Comparison

Cadrage Director's Viewfinder vs Viewfinder Preview

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

Head to head
About

Cadrage Director's Viewfinder

This app provides precise framing previews for a vast array of professional camera and lens combinations. It helps filmmakers and photographers visualize shots, manage projects, and communicate their vision effectively during production.

Highlights
  • Accurate camera and lens previews
  • Custom frameline creation
  • Photo and video recording
  • Built-in gallery and project manager
  • PDF shotlist generation
  • Manual exposure, focus, and white balance control
  • 3-way color correction
Read full description

Cadrage - the director's viewfinder app used by some of the best directors and DPs worldwide. Cadrage allows you to line up your shots with precise framing previews of any professional camera/lens combination and make sure everybody is on the same page during preproduction and on set. ◈◈◈ Planning your shoot has never been easier. Download Cadrage now and see how it will change the way you work. ◈◈◈ FEATURES ● Accurate previews for thousands of cameras and lenses ● Save photos and record videos ● Add custom framelines in any aspect ratio ● Track the sun's path at your location for any date ● Built-in gallery & project manager ● Create neat PDF shotlists and directly upload to Dropbox or send via email ● Manually control exposure, focus & white balance ● Professional 3-way color correction to pre-visualize the final look ● Supports dual and triple camera devices ◈◈◈ Communicate your vision to your team. Download Cadrage now and get the most out of your shooting day. ◈◈◈ ◆ CINE CAMERAS ◆ ARRI Alexa 265, Alexa 35, Alexa 35 Xtreme, Alexa 65, Alexa Classic, Alexa LF, Alexa Mini, Alexa Mini LF, Alexa SXT, Alexa XT, Amira, D-21 Blackmagic Cinema Camera, Cinema Camera 6K, Micro Cinema Camera, Micro Studio Camera 4K, Pocket Cinema Camera, Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro, Production Camera 4K, PYXIS 12K, PYXIS 6K, Studio Camera 4K, Studio Camera 4K Plus, Studio Camera 4K Pro, Studio Camera HD, URSA, URSA (Broadcast), URSA 4.6K, URSA Cine 12K LF, URSA Cine 17K 65, URSA Mini 4.6K, URSA Mini 4K, URSA Mini Pro, URSA Mini Pro 12K, URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 Canon C100, C100 Mark II, C200, C300, C300 Mark II, C300 Mark III, C400, C50, C500, C500 Mark II, C70, C700, C80 DJI Ronin 4D (6K), Ronin 4D (8K), Zenmuse X7 Film 16mm, 35mm, 65mm/70mm, 8mm Freefly Systems Ember S2.5K, Ember S5K, Wave Fujifilm GFX Eterna 55 Generic Broadcast Kinefinity KineMAX, KineMini, Mavo, Mavo Edge, Mavo LF, TERRA Panasonic AF101, DC-BGH1, EVA1, HDX 900, VariCam 35, VariCam LT Panavision DXL, DXL2 Phantom 65, Flex, Flex4K, HD GOLD, Miro LC321S, v2640 ONYX, VEO4K-PL RED Dragon-X, Epic Dragon, Epic-W (Helium), Epic-X, Gemini, Komodo, Komodo-X, Monstro-VV, One, Ranger (Gemini), Ranger (Helium), Ranger (Monstro), Raven, Scarlet-W (Dragon), Scarlet-X, V-Raptor S35, V-Raptor VV, V-Raptor XE VV, V-Raptor XL S35, V-Raptor XL VV, Weapon (Dragon-VV), Weapon (Helium) Sony Burano, F23, F3, F35, F5, F55, F65, F900, FS100, FS5, FS5 Mark II, FS7, FS7 Mark II, FS700, FX2, FX3, FX30, FX6, FX9, HDC-1500R, Venice, Venice 2 (6K), Venice 2 (8K) Z CAM E2, E2-F6, E2-F8, E2-M4, E2-S6, E2-S6G, E2C, E2G ◆ PHOTO CAMERAS ◆ Canon 1000D/XS, 1D, 1D C, 1D Mark II, 1D Mark III, 1D Mark IV, 1D X, 1D X Mark II, 1D X Mark III, 1Ds, 1Ds Mark II, 1Ds Mark III, 200D/SL2, 20D, 30D, 40D, 450D/XSi, 500D/T1i, 50D, 550D/T2i, 5D, 5D Mark II, 5D Mark III, 5D Mark IV, 5DS, 600D/T3i, 60D, 650D/T4i, 6D, 6D Mark II, 700D/T5i, 70D, 750D/T6i, 760D/T6s, 77D, 7D, 7D Mark II, 800D/T7i, 80D, 850D/T8i, 90D, M50, R, R5, R6, Ra, RP Film (Still) 35mm (135), APS, Large Format, Medium Format, XPan Fujifilm GFX 100, GFX 100S, GFX 50R, GFX 50S, X-A7, X-H1, X-Pro2, X-Pro3, X-S10, X-T2, X-T200, X-T3, X-T4, X100V Hasselblad Digital Medium Format Leica CL, M10/M10-R, M8/M8.2, M9/M9-P, S, S2, SL, SL2, SL2-S Mamiya Leaf Credo Series Nikon D1, D100, D1H, D1x, D200, D2H, D2Hs, D2x, D3, D300, D3000, D300s, D3100, D3200, D3300, D3400, D3s, D3x, D4, D40, D40X, D4s, D50, D500, D5000, D5100, D5300, D5500, D5600, D60, D600, D610, D70, D700, D7000, D70s, D7100, D7200, D750, D7500, D80, D800, D810, D850, D90, DF, Z50, Z6, Z7 Olympus E Series Panasonic GH1, GH2, GH3, GH4, GH5, GH5S, S1, S1H, S1R, S5 Pentax 645D, 645Z, K Series Phase One Achromatic+, IQ Series, P 30+, P 40+, P 45+, P 65+ Sigma fp, fp L, SD1, SD15 Sony A290, A390, A450, A580, A6000, A6300, A6500, A6600, A7 III, A7C, A7r II, A7r III, A7r IV, A7s, A7s II, A7s III, A850, A9, A9 II, A900, A99, SLT-A37K, SLT-A57, SLT-A65, SLT-A77

