RED Tools vs Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RED Tools
This app assists filmmakers and camera operators with camera setup by providing tools for crop factor, recording time, flicker-free video, depth of field, panning speed, and exposure. It offers customizable settings for various shooting situations and RED camera systems.
- Crop factor preview
- R3D recording time evaluation
- Flicker-free video calculation
- Depth of field estimation
- Panning speed guidance
- Exposure assistance
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RED Tools is a convenient reference tool designed for use by filmmakers and camera operators to outline best practices in camera set-up for a variety of shooting situations. Each tool is customizable based on a selected RED camera and sensor type. Standard film formats are also included for comparison. RED Tools is also included in the RED Control app, which also provides free, full-featured camera control and video streaming for RED’s latest DSMC3 products. TOOLS INCLUDED: CROP FACTOR Preview how a given focal length will appear depending on resolution setting and sensor type. Illustration depicts viewable area relative to a traditional 35 mm stills photography sensor by default, but other reference sensors are selectable within the drop-down menu. R3D RECORDING TIME Evaluate the video data rate and available recording time based on your RED camera settings. This can help you understand media requirements and production costs in advance of a shoot. FLICKER FREE VIDEO Find a flicker-free shutter speed and frame rate combination when shooting under artificial lighting. DEPTH OF FIELD Understand how various camera settings influence depth of field. PANNING SPEED Estimate the panning speed where judder will likely become too pronounced. The goal is to provide a more accessible tool than the charts and tables commonly referenced in cinematography manuals. It uses the standard rule of thumb that camera panning should not cause objects to transit the entire horizontal extent of an image in any less than seven seconds. EXPOSURE Assist with exposure when one camera setting has to change. Example usage scenarios include when a higher frame rate needs to be used for slow motion, when the T-stop has to change for depth of field, or when the shutter angle has to change to minimize flickering in artificial light. NIKKOR Z Lens Coverage Use this tool to understand how NIKKOR Z lenses will look on your RED Z Mount camera bodies. The tool shows the extent the light will fall off at different sensor formats, and if any hard vignetting occurs.
Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic
Control Blackmagic cameras remotely via Bluetooth. Manage multiple cameras simultaneously, adjust settings like white balance, frame rate, and ISO, and even control focus and zoom with external controllers.
- External controller support (Tilta Nucleus)
- Multi-cam control (up to 12 cameras)
- Camera grouping and custom settings
- Remote focus and zoom control
- Start/stop recording
- Adjust white balance, ISO, frame rate
- Digital slate metadata entry
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-- NEW External Controllers -- Connect Tilta Nucleus Nano & Nucleus-M to control Focus, Iris and Zoom, as well as Start & Stop Recording. Zoom and Focus control supported on Pocket 4K only. This is part of the new Pro feature set, which also includes Multi-Cam mode. -- MULTI-CAM MODE -- Multi-Cam Mode is now part of the Pro feature set, and includes these fantastic features: • Control up to 12 Blackmagic cameras at once • Create up to 3 distinct Control Groups, to give you fine-grain control over different settings for different cameras • You can choose to have changes made on one camera automatically update all the other cameras in its Control Group, or control everything straight from Bluetooth+ • Give your cameras Nicknames to quick, easy control Multi-Cam gives you control over the following features synced across an entire Group: • Start/Stop Recording • White Balance + Tint • Project frame rate (off-speed frame rates not supported) • Shutter Angle/Speed • ISO • Overlays • Slate • Trigger Auto-focus You can still control all other settings on a camera-by-camera basis, including: • Trigger stills capture • Iris control • Focus + Zoom (on supported lenses) • Codec + Resolution • Playback control • You can also set ISO specifically, rather than by camera group And of course, everyone has access to all of these amazing features: • Follow Focus (limited support for EF Mount cameras). See below for more info • Zoom Control on supported lenses • Trigger Stills capture • Record Start/Stop • White Balance + Tint, including 5 helpful presets and Auto White Balance • Audio Controls • Trigger Autofocus (for supported electronic lenses with autofocus enabled on lens) • Off-speed frame rates • Aperture (for supported electronic lenses) • Shutter Angle • ISO • Auto-Exposure Control • Active Card • Power On/Off • Monitor Overlays • Codec & Resolution • Enter metadata in the Digital Slate (including location data from your iPhone or iPad if you give permission) • Control Lock - locks critical controls while recording, preventing accidental settings changes during takes -- Follow Focus -- You can now pull focus wirelessly right from your iPhone or iPad. There are some limitations outlined below. • Currently only fully supports Pocket 4K, but as of v1.4 we now have limited support for EF mount cameras - Pocket 6K, Ursa Mini Pro G1 & G2 • The camera does not supply the app with any information on the lenses current focus distance, so the app will not update in real time if you pull focus manually on the lens • Due to the nature of bluetooth, focus pulls may not be 100% smooth. It works well for nice slow pulls, but fast pulls my not feel entirely natural and organic. Unfortunately this is a limitation of the available technology. • On EF mount cameras, we can only offset focus from its current position, with no broader knowledge of where the lens is in its focus range. This means that focus marks are not possible. In addition, focus pulls on EF mount cameras can be quite jerky depending on the lens in use. -- Playback Control -- With Bluetooth+ you can control the playback of clips right from your iOS device. There are some notable limitations at this point. Currently you can: • Start playing a clip, either forwards or backwards • Navigate between clips, either forwards or backwards For now, you will not be able to: • Pause a clip that is already playing • Change the speed of a clip that is already playing • Control clip looping -- Zoom Control -- Control the zoom level on supported lenses. For the most part, this will only work on MFT lenses with electronic zoom. We are currently unaware of EF lenses that support this feature -- Slate-Only Mode -- As the name suggests, this feature locks the app into Slate-Only mode, without the ability to change critical camera settings or start/stop recording. This means you can let an assistant keep metadata up to date without the fear of interfering with important camera settings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: RED Tools at Free against Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic's $5.99. RED Tools also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 3.3) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 21 months). On ads 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
RED Tools is free to download; Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic costs $5.99 up front. Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. RED Tools asks for nothing beyond the download.
Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic has 1.2K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of RED Tools's written reviews are positive against 60% of Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic's.
RED Tools ships an update every 21 months, Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RED Tools | Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $5.99 |
| Rating | 3.3 (15 ratings) | 4.7 (1.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 60.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 15 | 1.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 21 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #89 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RED Digital Cinema | We Are Empire PTY LTD |
Customer experience
RED Tools
Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic
Bugs and requests
RED Tools
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic
Reported bugs
4 issues- Recording issues with high frame rates
- Incorrect codec/resolution display for some cameras
- Focus control not working with certain lenses
- App freezes during playback
Requested features
6 requests- Add ability to take photos remotely
- Implement live video feed from camera
- Allow custom focus preset points
- Improve focus control sensitivity and UI
- Add support for more camera models
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- Integrate Apple Watch remote control
In-app purchases
RED Tools
No in-app purchases
Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic
- Multi-Cam Control$9.99
- Pro$9.99
Questions
Is RED Tools free?
Is Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic free?
Which has better reviews, RED Tools or Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic?
Do RED Tools or Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic have ads?
Which is updated more often, RED Tools or Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic?
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