Analogue photography company Negative Supply has launched a new digital light meter on Kickstarter.
The Light Meter LM1 is described as “a pocket-sized digital incident meter that quickly and easily measures ambient light for accurate exposures”. The metal light meter features 1/3 stops and has a backlit display with multiple viewing modes.
The meter is powered by an integrated battery recharged via USB-C. The meter is available in either aluminium or brass, and prices start from $379 (£276) for the cheapest early bird models available until Thursday (22 July).
The Kickstarter runs until 18 August and had raised more than 120% of the funding target of £36,500 ($50,000) well within the first 24 hours.
The meter’s Kickstarter page lists some of the other features:
- Colour Temperature sensor. Filmmakers, rejoice! Measuring the temperature of ambient light is now easier and more affordable than ever with the LM1. Photographers can also take advantage of this sensor when using daylight film with non-daylight illumination, to confirm consistent colour temperature with on-set lighting, and to determine correct compensation filters.
- Built to last. The LM1 features an all-metal body, CNC-machined from aviation-grade aluminium or solid brass. Multiple scratch-resistant anodized colour options (or, on brass models, a high-quality black finish that will age beautifully), custom aluminium buttons, and a custom-moulded bulb, all add up to make the LM1 a mighty, small meter.
- Integrated, long-life battery. No more carrying spares: the LM1’s Lithium-ion battery charges in under two hours (via USB-C), and offers up to two weeks of use.
California-based Negative Supply says the meter is the result of more than year of design and testing after they decided to make a meter out of metal rather than plastic.
“As our most complex design challenge to date, we knew we had a lot to learn to bring this idea to life. To help perfect the electronics, we partnered with experts who enabled us to create our own microcontroller core with exactly the functionality we needed. When it came time to create the enclosure, the same local machine shop we work with on other Negative Supply tools was able to work with brass and aluminium to our exacting specifications.
“The result is a pocket-sized light meter with a stunning display and a beautiful all-metal body that looks at home next to our favourite film and digital cameras.”
The Kickstarter campaign also includes a leather case and lanyard from Tap and Dye.
Negative Supply says stretch goals, depending on how much revenue is raised, could include built in shutter speed testing for cameras and filter factor calculations.
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
Seems like a very fine use of the recent surge in OLED technology with a closer eye on quality than some of the clip-on’s. The idea of a brass body is very appealing. Maybe this will be the one to make me turn in one of my older meters!