PhotoBuddy app for iPhone and iPad

4.2 ( 832 ratings )

Utilities Photo & Video
Developer: Ambertation

1.99 USD

Current version: 1.33, last update: 7 years ago
First release : 15 Sep 2008
App size: 7.44 Mb

PhotoBuddy - your personal assistant in all photographic matters - was in your pocket from the very first iPhone. Get ready to have it on your wrist withe your very first Apple Watch.

PhotoBuddy provides convenient ways to help professionals and amateurs calculate some of the most needed camera settings like Depth of Field, Diffraction the Angle of View or simple Exposure Calculations. With its large Database of different Camera Models and presets for Exposure or Color Temperature, PhotoBuddy is set up in seconds.

The new Apple Watch App allows you to calculate Exposure or the Depth of Field on your wrist as a stand alone app or as a second screen that automatically syncs changes between your watch and your phone.

PhotoBuddy also learned to control some Sony Camera Models (Cameras that understand the Sony Remote API like the Sony Alpha 6000) sending your DoF, Color Temperature or Exposure Settings directly to the camera. With the built in Remote View you can Touch Focus (if the camera supports it) and trigger your camera wirelessly.

REVIEWS
"There are a few apps with similar features on the App Store. I’ve tried a couple of them so far and I like PhotoBuddy best." (Terry White’s Tech Blog, App of the Week, 10/24/2008)

ADDITIONAL CONTENT
A brief Users Manual is available for download at the PhotoBuddy Website (http://iphone.ambertation.de/en/photobuddy/the_manual).

You can check out our DoF Calculator (for the update Version 1.2) online before you buy at http://iphone.ambertation.de/photobuddy/dof

FEATURES
- Apple Watch App for DoF and Exposure
- Sony Remote API Support (version 2.0 or higher)
- Calculate Sunrise/Sunset and the moon phase
- Determine the moon phase for any given date
- Measure distances with the built in camera (1st Gen. iPhone only)
- Built in exposure presets
- Calculate exposure changes (f-number / shutter / iso) based on the reciprocity law
- Calculate the Depth of Field (hyperfocal distance, near/far limit). Test the calculation online at http://iphone.ambertation.de/photobuddy/dof
- Find the maximal distance a flash can light using a given aperture / iso
- Calculate the minimal camera distance to fit objects of a given size on your photo
- Set the white balance of your camera by a list of color temperatures for common lighting situations
- Supports metric/imperial units
- Supports full, half and third stop
- Database of digital SLRs for simple setup (if your camera is not listed, you can simply choose the film size)
- Database of common motion picture cameras
- Custom Camera Settings (Film Size)
- PhotoBuddy remembers all your settings. You to continue right where you left
- Added Support for the new "Micro Four Thirds" Cameras as well as several new Models introduced at Photokina 2008
- CoC Calculator (based on desired print size, resolution and viewing distance)
- Change the CoC multiplicator for your cameras to fit your needs
- Support for ISO values up to 25600
- Bulb Timer: Allows you to take long exposure shots (up to 13 hours) in the bulb mode of your camera
- Interactive DoF graphic (change the depth of field settings with a flick of your finger)
- Bellows exposure compensation
- Camera presets for Red One and Hasselblad
- Angle of View Calculator
- HDR Bracketing Calculator (determine correct shutter speeds for multiple exposures used for high dynamic range images
- Quick camera selection

Pros and cons of PhotoBuddy app for iPhone and iPad

PhotoBuddy app good for

I just PhotoBuddy almost daily and I love the fact, that it even supports analogue film formats! Therefore I wish I could set the Bulbtimer to any specific value instead of having to chose from 5sec-increments. The App offers everything from depth-of-field calculation just by intuitively moving the scale with your finger up to calculations for sun position. Great update as well!

Dont waste your time with any other DoF and exposure calculators. This ones the best and has lots of extra features.

Love the interface for dof calculations! Able to slide the different parameters and observe the resulting changes. Also many bonus functions! Great app.

Missing the new Canon 6D, dont know what else it is missing but definetly due an update

This program is comparable to PhotoCalc. For about 80% of what Ill use these programs for (calculating DOF, exposure, and flash), Ill use PhotoBuddy. The exposure calculator uses the dials, making it faster, more elegant, and more fun to use. I havent used the gray wedge yet but its a really great idea to have a gradient from black to white if you dont have a gray card handy. Also the distance calculator is a handy feature. It may not sound like something youd use very often (since you normally just move closer to or farther from your subject if it isnt framed as desired) but its a great way of getting hard reference numbers for your lenses need, or lenses that you might consider purchasing. It factors in DSLR sensor multiplication factors, too! (Huge selection of cameras btw.) You never know when youll use this feature to determine if you need to pack that extra lens or leave it safely at home and save yourself some weight. Very cool. This review should probably be 4 1/2 stars since the sunset time isnt correct on my iPhone (may be just a glitch on my side). Also, although it identifies when the next full moon will be, it doesnt tell you what phase the moon is currently in, when the moon rises, sets, or what time the lunar noon is. This isnt something Im all that concerned about (so Im not knocking off a star) but if youre going to have that feature it should probably include those details. If youre trying to decide between PhotoBuddy and PhotoCalc, go with PhotoCalc if you want to know when the moon rises, sets, what phase its in, etc. Or if youre a beginner, PhotoCalcs glossary is a handy if not extensive reference. PhotoCalc also explains the Sunny 16 Rule and Zone System, which is nice for those that dont already know what they are. But once you learn them, you probably wont need to reference them or have them taking up space on your iPhone. If youre going to be using the program primarily for calculating exposure, DOF and flash power, then PhotoBuddy has a slightly handier interface. Hard to go wrong either way. Why not get both!?

I purchased both this app and PhotoCalc. They both work well and do a good job calculating the DoF, but you save a dollar using PhotoBuddy. The gray-scale wedge is a great idea for getting the white balance right. I havent used it yet, but plan to next time Im out shooting. I wont have to worry about carrying a gray card since Ive always got my phone. Well done application. The only problem Ive found is with the Sunset time always showing 0:00 (the sunrise works well). Highly recommended. Bill Olsen

Some bad moments

Im using the iPhone SE and seens the app does not calculate the exposure compensation correctly when im decreasing the exposure time the app seens to be increasing the iso.

Bought it for the flash exposure calculator. I wish I could program in a flashs gn # (maybe save all my flashes then select what one I am using) and select the power (1/2, 1/4, 1/8), ISO and distance. This would work more like the calculators built into some flashes (what I was hoping for)

This app looks nice enough, but it doesnt support the Sony NEX-5N nor the NEX-7, so if you have one of these cameras it probably wont be of use to you.

The GPS function does not work, have to manually input your location. The DOF function is good, but there are several free apps out there to do this. The flash function is as good as useless. If you go to their support site, there is nothing in the English language to be found. Not impressed!

Dontt save settings on program exit. iPhone 5c iOS 7.1.2. On iPad 2 iOS 6.x is OK

Compared DOF and Hyperfocal Distance with other applications and on-line tables. distance returned with this app is very different. check 4 others which converged. Might want to take a look. I used Nikon D80 camera. Like the other aspects although still learning interface.

Write review