Comparison

light & deep vs Ant CineKit

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

Head to head
About

light & deep

Features
Read full description

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 β€” 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 β€” 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 β€’ Reflective light meter with aperture and shutter priority β€’ 35mm full-frame and 6Γ—6 frame overlays β€’ Focal-length control β€’ LiDAR distance measurement, tap-to-measure and target-distance zebras on supported hardware PRO - ONE PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTION β€’ Depth-of-field visualization on supported hardware β€’ All 53 formats β€’ Spot metering and light-meter calibration β€’ Reference photos with settings and metadata β€’ Fixed-point distance tracking β€’ Ultrawide camera support on compatible devices β€’ Black-and-white view and virtual horizon β€’ Frame, zebra and crosshair customization β€’ Parallax correction for a phone mounted on a camera β€’ 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

Ant CineKit

Features
Read full description

Built by a 10+ year film crew pro. Ant CineKit is a 14-in-1 toolkit built for film crews. >>>Camera & Lens Database, Director's viewfinder with AR Sun trail, Sensor & Lens coverage, Data calculator, Depth of field calculator, Dynamic range, Angle of view, Digital slate, Film calculator, Underwater focus, Flicker free, Shutter angle converter, Data Transfer ++ Try Ant CineKit free for 7 days - full access to every tool, no limitations. After your trial, unlock lifetime access with a one-time purchase. ++ Created from more than 10+ year of professional DIT experience. Available in 7 Languages: English, French, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai >>> CAMERA DATABASE 95 cinema camera bodies from ARRI, RED, Sony, Canon, Blackmagic, Panasonic, Nikon, Panavision, Phantom, DJI, Freefly, Kinefinity, Z CAM, AJA and more. Full recording modes, codecs, resolutions, sensor areas, frame-rate limits and media options for each body. >>> LENS DATABASE 261 lens series across 27 brands β€” ARRI Signature, ARRI Rental (ALFA, Prime DNA, DNA LF, Moviecam), ZEISS, Cooke, AngΓ©nieux, Hawk, Leitz, FUJINON, Canon, Sigma, DZOFilm, SIRUI, Laowa, Atlas, Gecko-Cam, NiSi, Vazen and more. Focal lengths, T-stops, close focus, front diameter, weight, coverage and image circle. >>> DIRECTOR'S VIEWFINDER Turn your phone into any camera in the database. Pick a body, recording mode and lens, and the live viewfinder matches that exact field of view. >>> SUN FINDER & AR SUN TRAIL Scout light for any location and any date. Get sun altitude, azimuth, sunrise and sunset, plus golden hour. >>> SENSOR & LENS COVERAGE Compare up to four camera-and-lens combinations side by side. See exactly how sensor formats stack up, whether a lens covers your recording mode, and where vignetting will bite. >>> DEPTH OF FIELD Calculate near focus, far focus, total depth of field, hyperfocal distance, and estimated background blur. Choose strict, normal, soft, or custom circle-of-confusion settings. The visual preview supports frame lines, anamorphic desqueeze, diopters, and metric or imperial distances. >>> ANGLE OF VIEW Horizontal, vertical and diagonal angles, field of view at any distance, and the longest focal length that still fits a known object in frame. >>> DATA CALCULATOR Work out exactly how much storage a shoot needs. Pick camera, codec, resolution and frame rate, then get data rate, storage per hour, total storage and how many cards or drives to bring. Scales across multiple cameras and shoot days. >>> DATA TRANSFER CALCULATOR Estimate transfer time using file sizes in MB, GB, or TB and transfer speeds in MB/s, GB/s, Mbps, or Gbps. Compare drives, card readers, networks, and backup workflows. >>> Dynamic range How many stops of light a camera's sensor can capture from the darkest shadow detail to the brightest highlight detail. >>> ADDITIONAL ON-SET TOOLS β€’ Flicker-free shutter recommendations for 50 Hz and 60 Hz lighting β€’ Shutter-speed to shutter-angle conversion β€’ Flat-port underwater-focus calculation β€’ Film length, frame-count, and runtime calculations β€’ Digital Slate >>> BUILT FOR SET β€’ Full anamorphic support with desqueeze across every tool β€’ Favorites and recent gear for fast recall β€’ Share and export your calculations β€’ iPhone and iPad, with a layout tuned for each β€’ Works entirely offline

Screenshots

light & deep4 screens
Ant CineKit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Ant CineKit at every 3 days against light & deep's every 2 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. light & deep sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Ant CineKit sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

light & deep ships an update every 2 weeks, Ant CineKit every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
light & deep versus Ant CineKit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterlight & deepAnt CineKit
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS17.6 β€” better18.6
Further details β€” not scored
Size4 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMikhail RybakovPiyapong Mahnmark

In-app purchases

1 purchases

light & deep

One-time1
  • Light & Deep Pro$11.99
1 purchases

Ant CineKit

One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime Unlock$19.99

Questions

Is light & deep free?
light & deep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ant CineKit free?
Ant CineKit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do light & deep or Ant CineKit have ads?
Neither light & deep nor Ant CineKit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, light & deep or Ant CineKit?
light & deep ships an update every 2 weeks, and Ant CineKit every 3 days. Most recently, light & deep was updated on October 7, 2026 and Ant CineKit on October 24, 2026.

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