Comparison

light & deep vs Darkcloth

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

Head to head
About

light & deep

Features
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Light & Deep is a viewfinder, light meter and LiDAR rangefinder for film, cinema and custom made cameras. Choose your format and focal length, meter the light and measure your subject distance. With Pro (one purchase, no subscription), see the estimated depth of field as zebra stripes over the live scene, and watch it change as you adjust the aperture. Originally built for a handmade camera without a finder or meter, it brings the same practical tools to medium-format, large-format and panoramic photography. SEE DEPTH OF FIELD — PRO Explore which nearby parts of your scene would be sharp for your format, focal length, aperture and focus distance. Open the aperture and the highlighted zone narrows. Stop down and it grows. METER THE LIGHT Set your film ISO, choose aperture or shutter priority, and read the corresponding exposure setting. Pro adds spot metering and calibration for each iPhone lens. FRAME YOUR SHOT Set your format and focal length to preview composition. Free offers 35mm full frame and 6x6 medium format. Pro offers 53 film, digital and cinema formats, including large format, XPan, Instax, Polaroid, Super 8, and IMAX. MEASURE THE DISTANCE On a LiDAR-equipped iPhone, tap a point to measure its distance. The free distance zebra highlights surfaces near the selected distance. Pro adds depth-of-field visualization and can keep measuring a fixed point in the scene even as you move the phone. SAVE A REFERENCE — PRO Keep a reference photo with a settings strip and image metadata. Record aperture, shutter speed, ISO, format, focal length, distance, a film note and optional location, so you can refer back to your setup later. FREE, WITH NO TIME LIMIT • Reflective light meter with aperture and shutter priority • 35mm full-frame and 6×6 frame overlays • Focal-length control • LiDAR distance measurement, tap-to-measure and target-distance zebras on supported hardware PRO - ONE PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTION • Depth-of-field visualization on supported hardware • All 53 formats • Spot metering and light-meter calibration • Reference photos with settings and metadata • Fixed-point distance tracking • Ultrawide camera support on compatible devices • Black-and-white view and virtual horizon • Frame, zebra and crosshair customization • Parallax correction for a phone mounted on a camera • Cinema tools: shutter angle, project frame rate and anamorphic squeeze Pro is an optional one-time in-app purchase. The free features remain available without upgrading. REQUIREMENTS iPhone with iOS 17.6 or later. Distance measurement, distance zebras and depth-of-field visualization require a LiDAR-equipped iPhone: iPhone 12 Pro or 12 Pro Max, or a later model with LiDAR. Metering and framing work without LiDAR. LiDAR is intended for nearby subjects, with a useful range of about five metres depending on conditions. Depth coverage is limited to the central area in ultrawide view. The depth-of-field overlay estimates acceptable sharpness; it does not simulate lens bokeh or guarantee the final photograph's sharpness. PRIVACY No account, ads or analytics. Camera, depth and exposure processing happens on your device. Optional location data is used when you choose to include it in a reference photo.

About

Darkcloth

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"A good photograph is knowing where to stand." — Ansel Adams Darkcloth is a field viewfinder for technical and view cameras. Use the phone camera to preview the frame before you set up the camera. Choose a film format and focal length, add rise, fall or shift, compare lenses, and check level. It is meant for planning the photograph, not replacing the ground glass. Included tools: • Framelines for 6×7, 4×5, 8×10 and custom formats • Multiple focal lengths at once for lens comparison • Rise/fall and shift preview over the live scene • Reflected-light meter with average and spot readings • Reciprocity correction for common film stocks, plus custom stocks • Roll and pitch level • Scheimpflug tilt visualiser with near/far depth-of-field readout Darkcloth was made alongside the Fysh FTC-1, but it is not locked to that camera. It works with other technical-camera and view-camera workflows. No account is required. No photos are uploaded.

Screenshots

light & deep4 screens
Darkcloth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Darkcloth at none against light & deep's 1. On price, update cadence, 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

Both are free to download. light & deep sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Darkcloth asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

light & deep ships an update every 2 weeks, Darkcloth every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 7 level
light & deep versus Darkcloth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterlight & deepDarkcloth
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMikhail RybakovLACHLAN M FYSH

In-app purchases

1 purchases

light & deep

One-time1
  • Light & Deep Pro$11.99
None

Darkcloth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is light & deep free?
light & deep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Darkcloth free?
Darkcloth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do light & deep or Darkcloth have ads?
Neither light & deep nor Darkcloth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, light & deep or Darkcloth?
light & deep ships an update every 2 weeks, and Darkcloth every 10 days. Most recently, light & deep was updated on November 5, 2026 and Darkcloth on October 31, 2026.

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