Comparison

Cine Meter II vs ZineControl

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

Head to head
About

Cine Meter II

This app functions as a professional light and color meter for cinematographers. It offers zoomable spot metering, RGB waveform monitoring, and false-color capabilities to analyze and adjust lighting for optimal shots. It also provides calculations for exposure settings like shutter speed and aperture.

Highlights
  • Zoomable spotmeter
  • RGB waveform monitor
  • False-color mode
  • Incident meter with lux/foot-candle
  • Color temperature and tint readings
  • Exposure calculation (shutter speed, aperture, ND, ISO)
  • Shutter angle support
Features
Read full description

Cine Meter II measures light and color, so you can light and shoot and know what you'll get. “Cine Meter II is an essential app for every cinematographer.” — Jon Fauer, ASC “[T]he perfect app to have with you at all times.” — Roberto “Ganzo” Schaefer, ASC, AIC It's a zoomable spotmeter with an RGB waveform monitor and a false-color picture. It's an incident meter using a Lenny Hat or other diffusion, or Lumu™ Lite attachment, with lux and foot-candle readouts. (Lumu Power is NOT supported, and flash metering is NOT possible.) It's a color meter, showing color temperature and green/magenta tint, and giving you corrections to or from your target color. Measure more than just shutter-priority or aperture-priority: calculate shutter speed, shutter angle, aperture, ND, or ISO directly. • The exposure meter shows your stop as a decimal value (for cameras with EVF iris readouts) or as a full stop and fraction (for cine lenses with marked iris rings). Cine Meter II lets you use shutter angles – ideal for Digital Bolex and Blackmagic cameras – as well as speeds, and you can dial in ND filters and arbitrary exposure compensations. The spotmeter is zoomable up to 15x magnification (on devices that support camera zooming), using either the front or back camera. • The waveform monitor shows you how light levels vary across a scene. You'll see how smooth and even the lighting is on a greenscreen or background, and find subtle hotspots and shadows at a glance. The waveform’s RGB mode shows you color imbalances in the image and gives you a handy way to check color purity and separation for chroma-keying. • False-color mode lets you define allowable contrast ranges, and see instantly which shadows are underexposed and what highlights risk clipping. _______________________ READ BEFORE YOU BUY: Cine Meter II is NOT a flash meter; it can't measure strobes. Cine Meter II does NOT work with Lumu Power (the Lightning port Lumu), only Lumu Lite (the headphone jack Lumu). Cine Meter II gives you *absolute* light meter readings, but *relative* picture and waveform monitor levels: Cine Meter II’s picture and waveform monitor do not use the *exact* exposure shown by the light meter (they are close to the meter reading, but can differ from it slightly). The picture and waveform monitor show you *relative* levels within a scene, not *absolute* levels based on the meter reading. Shutter speeds, apertures, and ISOs shown in Cine Meter II are for metering purposes only and do not control the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO of the iPhone camera. The iPhone camera uses whatever exposure settings it needs to capture a reading. Cine Meter II is a light and color meter only; it is *not* a camera simulator. See http://www.adamwilt.com/cinemeterii/details.html#How_It_Works for details.

About

ZineControl

This app provides professional control for cinema cameras directly from an iPhone. Adjust critical shooting parameters like ISO, shutter speed, and white balance remotely. Monitor live view, start/stop recording, and manage clips without touching the camera.

Highlights
  • Remote ISO adjustment
  • On-screen shutter speed control
  • White balance adjustment
  • Codec and resolution changes
  • Live view monitoring
  • Remote recording start/stop
  • Focus Touch on screen
  • View and share clips
Features
Read full description

ZineControl is the first professional control app for cinema cameras, designed for cinematographers and directors of photography who need full control from the iPhone on set. Works with Z-series cameras over Wi-Fi or USB — the first app built specifically for the cinematic workflow of these cameras. Control the most critical shooting parameters without touching the camera: ISO — precise real-time adjustment Shutter speed — direct control from the screen White balance — change color temperature without interrupting the shot Codec and resolution — switch recording format on the fly Live view — live monitoring from your iPhone Remote recording — start and stop recording from a distance Focus Touch — pull focus directly on the screen Media — view and share camera-recorded clips right from your phone. Tether mode — send your photos instantly to the gallery or to another device. Look creator — customize your Nikon looks Designed with a refined aesthetic inspired by the professional camera workflow. ZineControl is the missing tool for Z-series camera operators on set. Compatible with: Z-series mirrorless (ZR, Z8, Z9, Z50, Z50II, Z6, Z30, Z6III, Zf, Zfc, Z5, Z5IIC)

Screenshots

Cine Meter II4 screens
ZineControl4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ZineControl at $14.99 against Cine Meter II's $24.99. ZineControl also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (92% vs 79%). Cine Meter II's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Cine Meter II costs $24.99 and ZineControl $14.99 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 — 4.5 for Cine Meter II against 4.5 for ZineControl. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25 and 11 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Cine Meter II's written reviews are positive against 92% of ZineControl's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cine Meter II ships an update every 3 months, ZineControl every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Cine Meter II versus ZineControl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCine Meter IIZineControl
Price$24.99$14.99 — better
Rating4.5 (25 ratings)4.5 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.2% of reviews92.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings25 — better11
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#161#121 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdam WiltAntonio Gonzalez

Customer experience

Cine Meter II

All ratings25 ratings
Positive84.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive79.2%
Neutral4.2%
Negative16.7%

ZineControl

All ratings11 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive92.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.7%

In-app purchases

None

Cine Meter II

No in-app purchases

None

ZineControl

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cine Meter II free?
Cine Meter II costs $24.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ZineControl free?
ZineControl costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cine Meter II or ZineControl?
ZineControl is rated higher. Cine Meter II averages 4.5 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while ZineControl averages 4.5 from 11 ratings.
Do Cine Meter II or ZineControl have ads?
Neither Cine Meter II nor ZineControl shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cine Meter II or ZineControl?
Cine Meter II ships an update every 3 months, and ZineControl every 5 days. Most recently, Cine Meter II was updated on November 1, 2026 and ZineControl on October 31, 2026.
Which is more popular, Cine Meter II or ZineControl?
Cine Meter II currently peaks at #161 in the App Store charts, and ZineControl at #121. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons