Best Photographic Light Meters
The X-Rite i1Display Pro is the ultimate choice for discerning photographers, filmmakers, designers and imaging professionals looking for the highest level of on-screen color accuracy for displays, laptops, mobile devices and projectors. Increased Functionality - i1Display Pro combines ambient light measurement, monitor profiling and projector profiling into 1 sleek, compact and fully integrated device at 5X faster measurements than previous devices. Incorporates technologically advanced filter and optical systems, fast measurement speed, and unrivaled color accuracy on all modern display and projector technologies, such as LED, Plasma, RG Phosphor, OLED and Wide Gamut.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I don't carry around and use it everywhere because it's just not practical for that purpose, but if I'm dealing with a prepared shoot where I know that I will have some time (as opposed to run-and-gun street photography), then I do pull it out of the bag because it actually makes a huge difference in color accuracy when you do use it."
"My older version is not compatible with new BenQ monitor."
"As I am a neophyte to color management there was a bit of a learning curve but once I got past that it was pretty easy to use."
"I calibrated my Hp zr30w IPS and Samsung syncmaster dual monitor setup in about 20 minutes under windows 8.1 and the colors from the displays match nearly perfectly. I recommend tilting your monitor back slightly so the calibrator sits flush to the screen. Also make sure to adjust the ambient lighting to your usual comfortable editing conditions."
"I really do not like X-Rite as a company as their upgrade prices could easily be seen as predatory, and support is poor at best, however the quality and consistency along with the results speak for themselves in terms of this particular package / system."
"The packaged software is great only if you didn't have access to fine controls on a television or computer monitor."
"Note to folks having trouble updating firmware on Dell Ultrasharp monitors in order to support the Dell Ultrasharp Calibration Solution (DUCS)."
"Had the Spyder, this just works better and faster."
They are used in the general field of lighting, where they can help to reduce the amount of waste light used in the home, light pollution outdoors, and plant growing to ensure proper light levels Specifications -Display: 3-1/2 digit 18mm LCD -Power: 9V battery -Ranges: 0.1-200/2,000/20,000/200,000 Lux -Accuracy: ±3% ±10 digits (0-20,000 lux) / ±5% ±10 digits (over 20,000 Lux) -Repeatability: ±2% -Temperature Characteristic: ±0.1%C -Photo detector type: Silicon Photo Diode with Filter -Operating temperature: 32-104 degrees F (0-40 degrees C) -Sampling rate: 2-3 times per second -Battery life: 200 hours (estimate) -Dimensions: 149 x 71 x 41 mm -Photo Detector Dimensions: 100 x 60 x 28 mm Package Content -1 x Dr.Meter 1330B Light Meter -1 x Carrying case -1 x 9V battery -1 x User manual. Data Hold & Peak-Data hold switches, Low power consumption, Short rise and fall time.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Works, but feels very cheaply made, Digital Numbers disappear and reappear of their own volition."
"I tested my light--15,000 lux at the distance I was sitting from it; my friend's light tested at about 2,500 lux and then only when you are staring straight into it, which is not the way you are supposed to conduct bright light therapy."
"This product shipped quickly and surprised as to how fast I received it."
"I needed something to compare brightness of flash lights."
"useful little tool for positioning plants under a light before they start to get big enough to not leave you a choice."
"Now I have a yardstick by which to measure LED lighting performance and report in same in future reviews of LED lights I experiment with here at Amazon."
"Wrong one for LED lighted room."
"I use this meter in a grow room and for that purpose it works great!"
Product Packaging: Standard Packaging. THERE IS A NEW VERSION OF THIS LIGHTMETER AVAILABLE WHICH INCLUDES AN EXCLUSIVE 3 YEAR USA WARRANTY.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"So far, I can see where I can gain time as well as increase the quality of my pictures by using light meter. Easier for me to set the ISO on the camera and light meter and let the light meter give me the shutter speed and F stop. If I want to change one of those the light meter gives me the correct matching change. I wasn't sold at the time if you needed a light meter with the capabilities of my Nikon D600 and D7000 internal metering."
"My first light meter and easy to use piece of gadget."
"I had never used a light meter before but felt like I really needed one because I'm breaking into the wedding photography world."
"That's when I turned to the Sekonic L308s Light Meter, and let me tell you that my images improved dramatically. I prefer using a light meter it takes all the guess work out, I don't have to continuously look at the back of the screen and I feel as thought I can shoot more rather than have a half dozen images of test shots."
