Light Meter

A light meter is an essential tool for any serious photographer, DOP or Lighting Cameraman. By accurately measuring the amount of light illuminating a scene or part of a scene, the photographer can predict how the scene will be interpreted by the film or image sensor for a chosen f stop. Light meters can be built into a camera and can automatically adjust exposure or they can be separate hand held instruments which are used for more accurate and selective evaluation of a scene. Hand held light meters are either incident meters which measure the amount of light falling onto a hemispherical dome and give an average reading, or reflected light spot meters which evaluate the amount of light reflected from very specific parts of a scene.