Comparison

Lghtmtr vs ZoneCalc

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

Head to head
About

Lghtmtr

This app provides a minimalist light meter to help users determine ideal exposure settings for photography. It visually demonstrates the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, making it intuitive for learning photographers.

Highlights
  • Minimalist light meter
  • Intuitive exposure settings
  • Visual feedback
  • Adjustable ISO, aperture, shutter speed
  • Camera profile customization
  • Scene reference with readings
Features
Read full description

Lghtmtr is a beautifully simple light meter that helps you find — and understand — the ideal exposure settings for a scene. Built for film photographers and anyone learning the craft, it makes the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter speed feel intuitive and the visual feedback helps reinforce the connection between them. Take a reading, get your settings, and start exploring. Adjust one value and the others respond instantly. Lock settings to experiment and see how each change affects your exposure. You can easily add camera profiles to the app to limit the possible values to what's most relevant to your camera and lens combination. With a visual reference of the scene behind every reading, Lghtmtr helps you shoot with clarity and confidence.

About

ZoneCalc

This app assists photographers in precisely calculating exposure and tonal placement using Ansel Adams' Zone System. It offers features for metering, reciprocity correction, and development adjustments, with options for multi-point measurements and data export.

Highlights
  • Zone System exposure calculation
  • Multi-point metering
  • Reciprocity correction
  • Development adjustment recommendations
  • Film-specific development times
  • Calculation history and export
Features
Read full description

ZoneCalc — Zone System Calculator ZoneCalc is a precision tool for large format, medium format and 35 mm photography following Ansel Adams' Zone System. Built for photographers who work with a spot meter, develop their own negatives, and want full control over exposure and tonal placement. METERING In Classic mode, enter the shutter speed for the deepest shadow with detail (Zone II) and the brightest highlight with detail (Zone VIII). ZoneCalc returns the shutter speed for Zone V — 18 % middle gray — the exposure you set on the camera. Multi mode accepts any number of measurement points across the scene. The app auto-assigns each point to a zone; drag pins on the zone strip to express your creative placement intent. RECIPROCITY For exposures above one second, the Schwarzschild effect is corrected automatically: t_corr = t_nom ^ p, using the film-specific exponent. The corrected camera time appears directly in the result card. The shutter speed list extends to 30 minutes. Films with reciprocity data: Ilford HP5+, FP4+, Delta 100/400, Kodak Tri-X, T-Max 100/400, Kodak Portra 160/400/800, Leica Monopan. N-RATING & DEVELOPMENT ZoneCalc compares the scene's dynamic range against the film's usable latitude and proposes a development adjustment — N−2 through N+2. For each film, concrete times are shown for common developers: D-76, Rodinal, HC-110, XTOL, ID-11, T-Max Dev — with dilutions per Massive Dev Chart and manufacturer recommendations. HISTORY & EXPORT Every calculation can be saved with a note and the chosen developer; two entries can be compared side by side. The complete result — shutter speed, reciprocity, N-rating and development times — exports as an image for the darkroom or for sharing via AirDrop, message or mail. DESIGN The interface follows the visual language of classic Leica instruments: monospaced typography, warm amber accent, hard edges instead of rounded corners. Fully localized in English and German, all-dark throughout — optimized for darkroom and field use. ZONECALC PRO Classic two-point metering with Zone V calculation and the zone strip are free. The one-time Pro upgrade unlocks: — Multi-point metering with interactive zone assignment — Reciprocity correction and N-rating — Development recommendations with times per developer — Save, compare and image export One app, no subscriptions, no data collection. All calculations run locally on device.

Screenshots

Lghtmtr4 screens
ZoneCalc4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ZoneCalc at 5.0 against Lghtmtr's 4.5. ZoneCalc also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). Lghtmtr's advantage is monetization model (free vs freemium) and ratings volume (129 vs 2). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Lghtmtr sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ZoneCalc sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ZoneCalc holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lghtmtr has 129 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lghtmtr ships an update every 4 months, ZoneCalc every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Lghtmtr versus ZoneCalc: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLghtmtrZoneCalc
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (129 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings129 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.5 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander JacqueJuergen Suk

Customer experience

Lghtmtr

All ratings129 ratings
Positive87.6%
Neutral4.7%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews74 reviews
Positive79.7%
Neutral6.8%
Negative13.5%

ZoneCalc

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Lghtmtr

One-time1
  • Coffee tip$4.99
1 purchases

ZoneCalc

One-time1
  • ZoneCalc Pro$3.99

Questions

Is Lghtmtr free?
Lghtmtr is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ZoneCalc free?
ZoneCalc is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Lghtmtr or ZoneCalc?
ZoneCalc is rated higher. Lghtmtr averages 4.5 out of 5 from 129 ratings, while ZoneCalc averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Lghtmtr or ZoneCalc have ads?
Neither Lghtmtr nor ZoneCalc shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lghtmtr or ZoneCalc?
Lghtmtr ships an update every 4 months, and ZoneCalc every 3 weeks. Most recently, Lghtmtr was updated on October 14, 2026 and ZoneCalc on October 12, 2026.

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