Light Meter Wheel vs Datacolor LightColor Meter
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Light Meter Wheel
This app offers a fast, visual, and precise way to measure light for photography. It features a unique exposure wheel that displays aperture, shutter speed, and ISO simultaneously, giving photographers instant control and clarity.
- Real exposure wheel with all values in one view
- Real-time metering with instant EV readings
- Wide ISO and shutter speed range
- Exposure timer for long exposures
- Incident metering using front camera
- Calibration for accuracy
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Light Meter Wheel brings a unique way to measure light — fast, visual and precise. Instead of switching modes, everything is visible at once. Aperture, shutter speed and ISO are seamlessly connected through a real exposure wheel, giving you full control at a glance. Designed for photographers who value clarity, speed and accuracy. Also especially useful for pinhole photography, where its wide aperture range and long exposure timer make setting exposures straightforward. Features • Real exposure wheel with all values in one view • Real-time metering with instant EV readings • Wide ISO range: 0.8 – 6400 • Shutter speeds from 1/8000s to 4 hours • Apertures from f/0.7 to f/1024 • Exposure timer (perfect for long exposures & pinhole) • HOLD function to lock readings • Incident metering using the front camera • Custom backgrounds and light/dark modes • Calibration for maximum accuracy Built by a photographer, for photographers.
Datacolor LightColor Meter
This pocket-sized device streams real-time light and color data to your smartphone, offering precise control over exposure and color consistency for photos, videos, and cinema. It measures various light types and color parameters, and includes gel filter libraries for creative adjustments.
- Real-time light and color data streaming
- Exposure and lighting ratio control
- Color consistency across setups
- Measures Lux, Chromaticity, CCT, DUV
- Includes gel filter libraries
- Simultaneous measurements from multiple meters
- Hands-free functionality
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· The Datacolor LightColor Meter is a Bluetooth-enabled, multifunctional tool that fits in your pocket, continuously streaming both light and color data in real-time, to your smartphone. · Perfect for photos, videos, cinema and hybrid photo/video shoots, the LightColor Meter takes the guesswork out of exposure settings, giving you better control of lighting ratios as well as color consistency across varied lighting conditions and multiple camera setups. · The Datacolor LightColor Meter accurately measures all types of lighting, from fluctuating outdoor light, mixed natural/artificial location lighting, plus any type of studio lighting, including continuous lighting and strobe/flash. · It goes beyond a regular light meter to also measure color temperature, Lux, Chromaticity, CCT and DUV. Additionally, the device comes with filter libraries from Profoto®, LEE® and Rosco® to help you choose the right color gels for functional or creative color adjustments. · The rugged, travel-friendly device goes anywhere you’re shooting, providing you with a wireless versatility that lets you easily fine-tune your lighting and exposure without having to leave your camera. · You can attach the device to a light stand or tripod, use the through-hole for lanyards to hang the meter where needed, use the alligator clip that’s included to attach the LightColor Meter to clothing or other fabrics or use the rare earth magnet on the back of the device for easy magnetic attachment. · You can seamlessly sync multiple Datacolor LightColor Meters to get light and color temperature measurements from several locations simultaneously. The device accurately measures light and color temperature from a distance of up to 80 feet, allowing you to cover wide areas and is perfect for ensuring uniform lighting for green screens for easy and effective chroma keying in post-production. Key Feature Highlights o Incident Metering for Ambient & Flash o Mobile App/Wireless Bluetooth 4.0 LE o Photo, Video, Cine Exposure Modes o Measures Lux, Chromaticity, CCT, and +/- Green (Duv) o Measures Any Kind of Light Source o Color Temperature Range: 1,600K - 20,000K o Luminance Range: 1.0 - 1,000,000 lux o Cine Settings: Frame Rate, Shutter Angle/Speed & ND Filter Compensation o HSS Flash & Flash Duration Measurements o Included: Gel Filter Libraries from Profoto®, LEE® and Rosco® o Simultaneous Measurements from Multiple Meters Up to 80 ft Away o Hands-Free Functionality - incl. Magnet, ¼”-20 Mount o Cord-in (PC Sync) o Custom Exposure Profiles
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Light Meter Wheel at 91% against Datacolor LightColor Meter's 17%. Light Meter Wheel also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.7). Datacolor LightColor Meter's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On ratings volume, 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
Datacolor LightColor Meter is free to download; Light Meter Wheel costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Light Meter Wheel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Light Meter Wheel's written reviews are positive against 17% of Datacolor LightColor Meter's.
Light Meter Wheel ships an update every 2 months, Datacolor LightColor Meter fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Light Meter Wheel | Datacolor LightColor Meter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (12 ratings) — better | 1.7 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 91.3% of reviews — better | 16.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | David Quiles | Datacolor Inc. |
Customer experience
Light Meter Wheel
Datacolor LightColor Meter
In-app purchases
Light Meter Wheel
No in-app purchases
Datacolor LightColor Meter
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Light Meter Wheel free?
Is Datacolor LightColor Meter free?
Which has better reviews, Light Meter Wheel or Datacolor LightColor Meter?
Do Light Meter Wheel or Datacolor LightColor Meter have ads?
Which is updated more often, Light Meter Wheel or Datacolor LightColor Meter?
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