Lighting Recipe vs EV Calc
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lighting Recipe
Record, recreate, and share lighting setups with detailed 3D diagrams. Organize your gear, import photo data, and export shareable images. Works offline and supports custom equipment.
- 3D lighting setup editor
- Intuitive diagram recording
- Automatic EXIF data import
- Customizable gear vault
- Visual rig builder
- Image export with shooting data
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■ Sound familiar? "How did I light that shot again...?" "The client wants the exact same setup as last time..." "I want to share how this was lit on social media..." Lighting Recipe is an app for photographers to record, recreate and share lighting setups as diagrams. You can register and place your own unique or DIY gear and props — so it works for photographers of every genre. ■ Features - 3D editing mode: build your lighting setup in 3D, check how subject, backdrop and lights look, and see it mirrored in the diagram - Lighting diagram editor: record light positions, height, power, color and beam intuitively - EXIF reading: just pick a photo — camera, lens, aperture, shutter speed, ISO and focal length are filled in automatically - Gear vault: organize your lighting equipment by category, with photos and prices - Builder: assemble lights, modifiers and stands into a visual rig - Dry cabinet: manage cameras and lenses as assets (serial number support — a record that helps if gear is ever stolen) - My Sets: recall your favorite gear combinations with one tap - Image export: combine your diagram and shooting data into a single shareable image - Available in 8 languages ■ Your data All data is stored on your device. No account required — works offline. Premium members can optionally use Cloud Backup. ■ Lighting Recipe Premium (monthly subscription) - Unlimited recipe saves (free: 30) - 10 lights A–J (free: 5) - 10 My Set slots (free: 5) - Expanded dry cabinet: 30 cameras / 50 lenses (free: 3 / 5) - Cloud Backup: sign in with Apple to back up and restore your data Payment is charged to your Apple ID account. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://mafmafgs-source.github.io/lighting-recipe/privacy.html
EV Calc
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EV Calc shows, at a glance, how much a change in your camera settings affects brightness, measured in stops. Store your reference exposure with "SET", then turn the shutter, aperture, ISO and ND wheels. The difference from your reference appears large at the center of the screen, such as "+0.7" or "-1.3". Use it as a guide for how much to compensate after adding an ND filter or changing aperture or ISO. KEY FEATURES • Four wheels for shutter, aperture, ISO and ND filter • "SET" stores your reference exposure and shows the difference in stops (positive is brighter, negative is darker) • Color coding: your reference value in green, brighter options in orange, darker options in blue • Reference EV and current EV are always visible • Shutter angle shown like "1/48 (180°)". Choose the frame rate from 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, 60 or 120 fps, or turn the display off • ISO step: 1 stop, 1/2 stop or 1/3 stop • ND filter unit: density (such as 0.3), ND number (such as ND8) or stops (such as 3 stops) • Remembers your last settings and resumes where you left off • Landscape-only, dark-mode interface that is easy to read on set • No account and no network connection required NOTE Displayed exposure differences and EV values are theoretical. Actual exposure may differ depending on your camera and lens. Please use them as a guide.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Lighting Recipe at Free against EV Calc's $0.49. Lighting Recipe also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Lighting Recipe is free to download; EV Calc costs $0.49 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Lighting Recipe ships an update daily, EV Calc every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lighting Recipe | EV Calc |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.49 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Every 2 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 0 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | hiroyuki nakai | Akihiro Sakai |
In-app purchases
Lighting Recipe
No in-app purchases
EV Calc
No in-app purchases









