Using a Colorimeter as a Lightmeter
5 min read
This is a simple hack using a colorimeter that has an ambient light reading mode, such as the i1 Display 2 or Colormunki Display, and the ArgyllCMS package’s spotread tool as a incident light meter.
To camera settings to EV use my exposure settings to EV conversion tool.
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Or you could just buy a light meter or two, you can find them second hand for a good price. (Incident and or Spot Meter) By using a light meter, the correct tool for the job and the best tool for the job, you’ll be able to read the light much easier, quicker, and more accurately, You’ll get better photographic results, and you’ll improve as a photographer. Also, you’ll be able to use your light meter/s on location, where most people take/make most of their photos.
Hi Andrew,
In some ways, I agree with you, but I think you’re also missing my point here too. This isn’t about replacing a proper light meter with something that’s obviously clunkier and more difficult to use, it’s about using something in a pinch in place of a light meter one might not have.
And sure I could buy a light meter, and eventually will. However, I don’t have an unlimited budget, and there’s a massive pile of stuff that I need to shoot in a studio that I never needed to as a landscape and wildlife photographer shooting in the field. Right now, my priorities are to fix the biggest problems first, and a light meter instead of my “hack” is far from the top of that list.