Archive 2012 · Light Meter App for Android Phones

Njphotostudio
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p.1 #1 · Light Meter App for Android Phones

Hi Everyone

I found a light meter app that will work on many android phones (see below for some that people found are compatible).
I have the HTC EVO smatphone and I am testing it now.

Althouth this post would also go under lighting and studio, I added it here since you can use it any where as we carry cell phones most of the time.

A light meter can go from $200-$700

This application is free. Great for some one who is starting with light meters.

Here is the link for the instructions and download.
http://www.fmbee.com/products/beecamlightmeter_en.html#manual

You can also download it from your Android phone
1- Click on Market
2- Search for beeCam Light Meter

Also under Market on your phone, you will find other light meters from other companies, many at no cost to you.

This app can also calculate f-stop or shutter speed by using manually inputted illuminance or EV.

The following model is a model that CAN retrieve the value of illuminance sensor confirmed by the user's review.

Nexus S, Nexus One, REGZA Phone IS04,
HTC EVO,HTC WILDFIRE, Motorola DEFY, DROID X, Samsung Galaxy_Tab(SC-01C),
Samsung Galaxy S2(SC-02C), Motorola Droid 2 Global,
LYNX 3D SH-03C, Dell Streak, Garmin A50,DROID BIONIC,
DELL Streak SoftBank 001DL, MEDIAS N-04C,SHARP IS03,
AQUOS PHONE SH-12C, AQUOS PHONE IS11SH,
iida INFOBAR A01,G'zOne(IS11CA),
Acer Liquid Metal, REGZA Phone T-01C

The following model is a model that can not retrieve the value of illuminance sensor confirmed by the user's review.

HTC Legend, HTC Desire, HTC EVO 3D, HTC hero,
Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung Galaxy S2(?),
Samsung Galaxy Ace, T-Mobile G2x,
Motorola Milestone, Motorola Milestone2,LG Optimus Dual,
Motorola CLIQ, Motorola ATRIX(Gingerbread Version),
Motorola DROID X(?), DROID 2(?), Xperia acro, Xperia Arc,
Xperia SO-01B, S51SE, myTouch slide, Optimuschat L-04C,
SHARP IS01, LG P500,

Thanks

Eddie Santos

Feb 02, 2012 at 11:24 AM

Sam N
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p.1 #2 · Light Meter App for Android Phones

FYI those apps work only with ambient or continuous light and not with strobes.

Feb 03, 2012 at 02:48 AM

dmacmillan
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p.1 #3 · Light Meter App for Android Phones

Sam N wrote:
FYI those apps work only with ambient or continuous light and not with strobes.
Furthermore, they work only as reflective meters. The one on my phone shows you where it's metering, though. I've compared it to my camera and an external meter and it's pretty accurate.

Feb 03, 2012 at 08:58 AM

cgardner
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p.1 #4 · Light Meter App for Android Phones

Something to be aware of when using any hand meter with digital cameras is that ISO 100 on the camera usually isn't the same as ISO 100 on the meter.

The meter may read f/5.6 but if you bracket -1 to +1 stops around f/5.6 (i.e. f/4 to f/8) in 1/3 stop (one click on camera) increments and look at the RAW files you may find an exposure other than the f/5.6 meter reading has the best exposure and detail in the highlights.

For example here's a test I did for syncing my Sekonc L-358 meter to my 20D camera. Of all the things on the target I was only concerned about how "real" the white towel looked for that test because I use correctly rendered (visually) highlights as my criteria for nominal exposure. Rendering highlights accurately usually results in darker values being underexposed to some degree if fill is not used because digital sensors can't handle the contrast created by a single source.

http://super.nova.org/TP/MeterCal6_3.jpg

To much exposure caused visible loss of the micro-texture of the terry cloth, too little rendered it dirty white / gray. From the files ranging in exposure from f/4 to f/8 I found the one at f/6.3 to have the best exposure VISUALLY when examined at 100% on the computer. That told me my L-358 meter and camera are out of sync in terms of ISO by 1/3 stop. Because I needed to close the lens aperture 1/3 more than the indicated meter reading it means my camera's ISO100 is 1/3 stop faster, around a true speed of around 125.

If you have multiple cameras you need to perform the test for each as it will vary from model-to-model. My 20D is off by 1/3 stop (fast), but my 50D matches the meter almost perfectly (less than the 1/3 stop adjustment increment on the camera).