"This is a good light / flash meter that does the job without getting in the way in terms of UI."
"Has already saved me setup time when I'm doing studio work and it alleviates the minor concern that the camera back or monitor you are reviewing pictures on during the shoot might be miscalibrated."
"I have used Gossen LunaPro SBC, which is excellent for extreme low light, but a bit bulkier and lack flash capability."
"Replaced an older Sekonic that died . I love the compactness (fits in shirt or pants pocket easily), and very functional. I should rely on it more, as I just finished a studio session, and I thought I'd rely on the histogram ."
Best Photographic Light Meter Grey Cards
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Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The price may seem high for a piece of plastic but it's manufactured to tight tolerances and it'll pay for itself in time saved and consistency of results."
"Takes little to no effort to do your balance on the camera or wait then balance in your software."
"Some quibble about the price, but considering the individually measured and certified quality of every card, it's a steal. They go into great practical and technical depth, simply and efficiently, and make the case far better than I can for why you need a WhiBal. Fits neatly, with lanyard, into the flap-sleeve of my daily Kata H-16 grab-and-go bag (also bought through Amazon)."
"So I moved just the card and small sleeve to the garage and an hour later my wife is like "you put it in the garage, now the whole garage stinks!!!!"."
"When shooting raw it helped define blacks and whites in a series of photos, however, if I was to buy one again, I'd get one with warmer and cool shades to achieve a desired temperature in one click."
"When the WhiBal arrived I marveled that I could have been suborned into paying $20.00 for what looks like a credit card sized little item."
"This is a must have is you want your white balance to be perfect."
"Well... as much quality as a small plastic card can exude."
Best Photographic Light Meter Color Calibration Charts
Advanced color accuracy solution, with room lighting settings for optimal monitor brightness, to help you get true colors on screen and in print. Avanced color accuracy solution for all of your laptop and desktop displays - See, share and print your images just as you intended with confidence. Room light monitoring determines optimal monitor brightness so you see fine shadow detail and highlights in your photos, ensuring your edited images match your prints.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"But, if you are an advanced user, you can get fantastic results with the free Argyll and DispcalGUI calibration bundle. The official calibration software from Datacolor does an inaccurate and inconsistent job between monitors (i.e. if you have two monitors side by side, they will very likely be calibrated into different colors), and it asks you to jump through hoops verifying which tier you have bought (express, pro, or elite)."
"You must go online to register the device and download datacolor's measuring software. There is nothing wrong with the calibration device, only the results when used with datacolor's software."
"Calibrating your monitor does matter, using a calibration device matters, but MOST IMPORTANTLY the calibration software matters, and the Argyll + dispcalGUI is FAR SUPERIOR to the OEM Datacolor software provided for the Spyder 4 Express and Spyder 5 Express. 1) Do not install OEM software. 2) Download Argyll (http://www.argyllcms.com/) and dispcalGUI standalone version (http://dispcalgui.hoech.net/#download). 3) Set C:/ path for Argyll folder. 4) Install Sypder4 usb driver (http://www.argyllcms.com/doc/Installing_MSWindows.html#WIN8). 5) Run dispcalGUI then Menu > File > Locate Argyll CMS executables > point to c:/Argyll/bin. 6) Menu > Options > enable Show advanced calibration options. 7) Configure Advance options like this (http://www.modelmayhem.com/forums/post/870355/1#post17806610). 8) Run measurement tests and adjustment settings. 9) Run calibration (in High speed since Medium speed took 1.5 hrs) then save and apply profile. *** ORIGINAL REVIEW 4/16/2015***. I have never calibrated my laptop's monitor in the approximately 2 years I've had it. 5) Lastly, but not as important as the previous steps, you can try to print a hard proof on your home printer that will attempt to simulate the final product from your commercial printer, (File > Print > Color Management: Photoshop manages colors; Printer profile = your home printer > Change Normal Printing to Hard Proofing: Proof Setup = appropriate ICC profile). If you'd still like to get a calibration device then I'd say go for the Spyder 4 since it's less than half the price and the results probably won't be much different. *** Resources ***. Download Argyll. http://www.argyllcms.com/. Download dispcalGUI. http://dispcalgui.hoech.net/. Setup Argyll + dispcalGUI. http://www.modelmayhem.com/forums/post/870355/1#post17806610. ICC Profiles. http://www.drycreekphoto.com/icc/. http://forums.adoramapix.com/entries/228224-Color-calibration-and-custom-correction."