Do light meter apps really work?

Light meter apps would be great if it could offer the functionality of a real lux meter, but of course smartphones were not meant for this and that's what limits the capability of these apps.

[@primefotoNL]

You are making a huge mistake. You are metering the lux meter with incident lighting and on the phone reflective lighting. They should both be the same. So lose the white dome on the lux meter or get a white dome on the phone.

[@chriskruse5315]

That’s what I thought, a slit of paper over camera lens. The app I’ve seen says too do that anyways.

[@adrianalvarez296]

@@chriskruse5315 which app do you use?

[@neonrobfindlay101]

Yes I do believe you are doing the same with the phone compared to the meter, hence the difference in readings I bet you it's pretty damn close spot on if you knew what you were doing

[@ElanAndHisUke]

I wonder what the difference in lux is between peak sunlight on a cloudless winter day vs peak sunlight on a cloudless summer day. It would also be interesting to know how different latitudes affect lux at a given time of year

[@T1k3mys0n]

Isn't it using the light sensor that is used for screen auto brightness ? not camera, and the app i used senses it realtime and fluctuates, not using button press. It's quite accurate for comparing one light source to the others. direct sunlight 90,000-123,000, a neon 1000-ish, 8 leds from digital microscope 3000-ish, room lighting lamp above ceiling varies from 40-200, outdoor at noon 70-400 under ceiling, but near fence it's 1000 coz its brighter with no shade.
I think things like this might have different reading brand to brand/sensor used. So to get accurate reading should pick one and compare one and the others and see the difference among lights based from one device.

[@Kingkong-gy5qt]

I've downloaded 5+ apps and they all gave diffeent results.

[@T1k3mys0n]

@@Kingkong-gy5qt That's why you should use exactly the same measurement specs for different light sources. the algorithm from same app, the same phone.
Instead of using different apps, use same everything, same device, same app, and compare different light sources. So the measurement all follow the same algorithm and hardware. Sure it may not be as accurate if using the more professional tool, but at least you know how each light source compare to each other using same everything.

[@BState]

There are many phones with a good light sensor that is not restricted to certain lux only. Their results are on par with pricey light sensing (quantum sensor) devices like the Apogee SQ500. I've had the same problem until I found out I just needed another phone.

[@jakealomani]

You need to place a piece of a4 paper on your front facing camera to diffuse the light better and it will be accurate

[@bonsakoi7435]

Have you tried the app, Tent buddy or ppfd meter. For android? How accurate is it for par

[@paolomartini150]

Is the front sensor.

[@torrielandsman4625]

your not using the app correctly, you have to put a piece of white paper over the lens of your camera for it to read properly. I use the Corona app and thats how it tells you to use it.

[@random1231526]

The illuminance meter you are using is the $15 one, have you calibrated it?

[@aravindraja8034]

Is there any app we can use on iPhone to measure the Nits of a TV?

[@dzava]

At first you measure the LUX with the rear camera facing towards the lamp and then outside you measure the LUX with the front camera, while the lightmeter is pointing its sensor towards the sun. So explain - which side of the phone is the proper one to measure the light?

[@halogenskies4734]

the app allows you to measure lux with either camera, although one might be easier to use than the other, depending on the situation

[@tsar4206]

The app I downloaded told me that I would get better results using front vs rear.????

[@GreatIndianDiaries]

@@halogenskies4734 Won't the camera quality (more pixels) impact that. I saw that your results with the main camera were more accurate and in line with the lux-meter, with the front facing/selfie camera the readings were all over the place. Try only with the main camera (better sensor) and see if the results are way off.

[@supremesupreme4289]

If you are going to test something atleast do it right.

[@QuadDerrick]

what app exactly you were using ? i cant find any that is not virus and ask for 999 permissions for phone list and calling and sending sms and accessing weird domains +++

[@John-eq8cu]

Are you sure you are using the phone app correctly? I thought that it doesn't use the phone's camera, but rather a separate "light meter", which is usually located on the front. The light meter measures ambient light, and is used by the "auto-dimming" function.
What all this tells me is that I need to get better information about how to properly measure light with the phone app but unfortunately, your video was not helpful with that.

[@winstonlunsford3922]

Your using the phone wrong

[@michealradd264]

Bro get a newer phone , my 5G Samsung it's more accurate than some older meters.

[@aravindraja8034]

Or can we use a DSLR to somehow measure the Nots of a TV

[@Novak2611]

You should use apps that use the light sensor of the phone not the camera (light sensor is in the screen of the phone). This one is good (android):
ua-cam.com/video/AjkEJjlzGv8/v-deo.html

[@JonathanLopez-tw8ef]

Now ph app lol

[@user-dt2br5oz1q]

That's because apple is bogus...use samsung