SpotMeter vs CamPlot Calculators
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SpotMeter
This app functions as a digital light meter for photographers, especially those using film. It allows users to precisely measure light from specific points in a scene, aiding in accurate exposure and the application of the Zone System for optimal results.
- Precise spot metering
- Zone System calculations
- Save and balance readings
- Adjust aperture, shutter, ISO
- Long exposure compensation
- Film and camera profiles
- Logbook for rolls
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The roll comes back from the lab three weeks later and the photo you cared about is ruined. Too dark, too washed out, gone. Film does not give second chances. It usually is not even your fault. Most light meter apps read the whole scene at once, so a bright sky or a dark doorway drags the reading off, and you find out weeks later. SpotMeter works the way classic handheld spot meters work: point it at the one thing that matters, a face, a shadow, a patch of sky, and it reads just that. Read the shadow you want detail in. Read the highlight you refuse to lose. Set your camera, press the shutter, and know. FREE FOREVER • A real spot meter: point at one small part of the scene and read exactly that, not an average • Save up to 5 readings and let the app balance them • Choose how bright or dark each part of the photo comes out. Film shooters call this the Zone System; the app does the math • Set aperture, shutter, and ISO yourself. Lock one and the app adjusts the others • A confidence signal that tells you when a reading is trustworthy, plus a live brightness graph • 34 films built in. Long exposures need extra time on film, and the app adds it for you automatically • A logbook for every roll, so each frame's settings come home with the negatives • Ready the moment you open it, no setup required SPOTMETER PRO: PAY ONCE, KEEP IT FOREVER • The most accurate reading your iPhone can give: Pro reads the camera's raw, untouched sensor data before the iPhone prettifies the image, so hard light does not fool it • Live Zone view overlays. Zones, Edges, Wash and Detail. Detail uses your loaded camera/film to show you lost details in the shadows and highlights in real time. • Per-camera calibration, in beta: a guided setup that fine-tunes readings for your exact camera. It works today; we call it beta while we keep tuning it • Nearly 90 classic film and digital cameras and over 140 lenses, ready to add as your kit • Six calculators for the fiddly parts: dark ND filters, long exposures, close-up bellows work, and sharpness planning (depth of field, hyperfocal, focus stacking), all pre-filled from your gear • Put filters on your lens and every reading adjusts for them automatically • Golden hour planning, with an AR view that draws the sun's path across your actual scene and a timer that tells you when to leave so you arrive before the light goes • Your last reading and a golden hour countdown, right on your lock screen • Export any roll as a CSV or PDF for your records or your lab • Backup and sync through your own private iCloud Nearly every Pro feature has a small free trial, so you can prove it on a real roll before you pay once. To our knowledge, SpotMeter is the only iPhone spot meter that reads a raw sensor frame with per-camera calibration. WHO IT IS FOR Anyone who shoots film: 35mm, medium format, large format, or the thrift-store camera you just brought home. If you have ever waited weeks for a roll and wished you had trusted a better number, this is for you. THE QUIET PARTS No subscription. No ads. No account, no sign-in, no server of ours. Your readings live on your phone and in your own iCloud, nowhere else. Anonymous usage stats help us improve the app, and you can switch them off in Settings. REQUIREMENTS iOS 16 or later, iPhone only. Pro's raw metering needs an iPhone that can capture raw photos; the app checks and tells you up front. Privacy policy: spotmeter.app/privacy Support: spotmeter.app/support
CamPlot Calculators
This app provides essential calculations for camera departments, including media storage, depth of field previews, sensor size comparisons, and exposure balancing. It's designed with a cinematographer's workflow in mind, offering interactive tools for practical on-set use.
- Media storage calculation for various cameras
- Live depth of field photographic preview
- Interactive sensor size comparison
- Interlocking exposure dials (ISO, aperture, shutter, ND)
- Free trial with demo values
- Cross-app account sync
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The five calculations every camera department runs daily — built the way a cinematographer thinks, not as spreadsheet rows. All of them free with any CamPlot account. MEDIA How many hours fit on that card? Pick from dozens of real cameras — ARRI, Sony, RED, Canon, DJI, GoPro — with their actual recording formats and data rates, choose a frame rate and card size, and read the answer off the card itself. DEPTH OF FIELD A live photographic preview, not just numbers. Pick a scene, roll focal length, aperture, and distance, and watch focus fall off in real depth — pinch the frame to reframe and the focal length rolls with you. Add a second person staggered behind your subject and see exactly when they drop out of focus. Near, far, total, and hyperfocal always on screen. SENSOR SIZES Any sensors drawn to scale, nested and dimensioned — from a GoPro to full frame to 65mm. Settle the crop-factor argument with a picture. EXPOSURE Four interlocking dials — ISO, aperture (f or T), shutter (angle or speed), and ND (variable, hard, or stops) — that balance each other like a real camera. Lock what's fixed, roll what you're changing, and watch the free dial land on the answer in third-stops. SUN AND MOON Stand where you plan to shoot and see the day's light: the sun's path across the sky, the direction every shadow falls, and how long they are at any hour. Pick any future date to plan a scout, switch to the moon for a night exterior, and save a scout card straight to your photos. FREE, WITH ANY ACCOUNT All five tools, every control, at every level — including the free one. Create a CamPlot account and they are yours: no trial, no card, nothing to expire. One account across the Calculators, the Director's Viewfinder, and all of CamPlot at camplot.studio. WHAT A SUBSCRIPTION ADDS CamPlot Plus adds the full Director's Viewfinder — every cinema camera body, your own lens kits, a library of 200+ cinema LUTs you can export for your camera, sun path over the framed shot, and LiDAR distance — plus private markup and PDF export on plots shared with you. CamPlot Max adds building and sharing your own multicam camera plots, cloud storage, and live crew collaboration. SUBSCRIPTIONS CamPlot Max: $49.99/year or $4.99/month. CamPlot Plus: $29.99/year or $3.99/month. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your device Settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://camplot.studio/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: CamPlot Calculators at every 2 days against SpotMeter's every 10 days. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. SpotMeter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and CamPlot Calculators sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for SpotMeter against 5.0 for CamPlot Calculators. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 5 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
SpotMeter ships an update every 10 days, CamPlot Calculators every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 13, 2026.
| Parameter | SpotMeter | CamPlot Calculators |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 5 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 49 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chockstone Labs LLC | Romany Films Inc. |
Customer experience
SpotMeter
CamPlot Calculators
In-app purchases
SpotMeter
- SpotMeter Pro$9.99
CamPlot Calculators
- CamPlot View+ Monthly$3.991 Month
- CamPlot Creator Monthly$4.991 Month
- CamPlot View+ Annual$29.991 Year
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- CamPlot Creator Annual$49.991 Year
Questions
Is SpotMeter free?
Is CamPlot Calculators free?
Which has better reviews, SpotMeter or CamPlot Calculators?
Do SpotMeter or CamPlot Calculators have ads?
Which is updated more often, SpotMeter or CamPlot Calculators?
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