The light meter in my pocket

Friday, 12 June 2026

My phone's meter app is accurate enough that I sold the handheld meter I rarely trusted. It is always with me, and it does incident and spot readings well enough for negative film's wide latitude.

The catch is batteries and glare. On a bright day I shade the screen with a hand; on a long cold day I keep the phone warm. For anything critical I bracket, which film happily allows.

It will not replace a proper meter for slide film, where there is no room for error. For everything else it has quietly become the only meter I use.