How To Use A Light Meter For Film

Photographer using a light meter in photo studio — LightField Studios/Shutterstock.com

Learning to use a 35mm movie photographic camera can be intimidating. In that location's no screen to check, so y'all need some way to judge exposure without burning through frames the manner you lot would with a digital SLR. A calorie-free meter app can salvage the solar day.

Why Do Y'all Demand a Light Meter?

If the motion-picture show camera y'all picked upwardly was well-maintained, its internal light meter might be working fine. But many of them degrade over time and give y'all an exposure reading that'due south at least a trivial off. If you have the cash, you could bound for a defended calorie-free meter.

Or you lot could only use your smartphone.

Here we'll cover how to use a couple of popular lite meter apps with your 35mm movie camera (or 120mm film if yous're fancy). But first, a primer on how they work.

How Do Light Meter Apps Piece of work?

Light meter apps apply your telephone's internal light meter to measure exposure, much like it does automatically when you use your telephone's photographic camera to take a photo or video. That ways that how well the app works will depend on your phone's capabilities. If the photographic camera doesn't perform well in depression lite, the app won't be able to accurately meter in lower light considering the sensor doesn't work also every bit the 1 in a newer phone might.

Keep in mind that, depending on your telephone's light sensor and camera capabilities, some functions might not work at all. Some apps might work improve with your particular phone than others. We recommend that you download and test multiple apps to find which ones work best for you.

RELATED: The Best Android Camera Phones of 2022

Smartphone Calorie-free Meter Apps to Help You Shoot Film

Whether you're an iPhone or Android user, there's a calorie-free meter app for you lot. Some may be a flake confusing to read at first, just they're pretty like shooting fish in a barrel to get the hang of.

Here are a couple you lot can download and endeavour today. This isn't an exhaustive list, but a few of the more popular apps available now.

myLightMeter Pro (iPhone)/Light Meter (Android)

You can find this app developed by David Quiles on iPhone and Android with a slightly dissimilar name but the same await. You'll know it by the onetime-school interface designed to look like a vintage film calorie-free meter.

The app'south look is super stylish merely might intimidate you if you've never used a light meter earlier. You set the ISO of whatsoever film you're using, say 400. Then, the app will measure exposure co-ordinate to that film speed and present you with shutter speed and aperture settings past turning the central punch.

App display mimics older light meters and includes shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings.

Shutter speeds are listed on the dial, which rotates to line up with dissimilar apertures at the top of the UI. Available apertures range from f1.four to f22, and shutter speeds go to 1/8000th of a 2d. You'll also get an exposure value (EV) reading in the bottom right area of the display, which y'all won't actually need to worry about as you tin simply plug in the settings the meter gives y'all.

This app will not simply spit out a list of settings. Y'all demand to have the aperture in mind you desire to shoot at, find it on the meter, and meet which shutter speed the meter shows you to expose properly. Once you get used to doing that, Calorie-free Meter is pretty elementary to utilise.

Y'all can switch betwixt 2 metering modes: incidental and reflective. Incidental metering uses the lite hitting your phone camera to judge an exposure setting. Reflective metering uses light reflected off an object to make up one's mind an exposure setting. A little black button in the top correct lets yous toggle between the two, but the developer recommends using reflective metering.

To take a reflective exposure reading, make sure the app is set to cogitating. Yous'll see a dot next to the little "r" in the upper right area of the meter, and the white circle in the middle of the display will show whatever your phone's back camera is aimed at. Press the "measure out" button right below that to take an prototype and meter exposure.

This app has a few more features than a typical low-cal meter app, including multiple ISO settings, low light alert, and more than. It'south paid, but very affordable at around $4 for iPhone and most $2 for the Android version.

Light Meter Free (Android)

Light Meter Free takes a more straightforward approach to its brandish, telling yous exposure readings in simple boxes. This app likewise has both reflected and incident metering capabilities, as long as you're using a telephone with a front and back camera.

App displays image and settings in large readable boxes.

When tested confronting stand-lone calorie-free meters past the photography site Photo Workout, this app held its ain. If you're a fan of the sunny xvi dominion, Calorie-free Meter Gratis lets you calculate those settings, or you tin but apply the manual calculator feature past entering your film speed (ISO).

This app is a good option if y'all're looking for something elementary, easy to read, and feature-rich to accept out with your film SLR. As the name implies, this app is free to download and use, though it does contain ads.

Pocket Light Meter (iPhone)

Pocket Light Meter uses reflected light to meter exposure settings. At $10.99, information technology's a flake pricey, and so you may want to opt for myLightMeter instead. But if you choose to become with this app, it's easy to use and has several absurd features.

App display is the simplest of the three, allows for note taking.

I matter that sets this app autonomously is a feature that lets y'all save notes well-nigh the paradigm you're taking. Calorie-free values are displayed in Kelvin, which tin can help you lot calculate your white balance if you decide to use this app while shooting manually on a digital SLR.

Cull Your Meter and Go Shoot

These apps prove it is possible to use your phone every bit a light meter and get expert results without spending hundreds on a stand-alone lite meter. Download ane (or more) to effigy out what you lot like and what gets you excited to shoot. Whichever app you decide to go with, the important thing is to choose one and get started.

As yous continue, you'll get more than experienced at determining how your photo will look based on the exposure values you set. Despite the common joke "stay bankrupt, shoot motion picture," it is possible to build a foundation in film photography without breaking the bank.

RELATED: How to Get Started With Film Photography