13 replies to this topic

[JRosen]

Don't know how many have heard about Lumu Light Meter.  This plugs into a smart-phone, either iPhone or Android, and has an app that comes up.

 

I found out about them through a kickstart program, and am very interested in getting one.  They should be shipping this month.  If they work as advertised, they'll be one of the least expensive light meters on the market!

 

Its a very unique product.

 

Check them out at >lu.mu<

[Kenafein]

That is cool. I wish they would give a few more specs. I wonder if it can spotmeter.

[JRosen]

I truly don't have a clue.  But it seems so simplistic to use for a quick light meter check.  Plus, considering all the other light meters out there, it seems really inexpensive.  I was one of the sponsors, so mine should be arriving later this month.  I'm sure all the sites will have write-ups about it once its released into the wild.

 

We will see!

[ogs123]

Luxi (http://www.esdevices.com/products/luxi) is a even cheaper alternative for iPhones that was sucessfully funded on KickStarter and can now be ordered from their website. It's basically a diffusion dome that covers the forward camera and can be used with third party light meter apps. The website shows comparisons against a Sekonic L-308 that look pretty good.

 

Sekonic L-308

Sekonic L-308

[morticiaskeeper]

There are a couple of Android light meter apps already available, but I think they only work on certain phones. The Samsung Galaxy S3 seems to work, but it won't replace my Weston Euromaster!

[Stas]

I tryed few androids apps but now i'm still using camera lightmeter. Why do you use lightmeter, instead of camera lightmeter? Is it better?

[morticiaskeeper]

The metering in the camera can only meter reflected light. As different colours and textures absorb and reflect light differently. A black car will meter differently to a black board, due to the reflective properties of the item.

And yet, they both have the same light on them.

Metering the light falling on the subject would have both items exposed exactly the same, irrespective of the absorption/reflection.

To take an incident reading, a diffuser cone is placed over the meter sensor, the meter is then held at the subject, pointing back to the camera.

In reality, both methods have their advantages. You can't practically take incident readings with large landscapes, but if you're taking different colours, in bright sunlight, 20 ft away from you, incident metering will give you a more realistic looking exposure.

[Stas]

So you can take your camera, stand at model and meter the light falling on the model? Am I wright?

[morticiaskeeper]

I suppose you could, but, unless you had a really wide angle lens, a diffuser cone would get a more even representation of light.

[Stas]

I understand. I think you are wright. And what about android app? Does it gives accurate results?

[morticiaskeeper]

The app I was using seemed fairly accurate, but I deleted it because I love my Weston Euromaster!

I'm now using Capella Flash Meter.

I think the phone being used has a big say in how well the apps work. Some phones use the camera for light sensing, others have a dedicated light sensor.

I'm using the Samsung Galaxy S3 which has a light sensor.

[Stas]

Thank you for explanation)

[K-9]

I've never needed a light meter. Always thought they weren't worth the cost. I used to spot meter off gray cards or neutral gray parts of a scene when I shot film and transparencies. Gray card=$5, Sekonic light meter=$150. No brainer and I could put that cash to better use.

Bottom line: there really isn't any scene you can't succesfully meter and expose with just your camera's internal meter.

[Merco_61]

For natural light, a good grey card works wonders for accuracy. For manual flash work I would not like to be without my Sekonic L-358. I often use two or three flashes and need to balance them to each other and to ambient light.

If you use reflectors in natural light the smartphone based meters might be useful to measure two halves of a picture for even lighting, but a used Gossen, Sekonic, Weston or Minolta can often be found quite cheaply.