Cheap Light meter

[Rootsruler]

Has anyone used this light meter?

https://www.amazon.com/UNI-T-Illuminance-Photography-Photometer-Measurement/dp/B098SXQB2T

For $25 it seems to be a great deal having watched the video that Shane from Mi Gro put out showing that it is very close in performance to the Apogee MQ500.

 

[TomH]

I have some thing that looks very similar, but it‘s a different color.
Seems to work well for what it is, but mine has no bells nor whistles.

It measures in LUX and something else which I don’t recall because I never push that button.

It tells me that sun at noon, on a clear day in the foothills and in the summer is producing 69000 LUX, unfortunately I have nothing to compare that to for accuracy. But it’s less in the shade so I believe it. I really only use it as a point of reference, I will pull it out occasionally, but I honestly don’t use it much.

 

[Bandit420]

FWIW, the Photone app compared results very favorably to the Pulse Pro. Free vs $550 and free held it's own.
That was using an iphone 2 and paper filter, pretty much a dinosaur of a smart phone. If that rig can come within 100PPFD of whatever alien witchcraft technology is inside the Pulse, I'd bet any smart phone can get a reading accurate enough to make a good choice on light height or dimming using that app.
There may or may not be a small fee for your type of light/phone combo but it's only like around $6. I think all android is free but ios can require a fee.

 

[Star Dog]

Yes I've got one of those light meters it seems ideal, if it's accurate I mean?


Apparently using the uni t with the ppfd app it's within a few percent of the Apogee mq quantum meter, using your phones sensor it's meant to be within 10%

 

[Zen_seeker]

I have some thing that looks very similar, but it‘s a different color.
Seems to work well for what it is, but mine has no bells nor whistles.

It measures in LUX and something else which I don’t recall because I never push that button.

It tells me that sun at noon, on a clear day in the foothills and in the summer is producing 69000 LUX, unfortunately I have nothing to compare that to for accuracy. But it’s less in the shade so I believe it. I really only use it as a point of reference, I will pull it out occasionally, but I honestly don’t use it much.

I have a LUX meter as well. I use it to measure the light in one tent and set the other to match.

Yesterday at 3:30pm I took an outdoor measurement.


That’s 93,500 & 94,400 LUX. Depending on how I angled the sensor.

At 10am the next morning it was overcast and smoky from forest fires. I got a range of readings from 65,700 to 68,800 LUX.

Then again at noon yesterday, still cloudy and smoky.

 

[growsinse79]

I have a LUX meter as well. I use it to measure the light in one tent and set the other to match.

Yesterday at 3:30pm I took an outdoor measurement. View attachment 110175
View attachment 110176

That’s 93,500 & 94,400 LUX. Depending on how I angled the sensor.

I had something similar. It never worked right after using it in direct sunlight - then I read the instructions that said never do that. It still works, the readings are consistent, but 30% lower than my phone.

 

[Zen_seeker]

I had something similar. It never worked right after using it in direct sunlight - then I read the instructions that said never do that. It still works, the readings are consistent, but 30% lower than my phone.

I had the opposite problem. Phone apps weren’t consistent. The meter reads the same when tested in the same way.

The Photontek only went in 25% increments so it would read the same at each step. Don’t know if the reading is right but it is consistent. Plus Amazon let us keep it for free when I complained the advertised case wasn’t included. It’s a recommended meter at a couple of sites I used to check for equipment.



Site link here.

Another here.