Iphone as a meter

[Roger Vadim]

Hi there!
sorry if this was discussed before but I would like to know if an Iphone g4 can be used as a lightmeter? if so how precise is it and is of any use in the field?
I know it is not a spotmeter, and probably doesn't work incident .

I am deciding if the G4 is for me, and that would be a nice bonus. I would use it in compagnon with my meterless RF and MF gear, would come in hnady with my old Kiev with Sonnar attached...
Any comments?
Thank you

[George Stewart]

There is at least one app that acts like a light meter. According a the latest review, it used to work very well, but with the latest update, it is no longer functional with the iPhone 4. This issue will most likely be fix in the near term.

That said, the 4 is a great phone, and the camera is fantastic. It's like having a 12x20 in one's pocket. Regardless, get it. You.ll love it, there are all kinds of photo apps; from depth of field calculators to sun angle finders and beyond.

[domaz]

I believe the iPhone light meter app works by taking a picture and then reading the EXIF data from the Jpeg. So you are relying on the iPhone's meter being correct and that it's camera is actually calibrated to ISO standards- quite a confidence leap to trust it.

[drew.saunders]

I have an app on my iPhone 4 called "Pocket Light Meter" that seems to work well enough. It's free!

http://itunes.apple.com/app/pocket-l...381698089?mt=8

[Jay DeFehr]

...you are relying on the iPhone's meter being correct and that it's camera is actually calibrated .....

Isn't that true with any meter?

Does anyone know what the meter app is called?

[vinny]

Lightmeter by nuwaste. Great tool that doesnt snap a photo. In some situations its very accurate and you can adjust/ calibrate it. I also have an app i paid for that requires you to snap a pic. Both are great backups to a spotmeter.

[mfratt]

I have a light meter app on mine, which I got to play around with since I saw that it was free. I'm going to do some tests with it against my digital camera (don't want to risk wasting film) to see how accurate it is, but it seems to work pretty well just from what I've seen.

Other than that, iPhone is great for photography. Its probably the only piece of "modern" technology I use in conjunction with my 4x5. There are a myriad of nice photography related apps for you to choose from. I also use it extensively during night photography as a reference sheet, calculator, and exposure timer. I use the Notes app to keep track of my exposures. The LED light can be used as a flashlight to help illuminate dark scenes.

Its always in my pocket so theres no forgetting my notebook or anything like that.

And, the best camera in the world is the one thats with you, and iPhone's camera is actually a great point and shoot camera under ideal conditions (and even usable in slightly less than ideal conditions). I just wish Apple would update the APIs to allow developers to write camera apps with more manual controls (I was talking to a developer friend of mine who said that there is simply no way to manually specify shutter speed, ISO, white balance, etc, though there apparently is a way to do exposure compensation).

[Roger Vadim]

thanks for the comments so far! seems like I need to get one of those gadgets of contemporary life.
It seems to be a bit strange to schlep that ancient analogue gear around and meter with a smartphone though

[mfratt]

thanks for the comments so far! seems like I need to get one of those gadgets of contemporary life.
It seems to be a bit strange to schlep that ancient analogue gear around and meter with a smartphone though

Well just because mainstream photography has antiquated large format, doesn't mean that its by any stretch "ancient."

Isn't it a bit strange that all these high tech, modern, computerized automobiles move around on those ancient devices known as "wheels?"

[Ivan J. Eberle]

I pretty much always have my Blackberry Storm II with me. I'm finding it's a real Swiss Army Knife gadget, what Tideberry, the on-board GPS chip for navigating off-grid, and for tethering with my laptop for using my unlimited data plan without incurring extra charges. Hoping somebody soon develops a simple metering app for the camera.