Five Essential APP's for Film Photographers
Today, I want to share my favorite (iOS) APP's I use for my film photography.
myLightMeter PRO (~4€)
I don't own a traditional physical light meter, so this app is essential for me and my photography. I use it for all my medium format work, since neither the Rolleicord V nor the Mamiya C330 have a built-in light meter. So far, I never had any issues with the accuracy of this app. Even my slide film rolls, where correct metering is essential, came out great!
When using the app I first set the ISO according to the loaded film. Next, I set the aperture and exposure compensation depending on the scene and desired result. After taking a measurement, the app is displaying the according shutter speed. The light meter app can also do spot metering as well as averaging multiple measurements which is super convenient as well.
Overall, I can totally recommend this app! The price of around 4 € is more than appropriated. Especially when considering what a traditional light meter costs.
Notion (free!)
Notion is not really a film photography specific app but rather beautifully designed notebook app.
I use Notion to keep track of everything film photography related. I already wrote a article about how I use Notion. You can check it out here.
PhotoPills (10€)
PhotoPills is a nicely designed app which combines a lot of useful tools for photographers. Among other things, it includes:
- DoF Calculator
- FoV Calculator
- Timelapse Interval Table
- Astro Photography Tools
- ... and many more (check out their website)
Even if this app includes a lot of different tools, I primarily use it for planning my Sunrise and Sunset shoots. You can conveniently check Blue Hour, Golden Hour, Sunrise & Sunset. Furthermore, you can use the Map or Augmented Reality feature to precisely plan your location.
Viewfinder Preview (4€)
Sometimes I want a quick and easy way to preview certain aspect rations or focal lengths without using my actual viewfinder. With this app you can set your film format, film stock and focal length, and it will show you a nice preview of the scene. I think it is super convenient to quickly check how the scene would look taken on 6x6 B&W film.
Develop! (free)
I recently replaced this app with a physical Paterson Triple Timer. But this free app definitely has some advantages over a physical timer.
You can specify your development process step by step. Including intervals for agitation. After starting the timer, the app is guiding you through your process as previously defined. This also makes sure you don't forget a step.
