side-by-side comparison plus cloud sync. UNCOMPROMISED QUALITY Native HEIC, 10-bit Display P3, up to 80MB originals. Full dynamic range and color for medium and large format. GLOBAL PHOTOGRAPHER COMMUNITY - Multi-image posts - main + 100% detail crops, 9-image upload - Global map - discover nearby, spot check-in, meetups, community studios & dev labs - Hashtags, collections, Daily Inspiration, themed contests - Direct & group chat - text, image, file, equipment cards, params, group events - Voice & video calls - in-call photo + EXIF, equipment cards - Verification badges - ALPA, Cinema Lens, Leica, Hasselblad, Fuji, Large Format - Safety - report, block, moderation, AI pre-upload screening AI PHOTO ASSISTANT XiaoGuang AI - photo critique, captions, bio, log analysis, voice-to-text. Knowledge base across Leica, Hasselblad, Fuji GFX, ALPA, large format. Mention in group chats; CN/EN auto-translate. ARTICLES & NEWS In-depth Tips, industry News, community submissions, auto CN/EN translation. SUBSCRIPTION Free to use all calculators and community features. Pro unlocks the AI photo assistant and more. Monthly and yearly; pricing in-app. Billed through Apple ID, auto-renews, cancel anytime in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://optaxis.app/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://optaxis.app/privacy-policy.html Support: https://optaxis.app/support.html

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 ultra-wide 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 panoramic), large format (4x5, 5x7, 8x10), digital sensor sizes, and custom sizes. VIEWFINDER Precise field-of-view matching for any focal length and format. Portrait or landscape, control side of your choice, even upside down. WORKSPACES Design your own bottom control panel. Arrange the controls you use, then switch layouts with an edge-swipe. Start from built-in layouts or build your own per kit. FREEZE MODE Pause the frame on a full-resolution still to compose rise and shift, spot-meter, and measure distance, all without the scene moving. LIGHT METER Select your aperture and the app calculates the shutter speed. EV compensation, hyperfocal distance, auto/manual modes, readout in shutter speed or EV, and whole/half/third-stop increments. BELLOWS COMPENSATION A meter cell folds close-focus light loss into your reading for macro and large-format work, set manually or by LiDAR. SPOT METERING Meter the whole frame, or switch to spot mode to read a small area with a reticle, calibrated against your reference meter. LENS FILTERS Log the ND, polarizer, and color filters on your lens. The meter compensates automatically, and every capture records them. RECIPROCITY CORRECTION 60 built-in film stocks with accurate reciprocity curves, plus your own. Exposures over one second are corrected automatically. Portra, CineStill, Tri-X, Velvia, and more, plus an ECN-2 category. Custom stocks support color or B&W, white balance, and a tunable curve. FILM AND FILTER PREVIEW Simulate B&W film with color filters in the preview and captures, and preview color-film white balance from the loaded stock. LONG EXPOSURE TIMER A countdown timer for long exposures, with a 3-second pre-countdown and a full-screen progress ring. LIDAR DISTANCE MEASUREMENT On iPhone 12 Pro and later, measure the distance to your subject with LiDAR by tapping the viewfinder. On other devices, enter it manually. PARALLAX CORRECTION Compensates for the physical offset between the iPhone and the taking lens, using LiDAR or a manual distance, applied automatically. RISE, FALL AND SHIFT Simulate the movements of a view or technical camera. Offset the crop up, down, left, or right in 1mm steps. COMPOSITION TOOLS Rule of thirds, phi grid, golden triangle, square 1:1, and a custom grid up to 12x12. Bubble level with roll and pitch readout. PANORAMA SIMULATION Preview a stitched multi-frame panorama before you shoot it, and save it as a plan. SHOT CHECKLIST Build a step-by-step checklist per kit and run through it in the viewfinder. One step can fire the shutter automatically when you reach it. CAMERA KITS Save complete configurations and switch instantly. Each kit stores its lenses, format, preferred stocks, workspace, parallax offsets, and checklist. Pick a body and the format picker narrows to the masks it can shoot, with a film-advance guide for multi-format cameras. FILM ROLL TRACKING Track your rolls from first frame to last, so you always know which is loaded and when it was exposed. CAPTURE AND GALLERY Save a reference photo cropped to the exact framing, with full metadata: focal length, format, stock, filters, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, rise/shift, GPS, and timestamp. Optionally export a frame with a data overlay. Edit data, 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

Optaxis4 screens
Second View4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Optaxis at none against Second View's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Optaxis sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Second View sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Optaxis ships an update every 4 days, Second View weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and August 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Optaxis versus Second View: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOptaxisSecond View
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—55.6% of reviews
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size123 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperXIAO MIN NIBenoit Linard

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Optaxis

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly14 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Yearly14 Days trial$49.991 Year
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 Optaxis free?
Optaxis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Second View free?
Second View is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Optaxis or Second View have ads?
Second View shows ads; Optaxis does not.
Which is updated more often, Optaxis or Second View?
Optaxis ships an update every 4 days, and Second View weekly. Most recently, Optaxis was updated on September 16, 2026 and Second View on August 12, 2026.

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