Light Meter LuMe vs JunkCam
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Light Meter LuMe
This app acts as a professional light meter and exposure calculator for film photographers. It offers various metering modes, reciprocity correction for different film stocks, and depth of field calculations. It aims to replace multiple handheld tools with a single, convenient app.
- Multiple metering modes (Matrix, Center-weighted, Spot, Zone System)
- Multi-point spot metering with contrast evaluation
- Reciprocity correction for various film stocks
- Depth of field and hyperfocal distance calculator
- Flash guide number calculator
- Live exposure tools including histogram and clipping warnings
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LuMe is a pro-grade light meter and exposure calculator built for film photographers. Whether you're shooting medium format on a Mamiya, large format on a 4×5, or 35mm on a Leica, LuMe gives you the exposure intelligence your film camera doesn't have. METERING MODES FOR EVERY SITUATION • Matrix — averages the whole scene for balanced exposures • Center-weighted — emphasizes the middle, like a classic SLR meter • Spot — measures a small area you tap, just like a 1° spot meter • Zone System — Ansel Adams' tonal mapping (Zones I–IX) right in your viewfinder MULTI-POINT SPOT METERING Place up to four spot markers anywhere on your scene. Read each EV at a glance, evaluate contrast range, and place tones with intention. LIDAR SPOT DISTANCE (on Pro devices) See the physical distance to any metered spot — useful for hyperfocal setup and verifying focus on rangefinders and manual-focus lenses. RECIPROCITY CORRECTION FOR EVERY FILM STOCK Long exposures don't behave linearly on film. LuMe applies the Schwarzschild exponent for your stock — Tri-X, TMax, Portra, Ektar, Velvia, and more — so you don't need printed tables in your bag. DEPTH OF FIELD CALCULATOR Hyperfocal distance, near limit, far limit — for 35mm, APS-C, medium format (6×4.5, 6×6, 6×7), and large format (4×5). One tap. FLASH GUIDE NUMBER CALCULATOR GN, distance, power fraction → f-stop. Solved. LIVE EXPOSURE TOOLS • Histogram overlay • Highlight/shadow clipping warnings • ND filter compensation • Aperture priority & shutter priority • Exposure compensation dial • ISO and shutter range constraints (cap at your film speed) BUILT FOR THE WAY FILM PHOTOGRAPHERS ACTUALLY SHOOT • Spot meter a high-contrast scene; place highlights on Zone VII • Apply reciprocity for a 30-second exposure on Tri-X • Calculate hyperfocal for landscape work on Portra 400 • Verify a flash setup before burning a frame LuMe replaces your handheld meter, reciprocity card, DoF chart, and flash calculator with one tool that fits in your camera bag. Available in 16 languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Polish, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified & Traditional). LUME PRO • $6.99 USD for lifetime access Privacy policy: https://lume.contraststudio.app/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://lume.contraststudio.app/terms.html
JunkCam
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Privacy and Support Information at https://junkcam.wtf/ JunkCam is a camera for temporary photos you need now but do not want forever. Use it for parking spots, WiFi passwords, receipts, labels, hotel rooms, whiteboards, appliance serial numbers, return slips, event signs, and other quick reference photos without cluttering your main Photos library. Photos taken in JunkCam are saved inside the app by default, not to your camera roll. After capture, choose a category and a keep duration, or use Quick Save with your default settings. JunkCam helps you: - Take temporary photos quickly - Keep your camera roll cleaner - Organize photos by category - Choose when photos should expire - View everything in a dedicated JunkCam library - Manually run cleanup from Settings - Export selected photos to Photos when you want to keep them elsewhere - Share or copy saved photos when needed Expired JunkCam photos are removed from the app during cleanup. Photos you export to your Photos library are not deleted by JunkCam. JunkCam is local-first. There is no account, no ads, no analytics by default, and no cloud backend. Your JunkCam photos stay on your device unless you choose to share or export them.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Light Meter LuMe at Free against JunkCam's $0.99. JunkCam's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#179 vs unranked). 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
Light Meter LuMe is free to download; JunkCam costs $0.99 up front. Light Meter LuMe sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. JunkCam asks for nothing beyond the download.
Light Meter LuMe ships an update every 5 days, JunkCam every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Light Meter LuMe | JunkCam |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (19 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 93.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 19 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | — | #179 — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Contrast Studio | TRISTAN ROBERT NOHRER |
In-app purchases
Light Meter LuMe
- LuMe Pro Lifetime2 variants$6.99
JunkCam
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Light Meter LuMe free?
Is JunkCam free?
Do Light Meter LuMe or JunkCam have ads?
Which is updated more often, Light Meter LuMe or JunkCam?
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