Hints
- Press or press and hold (longpress) a value to change it.
- Calibrate the tool to your camera/phone--read below
- Email me (will.blaschko@gmail.com). I will work with you and answer any questions you have.
Intro:
Since this is a tool I'm going to use actively as a professional photographer, I plan to keep it updated and as accurate as possible. Feedback is highly appreciated! Questions, comments, or feature requests.
Known Supported Phones
- Nexus One
- HTC Wildfire
- Samsung Galaxy S
Reported to work with:
- HTC Hero
- other HTCs
- Motorola Droid
- other Motorolas
Known Trouble/Not Functioning Phones
- Some LG phones (X2)
- Some Samsung
How to:
Light Meter
- 1) Make sure your phone has a light sensor (I'm using the Nexus One) - the program will alert you if none found
- 2) Set your EV compensations
- 3) Meter a light source in either Aperture, ISO, or Shutter mode (select the radio buttons to change modes)
- 4) "Lock Readings" and adjust as needed (adjusting can be done via a long-press)
- 5) Enter readings into camera(s)/flash(es)
- 6) Calibrate settings as needed to match camera histogram readouts. Adjust until highlights are not clipped
Manual
- 1) Read above, most things still apply
- 2) Set your F-Stop (or Shutter) and ISO to desired levels (long-press)
- 3) Select the lighting situation in which you are in (lists may scroll to show more options)
- 4) Enter readings into camera(s)
Info:
- The light sensor in your phone is often on the face, but test accordingly
- The range is limited to the range available from your phone, mine goes from "dark room" to "full sunlight" on the Lux scale
- Flashes may or may not be read depending on the sensor refresh in your phone--hotlights and ambient light will always be metered
- Light Meter has dummy values to start, change your lighting (eg. cover it with your hand) to have it update
- EV Comp defaults to 0, since that's the difference I've found between my Nexus One and my Nikon D90 to where I don't clip highlights. Depending on your camera and phone, you may have to change this (let me know!)
- This tool is meant to be visible in any brightness of light (hence the large text)
- Of course, this tool has issues in dark rooms and directly in front of a light, it's better to meter off a lit object (works better as an incident meter than a reflected reader)
From Top to Bottom:
Light Meter
- EV/Lux - the number the phone gives me in Lux Rating (and Footcandles)
- iso/f/sec - the setting to be adjusted
- ISO - ISO Film Speed
- f/ - The F-Stop you will be using
- x sec - The shutter speed
- EV | Filter - EV adjustments for Camera/Phone and Filters
- Lock - Lock the phone's reading to walk back to your camera/flash
Manual
- Shutter - Current shutter speed and EV settings
- f/ - Current F-Stop
- iso - Current ISO in calculation
- x sec - Calculated shutter speed
- # XXXXX - Different EV settings based on Sunny-16
- EV: - Categories of EV settings with general descriptions
Update Log:
2.3 - 29 May 2011
- Added option for Full/Half/Third Stops (Menu -> More -> Advanced)
- Adjusted rounding for more accurate calculations
- Fixed FC issue on some phones (associated with change for tablets)
2.2 - 22 May 2011
- Added (limited) support for tablets
- Fixed ISO calculation error
2.1 - 1 May 2011
- Themes, screen brightness, sensor refresh rate options added to Menu->More->Advanced
- Auto brightness scaling added to avoid issues with light produced by the phone affecting readings
2.0.3 - 10 April 2011
- User requested "dark" theme added: Menu->More->Dark Theme
- Subtle UI tweaks
2.0.2 - 4 April 2011
- Application installable to SD, app size halved
- Added quick How-To
- Added sensor information (Menu>More>Sensor Info)
- Subtle UI tweaks
2.0 - 31 Mar 2011
- Added an ISO mode
- Rewrote everything for faster processing
- UI redesigned for better use on smaller screens
- Added 1/50th for video
- "-" and "+" indicators added for values that exceed min/max iso/shutter/f-stop
- Reset reinstated
1.7.2 - 17 Mar 2011
- Reset menu option removed for further testing due to crash reports during use
1.7.1 - 13 Mar 2011
- Added Manual (Sunny 16-based) shutter-speed calculator
- Updated Menu structure
- Removed default compensation
- Other minor adjustments
1.6.2 - 11 Mar 2011
- Layout changed slightly for smaller-screened phones (thank you for taking the time to send me photos of the layout)
- Adjust ISO, F-Stop, Shutter added to the menu options for easier access
1.6.1 - 23 Feb 2011
- Values will now persist between sessions. Lock Readings to prevent changes
- Reset option added to menu to clear saved values (revert them to default values)
- More trust placed in the accuracy of the in-phone sensor in calculations
- Default EV compensation value changed to reflect new math
- Will now tell you when you start whether you have a detectable, usable light sensor
- Minor edits to Help document
1.6 - 20 Feb 2011
- Application can now be installed to SD card (or other external storage)
- Small tweaks to improve sensor read speed/accuracy
- Changed default adjust to be more accurate with new tests
- Changed how-to and info for more clarity of use
1.5
- Added more supported/unsupported phones
- Added FC (footcandle) measurement
- Bug fixes
1.4
- Tested on Nexus One--range from low indoor light to cloudy day, full sunlight midday sun is above Nexus One sensor's ability to measure--check your histograms
1.3
1.2
- Version testing for under 2.2 Androids (versions 5+ seem to run fine)
- Updated to reflect that it runs on Motorola Droid
- Compensation range expanded (For ND filters up to +8)
1.1
- Confirmed to work with HTC Hero as well as Nexus One
- Changed EV calculation to be more accurate
- Fixed a few typos
- Default ISO changed to 200 (more in-line with digital cameras)