Second View vs PolaPop
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
PolaPop
Capture moments with a retro instant camera aesthetic. Apply vintage film looks and enjoy a unique printing animation. Save and share your cherished photo memories.
- Instant film-style photo prints
- Retro and black-and-white film looks
- Dynamic Island-inspired print animation
- Photo wall for favorite prints
- Film Sheets as shooting credits
- Optional monthly Film Sheets
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PolaPop is an iPhone instant camera that turns one photo into an instant film-style print, no editing needed. Take one shot, pick a film look, and watch the photo slide out from the top of your screen with a Dynamic Island-inspired in-app printing effect. Capture retro, vintage, and Y2K film vibes in a single tap, without a complicated editor. Made for you if you: - Want film-style photos in one tap, no editing - Love instant film, retro, vintage, digicam, and Y2K aesthetics - Want to keep your shots on a tidy photo wall and share them anywhere Features: - Take one photo and create an instant film-style print - Warm retro, vintage, and black-and-white film looks - A Dynamic Island-inspired print animation - Keep favorites on a clean photo wall, save to Photos, and share - Film Sheets as simple shooting credits (refill with rewarded ads, or go unlimited with a one-time purchase) PolaPop is designed for iPhone. It requires iOS 17 or later and looks best on iPhone 14 Pro or later Dynamic Island models. Make everyday photos feel like tiny printed memories. Terms of Use: https://polapop.jocoding.io/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: PolaPop at 100% against Second View's 56%. PolaPop also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). Second View's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Second View sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year and PolaPop sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
PolaPop holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Second View has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Second View's written reviews are positive against 100% of PolaPop's.
Second View ships an update weekly, PolaPop every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Second View | PolaPop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Benoit Linard | JoCoding, Inc. |
Customer experience
Second View
PolaPop
In-app purchases
Second View
- Second View Basic Yearly7 Days trial$7.991 Year
- Second View Pro Yearly7 Days trial$14.991 Year
PolaPop
- PolaPop Lifetime$4.99