About

Viewfinder Preview

Preview camera framing for any camera and lens combination. Select film/sensor size and focal length to visualize framing before setting up your main camera. Ideal for photographers and filmmakers for pre-visualization, location scouting, and storyboarding.

Highlights
  • Camera and lens framing preview
  • Customizable film/sensor formats
  • Configurable light meter
  • Photo capture with metadata
  • Photo gallery with data display
  • Album and PDF creation
  • Film stock emulation
Features
Read full description

Viewfinder Preview is an iPhone app for previewing camera framing for any combination of camera and lens. Instead of spending all that time setting up your big camera, just choose your desired film/sensor size and focal length in the app and point the iPhone camera at what you want to photo to verify framing. If you are happy with the framing then you can get the big camera out. The app has a large database of camera sensors details and film formats but if the format you desire isn’t there you can add your own custom format. The app is targeted at stills photographers or film makers working in either film or digital. If you don’t have your big camera with you, Viewfinder Preview is still great for photo sketching, location scouting or story boarding. The app includes - Customisable menus so you can include the film/sensor formats and focal lengths you care about. - A fully configurable light meter. - You can take photos with it, so you have a record of shots you were framing. - Photos taken with the app include additional data that describe the film format, focal length and lighting meter settings at the time the shot was taken - Add notes to your photos - A photo gallery for viewing photos taken with the app which also displays the additional data - Share images in emails, messages - Create albums of photos from the same project, trip etc - Create PDF documents of albums - Film stock emulation - Wide angle lens adapter support

Screenshots

Cadrage Director's Viewfinder4 screens
Viewfinder Preview3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Viewfinder Preview at $4.99 against Cadrage Director's Viewfinder's $19.99. Viewfinder Preview also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). Cadrage Director's Viewfinder's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and chart position (#18 vs #156). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

Cadrage Director's Viewfinder costs $19.99 and Viewfinder Preview $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Cadrage Director's Viewfinder against 4.7 for Viewfinder Preview. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 364 and 295 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Cadrage Director's Viewfinder's written reviews are positive against 86% of Viewfinder Preview's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cadrage Director's Viewfinder ships an update monthly, Viewfinder Preview every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Cadrage Director's Viewfinder versus Viewfinder Preview: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCadrage Director's ViewfinderViewfinder Preview
Price$19.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.7 (364 ratings)4.7 (295 ratings)
Positive reviews90.6% of reviews — better86.4% of reviews
Number of ratings364 — better295
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank#18 — better#156
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCadrage GmbHAdam Fowler

