Second View vs Foreframe
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Foreframe
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Foreframe turns your iPhone into a pocket viewfinder for your real camera. You see a scene, but your camera is in the bag — or at home. Instead of guessing, open Foreframe, pick your sensor format and focal length, and see exactly what your camera would frame. In seconds you know whether the shot is worth setting up for, or worth coming back for. And when a place deserves a second visit, don't let it slip away. Save the frame as a spot: it keeps the preview photo, the location, your framing settings, and your notes — so the idea survives until you return with the right gear and the right light. A VIEWFINDER THAT SPEAKS YOUR CAMERA'S LANGUAGE - Simulate framing for Full Frame, APS-C 1.5x, APS-C 1.6x, and Micro 4/3 - Dial in focal length and aspect ratio right on the viewfinder - Jump between six customizable quick focal presets while scouting - Automatically uses the best-matching physical iPhone lens for a believable preview - Tap to focus and AE/AF Lock for stable framing at longer focal lengths - Composition guides for thirds, center, diagonals, golden ratio, and golden spiral - Optional 4:5 and square safe areas, plus a live level for precise alignment - Live technical readout: field of view, matched lens, digital zoom SPOTS: A MEMORY FOR PLACES WORTH RETURNING TO - Save any preview as a spot, or add new captures to a spot you already know - Each spot holds its photos, location, tags, a note, and a status — "want to return" or "completed" - Browse your spots in a photo-first gallery with search, filters, and sorting - Sort by nearest to see which saved compositions are within reach right now - See all your spots on a map when you're planning a route - Share a complete spot — including every capture, note, tag, location, and framing setting — as a portable .ffspot file - Open shared .ffspot files in Foreframe, preview their contents, and save an independent copy to your own library - Share or save any capture to Photos whenever you want — nothing leaves the app on its own BUILT FOR THE FIELD - Works fully offline — no account, no sign-in, no subscription - All spots stay on your device; Photos access is add-only, your library is never read - Your framing settings and presets are remembered between launches - Fast, native, and designed to stay out of your way FREE TO USE, ONE-TIME UPGRADE Foreframe is free to download, and the viewfinder is free without limits. The free tier includes up to 5 spots with 5 captures each. Foreframe Prime — a single one-time purchase, no subscription — removes the spot limits and includes every future Prime feature. Family Sharing is supported.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Foreframe at none against Second View's shown. Second View's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Second View sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year and Foreframe sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Second View ships an update weekly, Foreframe every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Second View | Foreframe |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 55.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Benoit Linard | Marcin Sporysz |
In-app purchases
Second View
- Second View Basic Yearly7 Days trial$7.991 Year
- Second View Pro Yearly7 Days trial$14.991 Year
Foreframe
- Foreframe Prime$5.99
Questions
Is Second View free?
Is Foreframe free?
Do Second View or Foreframe have ads?
Which is updated more often, Second View or Foreframe?
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