Focalware Reviews

by Harris Charalambous

A great start, but for the money this should be a much more serious app.

- How about Dusk and Dawn times also listed along with sunrise and sunset times.
- The locations list is very limited! Looking up coordinated for a city is one thing but not having a whole country listed is a little ridiculous.
- I think it would be more useful if the homepage read the current time altitude and azimuth and not the sunrise data, that way we know what we are looking at when we are on location at that particular moment. Let the user adjust from there if they want.
- Would love to have the ability to take a snapshot with the phone camera and have Focalware stamp it with the current data.

by Luc N.

The built-in compass in this app is not working on my iPhone 4 running iOS 5.0.1, and it is annoying. I'm not alone. I was told it's a known bug, and that it may be fixed in the next update. In the mean time it make this application, in my opinion and experience, a second grade application. If you intend to use it on the same setup than mine (iPhone 4 & 5.0.1) you may want to consider waiting for the upgrade, and check if it fixes this problem.

by Robyng49

I had no idea how to use this when i first got it so i emailed customer service. And i got the person who designed it to explain it to me. I thought that was pretty cool. As to how it works. I find it is decently accurate. Not perfect 100% of the time but pretty much dead on most of the time. At least so far. Yesterday i went out to a few of my favorite locations and saved them in my favorites. This is very cool cause i will be able to predict when i can go to anyone of these places when the sun or moon is in the perfect position for a shot i may be visualizing. Granted, you do not have to physically go to these places to add to your favorites - you can simply use the map to hone in on a spot and save it that way too. But i like knowing that if i go to a spot to save it, it is in the exact area i want to shoot and i can visualize the shot better. Either way is fine. I am giving this 4 stars instead of 5 because of the few instances i have seen it be off. Otherwise, I am more than happy to have Focalware in my arsenal of goodies for photography.

by Mindset Media

I have used Focalware for many years and it works very well for the information about where the sun and moon will be for photography just about anywhere in the world. You don't need to be on line so that's great for remote locations. Has just about all the major cities preloaded and is easy to add new cities or locations by using you phone service to locate you. Or by you adding the Lat and Lon and creating a custom name and location.

by Parisionfemme

This is a great app for the photo enthusiast or for anyone in general. You can see at what position the sun will be in the sky at different times throughout the day...awesome!

I would like to see a note taking feature added to Focalware, so that a person can record notes about a specific location for photography purposes, in particular. I give it four stars. There is room for improvement.

by Patoviejo

Saves time (money) in scouting locations. Content, functionality, and ui design are expertly combined to make an intuitive, and very useful, application for photographers.

by Mr. Yosemite

Great app that gives me sun/moon rise/set info I need wherever I am, even in locations without cell or wifi connectivity. I've relied on Focalware for many years to plan virtually all of my photography shoots.

by G.austin.

I shoot weddings and portraits and prefer a certain sun elevation. This program allows me to find ideal times for a location and date with ease. The best feature, by far, is the ability to stand at a specific location with a live display of where the sun will be. As you change position the compass and chart update in real time - AMAZING! I will never need to pull out my printed sun chart and compass again!

For Landscape and Portrait Photographers this is a MUST HAVE.

by AshevilleMacGuy2

Focalware is so cool & functional it's what every geek needs to check the position for the sun etc. Very sweet graphics. I may not ever be a professional photographer but now at least I can look like one.

by Jwarner4

Useful and easy to understand information at the touch of a button! It's amazing how this app applies and helps in so many activities. Excellent program - many thanks!

by Steve3911

Perfect app for photographers! Knowing what time sunrise/sunset is good, but knowing WHERE it's coming up and where it's going is even better! Best $10 I ever spent in photography! I would give this 6 stars if I could!

by ICM...

Very, very, very helpful! Thank you! I'd have to pay $20 more to get something remotely like this. I use an iPod Touch and I was debating whether or not I should buy Focalware because of the Touch not having a compass but I definitely made a good choice. I think this is gonna be awesome for learning more about lighting regarding photography.
Thank you again!!

by Steve56303

What a handy gadget to have ready to go when photographing. Works well and is easy to use.

One idea for improvement might be an azimuth estimator - if there was a couple of bubble levels at the top of the screen to insure that the iPhone was vertical, then there could be a circle with degree markers to estimate exactly where the sun / moon would be at a specific time.

Great work!

by Pro Photog

Saves you a trip to the US Naval Observatory Web site to figure out sun information. Used in a conjunction with one of the level apps in Focalware Store can tell you just about everything you need to know. Most of all though, it works, it has a wonderfully simple graphic interface and is great for use on location or for using to plan an upcoming assignment.

by Lee In Oakland

Works exactly as advertised. Focalware gives sunrise, sunset, and all times in between for both the sun & moon. On the compass rose view, allows one to move the sun or moon in minute increments during the day. Long list of locations; plus the ability to add your own. Ability to view dates in the future or past. Highly recommended. Would definitely buy again.

by Upstream

Put away the charts and lists and calculators, this incredible tool is any photographer or filmaker's best pal.
I could not believe how simple and easy to use it is! I am confident now in setting up outdoor shots. Night shots? Want the moon over someone shoulder? All that can be planned with accuracy with just a glance at the easy to read GUI . I can now imagine shots better too . I can't wait to get Focalware out on the road. What a timesaver!!

by D.A.Wagner

I've had this sitting on my iPhone for a while and just started using it to shoot translights for stage sets. It's so easy to look smart when I can tell my clients what the light is going to be at what time at each location while I'm still in the meeting. This is very easy to use and it sets up locations using google maps - just tap the location on the map and this app sets the Latitude and Longitude. I'm happy. Thanks!

by BackCountry717

I downloaded this for a friend who's a professional photographer and videographer who was asking if an app existed which showed the sun's position at a given date/time and location. Low and behold, here it is. He shoots a lot of weddings and it can be tricky to get the right lighting for outdoor weddings. I think Focalware alone will be enough for my friend to take the plunge and buy an iPhone. It's very well executed and has a clean well organized UI. Nice job this app!

by Esalum

After I downloaded this program and used it for five minutes, I immediately deleted the other three apps I've tried for calculating Sun Rise/Set times. This is THE must have program for photographers wanting/needing to know the position of the Sun (or Moon). With the program, you can instantly determine where the sun will be at a particular time, or determine the time the sun will drop below that high canyon wall or other landscape feature. Great interface too!

by JMcW

A MUST for every photographer, amateur or pro! The easy stats (sunrise, sunset, and moon phase) are there, of course, but packaged together with sophisticated additional information, like the sun's elevation and azimuth angle (which are automatically calculated for any time of day and any location). Wow! With the iPhone’s built-in GPS capability, all this essential info is immediately available to the serious photographer or filmmaker, and all in a simple, intuitive interface. This will help me plan my shoots much more effectively in the future. Thanks!