MeterGlass vs ZoneCalc
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MeterGlass
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MeterGlass is a professional light meter built for film and large format photographers. Metering • Average metering and ~1.5° spot metering with a live acceptance-angle readout; pinch to zoom in tighter • Zone System: multi-point capture and placement, scene contrast and N+/N- development suggestions, shareable metering cards • Calibration in 0.1 EV steps against a gray card or a meter you trust Film formats • Nine format masks from 135 to 8x10 (including 6x12/6x17 panoramic) with in-mask metering • Live equivalent focal length per format, portrait/landscape framing, zoom with 5mm detents Exposure • EV, aperture/shutter pairs, exposure compensation, illuminance (lux) and color temperature • Filter factors (yellow/orange/red/ND) and bellows extension compensation, folded into suggestions automatically • ISO 20–25600, apertures f/1–f/256, full/half/third-stop steps Instrument-style interface, six languages, fully offline, zero data collection.
ZoneCalc
This app assists photographers in precisely calculating exposure and tonal placement using Ansel Adams' Zone System. It offers features for metering, reciprocity correction, and development adjustments, with options for multi-point measurements and data export.
- Zone System exposure calculation
- Multi-point metering
- Reciprocity correction
- Development adjustment recommendations
- Film-specific development times
- Calculation history and export
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ZoneCalc — Zone System Calculator ZoneCalc is a precision tool for large format, medium format and 35 mm photography following Ansel Adams' Zone System. Built for photographers who work with a spot meter, develop their own negatives, and want full control over exposure and tonal placement. METERING In Classic mode, enter the shutter speed for the deepest shadow with detail (Zone II) and the brightest highlight with detail (Zone VIII). ZoneCalc returns the shutter speed for Zone V — 18 % middle gray — the exposure you set on the camera. Multi mode accepts any number of measurement points across the scene. The app auto-assigns each point to a zone; drag pins on the zone strip to express your creative placement intent. RECIPROCITY For exposures above one second, the Schwarzschild effect is corrected automatically: t_corr = t_nom ^ p, using the film-specific exponent. The corrected camera time appears directly in the result card. The shutter speed list extends to 30 minutes. Films with reciprocity data: Ilford HP5+, FP4+, Delta 100/400, Kodak Tri-X, T-Max 100/400, Kodak Portra 160/400/800, Leica Monopan. N-RATING & DEVELOPMENT ZoneCalc compares the scene's dynamic range against the film's usable latitude and proposes a development adjustment — N−2 through N+2. For each film, concrete times are shown for common developers: D-76, Rodinal, HC-110, XTOL, ID-11, T-Max Dev — with dilutions per Massive Dev Chart and manufacturer recommendations. HISTORY & EXPORT Every calculation can be saved with a note and the chosen developer; two entries can be compared side by side. The complete result — shutter speed, reciprocity, N-rating and development times — exports as an image for the darkroom or for sharing via AirDrop, message or mail. DESIGN The interface follows the visual language of classic Leica instruments: monospaced typography, warm amber accent, hard edges instead of rounded corners. Fully localized in English and German, all-dark throughout — optimized for darkroom and field use. ZONECALC PRO Classic two-point metering with Zone V calculation and the zone strip are free. The one-time Pro upgrade unlocks: — Multi-point metering with interactive zone assignment — Reciprocity correction and N-rating — Development recommendations with times per developer — Save, compare and image export One app, no subscriptions, no data collection. All calculations run locally on device.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ZoneCalc at Free against MeterGlass's $9.99. MeterGlass's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
ZoneCalc is free to download; MeterGlass costs $9.99 up front. ZoneCalc sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MeterGlass asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MeterGlass | ZoneCalc |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 存滨 崔 | Juergen Suk |
In-app purchases
MeterGlass
No in-app purchases
ZoneCalc
- ZoneCalc Pro$3.99
Questions
Is MeterGlass free?
Is ZoneCalc free?
Do MeterGlass or ZoneCalc have ads?
Which is updated more often, MeterGlass or ZoneCalc?
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