Comparison

Second View vs THE Tether

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

Head to head
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

About

THE Tether

Instantly review and manage photos wirelessly from your camera on your mobile device. This app facilitates a fast on-set workflow for photographers, allowing for image rating, RAW file matching, and organized export.

Highlights
  • Wireless JPG review while shooting
  • Support for Nikon, Sony, Canon cameras
  • Session-based photo management
  • Fullscreen review and rating
  • RAW matching and download
  • Export JPG and RAW files
Features
Read full description

THE Tether brings wireless tethering and on-set photo review from compatible Nikon, Canon and Sony cameras to Mac, iPhone and iPad. • JPG Only, JPG+RAW, RAW Only and Rated RAW modes • Sessions, filmstrip, full-screen review and ratings • Download matching RAW files for rated photos when available on the card • Recover supported missed captures after a connection interruption • Camera Import, Live View, remote shutter and settings on supported cameras • Export selected JPG/RAW files and XMP rating metadata • Connect up to four cameras, with one active Live View Mac adds Loupe, comparison and Second Display. Mobile controls and layouts differ. Connect the camera and app device to the same Wi-Fi router or smartphone hotspot. A 5GHz router is recommended. Features depend on protocol, firmware, authentication, camera capabilities, card contents and network conditions. Not every camera supports every feature. Premium offers monthly and yearly auto-renewable subscriptions. A seven-day free trial depends on the available offer and your eligibility. Check the local price, period and terms displayed by the App Store before purchase. Unless cancelled, a trial renews at the displayed price. Manage subscriptions in your App Store account and use Restore Purchases to recover existing access. THE Tether is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Nikon, Canon or Sony. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://dune-pixie-e84.notion.site/THE-tether-Privacy-Policy-3601d408edd98090b797f608872b583c

Screenshots

Second View4 screens
THE Tether4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: THE Tether at none against Second View's shown. THE Tether also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 56%) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Second View sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year and THE Tether sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Second View ships an update weekly, THE Tether every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Second View versus THE Tether: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSecond ViewTHE Tether
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews55.6% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 9 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBenoit Linardharyun song

Customer experience

Second View

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive55.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative33.3%

THE Tether

Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

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
2 purchases

THE Tether

Subscriptions2
  • THE tether Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • THE tether Yearly7 Days trial$34.991 Year

Questions

Is Second View free?
Second View is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is THE Tether free?
THE Tether is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Second View or THE Tether have ads?
Second View shows ads; THE Tether does not.
Which is updated more often, Second View or THE Tether?
Second View ships an update weekly, and THE Tether every 9 days. Most recently, Second View was updated on October 19, 2026 and THE Tether on October 14, 2026.

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