Comparison

Lumo Light Meter vs Luma · Light Meter

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

Head to head
About

Lumo Light Meter

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A light meter, refined for film. Lumo brings precise exposure to your pocket, designed for photographers who care about every frame. Whether you're loading a roll of 35mm or composing on the ground glass, Lumo gives you the readings you need and nothing you don't. Two ways to meter Spot mode for narrow, deliberate readings of a single tone. Matrix mode for evaluative readings across the whole scene. Switch instantly, depending on the shot in front of you. Matched to your camera Choose from a library of film cameras and calibrate Lumo to the body you're shooting. Your meter, your camera, the same readings — frame after frame. Hold and capture Lock a reading to recompose, plan a shot, or compare values across the scene. Capture exposures as you work and return to them when you're ready to release the shutter. Made to disappear A quiet interface that stays out of your way. Custom themes let you tune Lumo to the moment — bright for the studio, dark for the darkroom, low-key on the street. Made for film photographers • Hobbyists and pros shooting 35mm or medium format • Students learning exposure, the Zone System, and the discipline of analog • Anyone who'd rather feel the camera than fight the meter Lumo. Meter every frame with care.

About

Luma · Light Meter

Features
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A mechanical camera does not forgive an exposure mistake: on a roll of 36, you only see your misses at the lab. Luma answers the one question that matters as you raise the camera — which aperture, which shutter speed, for this scene and this film? No shot log, no frame counter, no hidden settings. One screen, three values. LIVE METERING Your iPhone's camera becomes the meter. Luma continuously reads the exposure the phone settles on and converts it into an ISO 100 normalised EV, smoothed for a stable reading. No photo is ever saved: the image is analysed, then forgotten. ONE RECOMMENDATION, NOT A LIST Luma shows a single aperture and shutter pair, chosen for handheld shooting: at least 1/125 s to stay clear of camera shake, then f/5.6 to f/8 where the lens is sharpest. When light runs short, it opens the aperture before slowing the shutter. THE DIAL Every equivalent aperture / shutter pair scrolls under your thumb with clicking haptic feedback, like the shutter dial on the body. Pick f/2.8 to lift a portrait off its background, f/16 for a landscape sharp front to back — the shutter speed follows. SPOT METERING Tap the viewfinder to place the metering circle on your subject: a backlit face, a shadow worth keeping. Tap the circle to return to average metering. IT REFUSES TO LIE When the scene falls outside the camera's range, Luma says so — too dark, too bright — and shows no values at all. A wrong recommendation would be worse than none. IT EXPLAINS Two lines under the values: what the shown aperture does to depth of field, what the shown shutter speed means for shake. Enough to learn, roll after roll. FILM STOCKS Portra 160/400/800, Ektar 100, Gold 200, UltraMax 400, HP5+ 400, Tri-X 400, Delta 100/400, Fomapan 100/400 — plus manual ISO entry for everything else, including pushed or pulled film. Your choice stays loaded for the whole roll. BUILT FOR A SPECIFIC CAMERA Luma is calibrated for a Nikon FM2 with a 28 mm f/2.8 lens: 1 s to 1/4000 s, f/2.8 to f/22. It serves any manual camera sharing that range just as well — simply transfer the values to the stops your gear actually has. Independent project, not affiliated with Nikon; trademarks are named only to describe compatibility. IT ASKS FOR NOTHING No account, no ads, no network access: Luma works fully offline and collects no data whatsoever. Free, no in-app purchases, open source. Please note: the app's interface is in French. Luma is an aid, not a guarantee — cross-check it against a reference meter on a few scenes before trusting it with a roll.

Screenshots

Lumo Light Meter4 screens
Luma · Light Meter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Luma · Light Meter at none against Lumo Light Meter's 1. On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Lumo Light Meter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Luma · Light Meter asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
Lumo Light Meter versus Luma · Light Meter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLumo Light MeterLuma · Light Meter
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNinja Lab StudiosÉlite Dangereuse

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Lumo Light Meter

One-time1
  • Lumo Pro$1.99
None

Luma · Light Meter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lumo Light Meter free?
Lumo Light Meter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Luma · Light Meter free?
Luma · Light Meter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Lumo Light Meter or Luma · Light Meter have ads?
Neither Lumo Light Meter nor Luma · Light Meter shows ads.

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