nofilmschool » lightmeter

Turn Your iPhone into an Incident Light Meter with Luxi

Joe Marine — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:46:07 +0000

We’ve seen some apps for iOS in the past that allow your phone to be used as a light meter, and even though some were very skeptical, there were some tests conducted by Ryan E. Walters showing they can work very well (especially considering their cost). What’s the catch though? Well, because of the design, you’re only ever getting a reflective reading, not an incident reading, which actually measures the light falling upon the object you’re shooting. Using the incident reading can usually be faster and give better and more consistent results, so that’s why a new Kickstarter project called Luxi is aiming to turn any iPhone into an incident light meter. (more…)

Your iPhone is a Light Meter, Waveform Monitor, and False-Color Display with $5 Cine Meter App

Dave Kendricken — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:38:19 +0000

Talk about your digital leatherman: The number of ridiculously handy — and practical, and portable, all in one — apps for filmmaking on mobile devices is probably one of the greatest tech-vantages we’ve got going for us these days second to low-cost high-res acquisition. Uses range from lighting plot diagramming and shooting scheduling all the way to Canon DSLR control via Android and RED control via iOS — there’s an app for all that, and more. Now, thanks to Adam Wilt of Pro Video Coalition (and a lot of other great stuff), your iPhone is now more of an asset on set than ever before — and that’s because his new $5 app Cine Meter turns your iOS device into a light meter, waveform monitor and false-color display. (more…)

Have Digital Cameras Made Light Meters Pointless? Ryan E. Walters Explains Why They're Still Important

Guest Author — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 19:15:32 +0000

Light meters may seem like relics of a different era, but they are still consistently used by filmmakers working with digital cameras. We’ve shared a fantastic guide about using light meters from Ryan E. Walters before, and now we’ve got a great post on why light meters are still relevant and how they can help you light and expose your shot, and get a far more precise image overall.

This is a guest post by Cinematographer Ryan E. Walters. (more…)

Custom Camera Profiles on Your Sekonic Light Meter with Ryan E. Walters

Joe Marine — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 23:04:20 +0000

We’ve covered light meters on this site a few times, but with a more advanced meter like the Sekonic 758Cine, you can actually set custom profiles for individual cameras and color profiles within those cameras. For example, if you have one project shooting with a log profile and another shooting with a standard profile, it’s likely you’ll have more dynamic range with the log profile, and thus you can light accordingly. Ryan E. Walters shares a tremendous amount of information on his site, and we’ve covered one of his light meter tutorials here before. Below, Ryan gives a tutorial detailing the proper way to set up a camera profile for the Sekonic 758Cine light meter. (more…)

How to Use a Light Meter - an Excellent Cinematography Tutorial from Ryan E. Walters

Ryan Koo — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:18:22 +0000

This site has covered light meters in the past (here and here), but this video by Ryan E. Walters is too good not to share. In the video, Ryan elucidates very well how and why to use a light meter (his pick: the Sekonic L-758C). People pay good money for tutorials of this caliber, so thanks to Ryan for sharing this video for free. Very helpful stuff for DPs: (more…)

An In-Depth Tutorial for Using a Light Meter to Find Your Camera's Exposure Latitude

Guest Author — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:06:00 +0000

This is a guest post by cinematographer Angelo Lorenzo.

Maybe you’re an army-of-one indie director. Maybe you’re a cinematographer who has decided to step up your game or reinforce your fundamentals. Whatever the case may be, the cornerstone of video capture is the control of the light that hits your lens and knowing the limitations of your recording system: the camera. (more…)

How to Use a Light Meter (Sekonic's Low-Cost L-308DC with the Panasonic AF100)

Ryan Koo — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:11:00 +0000

First of all, just a quick note that the Panasonic AF100 is currently in stock at B&H Photo. It’s been a hard camera to find, as the demand is exceeding the supply — so if you were planning on buying the camera, please use this link to support NFS (at no additional cost to you). With that out of the way, here’s a video from Abel Cine highlighting the new low-cost Sekonic L-308DC light meter, which like all light meters allows one to light by ratios — measuring stops without needing to constantly consult a camera’s waveform or histogram. However, the newly-released 308DC is a third of the price of most light meters, and is specifically designed for DSLR and digital cinematography: (more…)