Helios Sun and Moon Position Calculator App Reviews

Read a few of the previous less favorable reviews with some concern. I have used Helios on a number of shoots now and just dont see any validity in the criticisms. I cant really see how this application could be improved. Its accurate and once you get to grips with it, easy to use. For someone who has spent the last ten years location scouting with a Suunto Tandem and a Sunpath print out, this is a major improvement.

Best product service. Every question Ive had has been answered thoroughly and quickly. As far as functionality goes, this app. is reliable and laughably accurate. The cost is a non-issue.

Need printing abilities, practically useless when network is unavailable. Chemical Wedding, need a Lunar equivalent, please. gzr!

Guys you screwed it up trying to make it look pretty. IT IS A TOOL, dont make it hard to read by adding fake spec highlights and shadows! God! What the hell were you thinking! Lets take UI 101 and not make me click twice when once is where its at.

Ok, so the new version added the map and satellite overlay!! You get 5 stars for listening to your customers, including my old review below. Now if you add moon position you will get 6 stars ;) After researching all the applications dealing with Sun positioning, I ended up going for Helios, yes... the most expensive. It does have the best and most intuitive features that I could see (compass, inclinometer and sky view) and it was the closest thing to sunPath out there. My main criticism is that for an app that costs $30 I would expect a bit more, specially Google maps interaction and possibly moon positioning as well. It is quite annoying to have to exit the app to check the satellite view on google maps to see the location you are in (or the one you want to shoot in). An overlay would be perfect, so I can see Google Maps satellite view over the sky view. Then this application would be perfect and a 5 star one too. There are apps like Focalware that offer "almost" the same for $10, so Helios has to step up a notch.

This is a great app - a little pricey but there is nothing else out there currently that matches what this does. That being said, I would truely be singing its praises if it also included moon info (position, phases, luminosity, etc) and displayed current time and date at startup (or at least was a setup option). Thanks for the great start to a great app.

My adapting to how to use the advanced features of the program, and the resulting questions that I asked of the software designers to get up to speed quickly, resulted in the best customer service Ive ever had. Questions were answered promptly and in-depth, with a real attitude of respect and care that the user get the best out of the program. Feedback was sought by the company and they responded to that feedback. This program has enough depth and advanced functuonality to warrant the price. Its become an indispensable tool in my arsenal. The sky map view is more versatile than a SunPath print out while I am on location. If you know you may not have data service, you can enter your coordinates manually, or while out of the country, you can add your location while you are back at the hotel on wifi.

Great App, cant wait for a Retina update! A couple suggestions- -a T-minus value for the Elevation screen. When gaffing, a DP often desperately asks "how long till the sun goes behind that X?"... Its easy math to subtract the current time from the Elevation time, but sometimes you need to give a quick answer. It would be cool if as soon as you tap the inclinometer, a minutes value began counting down. -Should open to the last mode you were using upon startup.

Please just dumb this down. I tried using it on the last two films both in cities that were away from home and its just too much stuff. Please consider a way to just enter an address and have a sun path, compass, and map come up. If you arent very familiar with your surroundings this app is a chore. The DP and Gaffer on both films agree and all three of us abandoned the app and went back to a compass and daily chart. It looks great but just isnt fast enough to use. If these changes were made I would repurchase this. If there was an iPad version that you could save a path or email it I would pay much more for it

I have been using this app for a year or two now (time flies), and it was the most expensive app I had ever considered at the time. Of course, its price isnt so shocking any more.... Im a still photographer, and have only recently dabbled in video, but this app has become a constant companion from day one. It is perfect for planning shooting time/location details for even casual still photography, as well as for critical pay work, and one-shot vacation shooting. It is not limited to outdoor shooting at all, as it will allow you to accurately plan and predict natural lighting through windows, in between buildings, on stairwells, and in just about any situation where the sun plays a role Im illuminating a scene to be recorded by any camera. It is truly a wonder of technology. The various views, time and location mobility, shadow detail information, mapping, awesome clinometer-predicive functionality, and constant updates with improved features make this app an important tool for all photographers. It is not complex in operation at all. In fact, with very little effort at reading the instructions, all functions are simple to execute, and easy to remember. As the basic functions spark your imagination, and lead you to creative use of more advanced functions, they are there waiting for you, and easy to add to your shooting routine. I look forward to new tweaks and features, as they do not disappoint, and do not interfere with existing functions at all. This app is far more useful as a creative photo-video tool than most standard accessories found in a pro kit. Dont blink at the price, as it will quickly be forgotten, while the app will likely become a standard part of your routine. Great product!

This was the first app I purchased when I got my iPhone. I use it on all of my projects now. I love the feature to mail the data. Would be cool to group data into projects but that can be done outside the app easily. Love it.

Waste of money!!! Sun scout. Way better

Now works on my new iPhone 4S 64GB. I love this app. Not perfectly accurate, but very close. Love the update!

I use it for nature photography, hiking, trail running, planning vacations, you get the idea. The developers have made an outstanding user interface that should be studied by other developers. Every function is self-explanatory and easy to access from any other function. The in-app user guide is a fun and educational read. Was well worth the price many revs ago, and the improvements have kept coming.

While the App may seem expensive its actually a great deal. The past several years I used a cinematographers program (that cost several times the Helios App price) to determine sun azimuth / inclinations anywhere in the world, and I never regretted the investment. When combined with a compass and inclinometer I could determine exact sun locations throughout the day anyplace in the world. With this App I can do the same, but it INCLUDES a digital version of a compass and inclinometer (I formerly used a Sunoto that cost a small fortune). The App is great for determining shadow movements or where the "ball of fire" will be in a photograph. I find it invaluable for determining what order to shoot a list of photographs when I have several to do and want to shoot when the light is best, it allows me to know when the light will be on/off my "subject". A must have for anyone shooting with natural light, especially nature and architecture shooters (you can determine when light will hit the face of a building or be coming through a window) . I also use it to determine call times for future location shoots when traveling. You may want to see their web site for screen grabs of what it does, its a bit hard to explain how it looks / works. At $30 bucks its a bargain, cheaper than a decent UV filter...and yes I paid for mine.

This is my most often used photo shoot planning tool. However, their web site is not online. Im concerned about the viability of Helios in iOS7. So although right now Im giving it 3 stars. If their site becomes active, Ill probably do another rating and give it 5 stars.

Great app to use on my phone all the time for lighting. But, also was wondering why is this app not developed for both iPad and iPhone at the same time?!

This app has been abandoned by its developer. Dont buy until it has been updated. Malfunctions in ios6 and ios7. Not worth the money. I made that mistake - learn from my loss and frustration.

Had a rocky patch with iOS7s intro, but my beloved Helios is now back with ver. 6 to being the best and most comprehensive sun position calculator for the iPhone.

Love this app but new version on ios 6 shuts down when trying to choose us location. Please fix. Also no contact info on your website.