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 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

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 to Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Connect a supported Nikon camera, review your images, and keep your selections organized from capture to export. A WORKFLOW FOR YOUR SHOOT • Receive JPG, RAW, or JPG+RAW with supported camera settings. • Review photos in Sessions, browse the filmstrip, and assign ratings. • Use Rated RAW to receive RAW files for selected rated images when supported. • Review the selected image in Full Screen. • Export JPG/RAW selections and XMP rating metadata for your editing workflow. STAY ORGANIZED WHEN CONNECTIONS CHANGE Automatic reconnect and Missed Capture Recovery help you resume supported Nikon workflows after an interruption. Multi-camera Sessions keep camera identities distinct and organize images across cameras. Availability depends on the camera, retained files, and connection conditions. DESIGNED FOR THE MAC The Mac review workspace adds pointer-controlled Loupe inspection and side-by-side Compare. These desktop presentations are Mac-specific; controls and layouts differ on iPhone and iPad. CAMERA COMPATIBILITY A compatible camera and Wi-Fi connection are required for wireless capture. Supported features vary by model, firmware, network, and file format. Check the connection guide before subscribing. Not every feature is available on every camera. PRO SUBSCRIPTION Monthly and annual subscriptions are available. 7-day free trial available. The App Store shows your local price and subscription terms before purchase. After an applicable trial, the selected subscription renews automatically at the price shown unless canceled. Manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. THE Tether is independently developed and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Nikon Corporation. 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 (80% 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

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 29, 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 reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB44 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 reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

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 weekly. Most recently, Second View was updated on October 2, 2026 and THE Tether on September 29, 2026.

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