Customer experience

Cadrage Director's Viewfinder

All ratings364 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral1.4%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews383 reviews
Positive90.6%
Neutral2.6%
Negative6.8%

Viewfinder Preview

All ratings295 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral2.7%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews103 reviews
Positive86.4%
Neutral4.9%
Negative8.7%

User reviews

Cadrage Director's Viewfinder

From 364 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful app for filmmakers
  • 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 💡 Comprehensive camera and lens options
  • 🚀 Efficient for location scouting and pre-production
  • 👍 Saves time and hassle

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs or glitches
  • 💡 Desire for more customization options
  • 💡 Lack of portrait mode blur simulation
  • 💡 Missing some camera/lens models
  • 💡 Wish for more composition overlays

Viewfinder Preview

From 295 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📸 Excellent film emulation and visualization
  • 💡 Comprehensive light meter functionality
  • 📝 Useful note-taking and shot logging features
  • 🎯 Customizable camera formats and focal lengths
  • 👍 Intuitive interface and easy to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes and white screen issues
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 📱 Poor image resolution and quality
  • ⚠️ Limited focal length range (35mm minimum)
  • 🎬 Focal length accuracy issues on newer iPhones

Bugs and requests

Cadrage Director's Viewfinder

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Camera shutter sometimes unresponsive
  • Occasional crashes or freezes
  • Metadata not always accurate (e.g. 'unknown camera')

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add manual camera and lens information input
  • Implement vertical/portrait mode
  • Add more composition overlays (e.g. golden ratio)
  • Improve project/photo management and organization
  • Implement camera settings controls (aperture, shutter, ISO)

Viewfinder Preview

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • White screen on startup
  • App crashes repeatedly
  • Exposure offset resets when app closes
  • Notes and shot data disappear after weeks
  • In-app purchase screen loops indefinitely
Show 6 more
  • Focal length inaccuracy on iPhone 14 Pro
  • Manual metering mode shows darker frame than preview
  • Tiny 1px border on cropped images
  • Battery drains excessively
  • App not loading on iOS 16
  • Glitches requiring app restart

Requested features

20 requests
  • Embed camera/lens metadata directly in saved images
  • Save custom film stock names
  • Persistent exposure offset settings
  • More film stock options (Kodak Gold 200, Fuji 400H, Catlabs 320 Pro, Ilford XP2, etc.)
  • Lower ISO settings (support for ISO 0.5 and below)
Show 15 more
  • Additional aspect ratios (6x17, 65x24)
  • Save images with exposure data as overlay or separate versions
  • Grid lines and level indicators
  • Focus distance display
  • Telephoto lens support (65mm-400mm)
  • Wider focal lengths (below 35mm)
  • Camera profile presets for quick switching
  • Custom aperture values (e.g., f/3.5)
  • Shift lens simulation for architectural photography
  • Watermark saved photos with camera data
  • Toggle HDR on/off for better film simulation
  • Video tutorial or in-app help guide
  • Ability to disable auto-display of config on images
  • Telephoto lens compatibility
  • Correct focal length rendering for newer iPhone models

In-app purchases

None

Cadrage Director's Viewfinder

No in-app purchases

None

Viewfinder Preview

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cadrage Director's Viewfinder free?
Cadrage Director's Viewfinder costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Viewfinder Preview free?
Viewfinder Preview costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cadrage Director's Viewfinder or Viewfinder Preview?
Cadrage Director's Viewfinder and Viewfinder Preview are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 364 and 295 ratings respectively.
Do Cadrage Director's Viewfinder or Viewfinder Preview have ads?
Neither Cadrage Director's Viewfinder nor Viewfinder Preview shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cadrage Director's Viewfinder or Viewfinder Preview?
Cadrage Director's Viewfinder ships an update monthly, and Viewfinder Preview every 3 months. Most recently, Cadrage Director's Viewfinder was updated on September 22, 2026 and Viewfinder Preview on September 21, 2026.
Which is more popular, Cadrage Director's Viewfinder or Viewfinder Preview?
Cadrage Director's Viewfinder currently peaks at #18 in the App Store charts, and Viewfinder Preview at #156. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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