If your vintage camera doesn’t have a working light meter, the tiny device designed by Reveni Labs could be just what you need.
Given the popularity of film photography today, many vintage cameras are being granted a new lease on life. However, some of them either don’t have built-in light meters or no longer have working light meters. For shooting situations and films that need precise exposures, a reliable light meter will be necessary. Not everyone has the budget for, or access to handheld light meters: others simply don’t like working with them. For this, Canada-based Reveni Labs has created a modern yet tiny light meter that easily pairs with hundreds of cameras. Sounds like a big step up from the paper light meter that has been a popular option for film photographers!
According to Matt Bechberger of Reveni Labs, he wanted the light meter to be as close to built-in metering and as small as possible. Its housing was made using high quality, 3D printed nylon through Multi Jet Fusion technology, and designed to be powered by a single LR44 alkaline battery. A bright OLED display shows the readings. The result is an extremely tiny device that measures less than an inch in all dimensions and weighs only 8 grams — smaller than a 35mm film cassette — that can be fitted on cameras in various ways. The bottom of the meter has a flash shoe mount, making it easy to attach on any camera that has a hot shoe or cold shoe.
At the top of the light meter are button controls for power/sample, menu options, and to increase or decrease values. The sensor is at the front side while the OLED display is at the back. Pressing the power button will automatically take a reading. The menu button will allow you to select options like ISO and metering mode. The aperture priority mode will let you select the aperture, and the meter will calculate the necessary shutter speed. The shutter priority mode will let you select the shutter and the meter will calculate the necessary aperture. Set your camera according to the settings from the meter, and you’re ready to shoot.
Reveni Labs Small Digital Light Meter Specifications
- Incredibly tiny: only 0.92(22.5) x 0.86(21.8) x 0.71(17.8) inches (mm)!
- Weighs only 0.3oz (8g)!
- Bright and crisp OLED display
- Simple controls and menu
- Aperture or Shutter priority mode
- Exposure compensation in 1/3 stops (-2 to +2 stop range)
- Single LR44 battery supply
- Integrated camera flash shoe mount
- EV Range: EV 16 to EV 1
- Lux and Exposure Value display option
- ~45 degree sensor field of view
- ISO range: 1 – 12800 (full list in FAQ)
- Aperture range: f0.7 – f1024
- Shutter speed range: 8min to 1/8000s
- Enclosures, accessories, PCB population, packaging, assembly and shipping all in Canada. Some other components North America and globally sourced.
Interested in the Reveni Labs Light Meter? You can still grab it from the Kickstarter campaign for as low as CA$ 125 (US$ 91) until March 31st.
Photos from the Reveni Labs Light Meter Kickststarter campaign