The design of the L-358 anticipates this common problem and allows the owner to enter a compensating factor to change the meter display from f/5.6 (what it reads correctly per its factory calibration) to f/6.3 (what the camera sensor's actual ISO. If you own a L-358 and are reading this, it is done by pressing both ISO buttons at the same time and then turning the wheel There are two ways to do it: 1) start with meter off and press buttons, and 2) turn meter on before pressing buttons. Both have the same net effect. I prefer #2 because it puts a little [-/+] icon on the display to remind me I've got a compensation factor entered.

Features like that, the dome for incident reading averaging of key and fill when setting exposure, and the ability to read flash and show what % of total exposure the flash contributed are reasons that a meter like the L-358 is a much better tool than a phone app. Just pointing the camera at the scene and taking a few test shots and looking at the histogram and clipping warning will tell you what you need to set exposure without any kind of hand held meter if you know how to interpret them. The clipping warning makes each of the million + pixels in the playback a highlight metering zone.

The best situational awareness of scene range comes from using a 1� reflective spot meter to measure the "Zone 1" shadows where you want to see detail in the reproduction on screen or print and the "Zone 9" non-specular whites: such as the range between the paint and shaded tires of a white car, which will be different by several f/stops on sunny and overcast days. But that information on scene range isn't much value in predicting results unless you also know the dynamic range the the camera.

The same "net" awareness of whether the camera can record the full scene or not can be obtained much easier with the clipping warning and histogram on a digital camera:

1) Using M mode, adjust exposure using clipping warning until specular reflections are clipping but sunlit white objects are not.

2) Look at the left side of histogram. Open lens or slow shutter until the left side is no longer running off on the left.

The number of f/stops difference between 1 and 2 will tell you how much, in f/stops, the scene exceeds the range of the sensor telling you:

1) You need to add flash to correctly render the foreground
or
2) How many f/stops you need to bracket to create a full range HDR composite.
or
3) How best to split the difference between blowing highlights and losing shadow detail. For example if scene is 3 stops > sensor the "average" would be to first adjust below clipping then open the lens 1-1/3 of 1-2/3 stops blowing the brighter highlights to make the midtones and shadows lighter.

If you learn how to use the clipping warning and histogram that way with a couple quick test shots you may find like I have, a hand held meter, incident or spot, isn't needed to have good situational awareness and control over exposure.

Feb 03, 2012 at 09:02 AM

ozpall
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p.1 #5 · Light Meter App for Android Phones

crap it doesn't work eith evo 3d!!!

Feb 04, 2012 at 11:53 AM

Njphotostudio
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p.1 #6 · Light Meter App for Android Phones

What a great post cgardner

Thanks

Feb 05, 2012 at 10:56 AM

ukphotographer
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p.1 #7 · Light Meter App for Android Phones

cgardner wrote:
Something to be aware of when using any hand meter with digital cameras is that ISO 100 on the camera usually isn't the same as ISO 100 on the meter.

The meter may read f/5.6 but if you bracket -1 to +1 stops around f/5.6 (i.e. f/4 to f/8) in 1/3 stop (one click on camera) increments and look at the RAW files you may find an exposure other than the f/5.6 meter reading has the best exposure and detail in the highlights.

For example here's a test I did for syncing my Sekonc L-358 meter to my 20D camera....Show more →

If you're going to analyse a calibration chart for exposure, it's best to make sure that your lights are NOT reflecting off the chart straight back into camera. Even in this example you have managed to obliterate white grey and black - all at the same time. How do you expect to ever use any of this information?

You wonder why your camera and light meter disagree? - it's because your lights are reflecting off your target(s) all over the place and the errors you are compensating for are entirely self inflicted. In this situation they have nothing to do with meter errors at all. Lights reflected off a target render the target and its results simply useless, especially when the reflections are totally incomparable.

Situational awareness would most definately be beneficial and worth working on, but just openning your eyes to look would provide a greater improvement.

http://www.accoladephotography.co.uk/DPR/MeterCal6_3_joke.jpg

Feb 05, 2012 at 12:44 PM

Allynb
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p.1 #8 · Light Meter App for Android Phones

Tried the phone APP, the app keeps looping and doesn't settle on an aperture/shutter combination, for the subject being measured. The notes say to cover the light sensor in the phone one time and it should resolve this issue. Won't do it for me. Anyone else have this problem? like to here the remedy, if any.

Feb 07, 2012 at 10:14 AM


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