What I can't figure out is that alleged Smartphone reading on the previous post. With Minolta and Pentax real spot meters, 14-1/2 EV is just a stop and a half above a typical sunny day midtone reading.
I admit I don't know how various cell phone cameras either think or don't think. If this particular case is true, then not only is it not a spot reading, but a very questionable averaging if the sun is in fact in the frame - which would totally overwhelm the rest of the reading. But those gadgets are so absurdly prone to flare and so forth, that it makes little difference to me personally. I'll never take pictures with them unless it's a burglar's vehicle or something like that.
Not only is a cell phone metering app not spot, but it isn't incident either.
Not only is a cell phone metering app not spot, but it isn't incident either.
My profound apologies for stating a fact when, in fact, it is likely incorrect. A Google-search indicated that a few apps indeed can do incident light measurement as well as spot metering. Similarly, there are apps that do the essence of spot metering, Either/both may be simulated in some sort of way and what I read appears to have been validated against stand-alone meters.
The incident meter mode often use the dedicated ambient light sensor most decent phones these day have. These sensors are essentially miniturized incident light meters that give a light reading in lux and quite fit for purpose, but of course they're not intended or calibrated for critical photography purposes.
Not only is a cell phone metering app not spot, but it isn't incident either.
Nor is it particularly accurate!
Today I measured an 18% gray card under diffuse indoor lighting
- a Minolta Spotmeter F... ISO 250, 1/30 f/2
- a Motorola Edge 2023 smartphone with Light Meter app v3.0-2025-04... ISO 250 1/10 f/2
- a Motorola Z smartphone with Camera Meter app v3.0-2023-04... ISO 250 1/15 f/2
...BTW the Minolta Spotmeter F gives the same readings as a Canon 7DII metering the same gray card and resulting in an digital exposure registering in the middle of the histogram.
I admit I don't know how various cell phone cameras either think or don't think. If this particular case is true, then not only is it not a spot reading, but a very questionable averaging if the sun is in fact in the frame - which would totally overwhelm the rest of the reading. But those gadgets are so absurdly prone to flare and so forth, that it makes little difference to me personally. I'll never take pictures with them unless it's a burglar's vehicle or something like that.
Does anyone know the angle-of-view for a mobile phone light meter app? I suspect that it is greater than 30 degrees based on limited use. Also, any idea of the pattern?
Which means the phone reads 1 stop too low. I wonder with a different phone the same model do you have different readings? Using the Light Meter App and my Samsung Galaxy S23 it read EV 12.3 when my Minolta meter reads 13.6.
I think it's whatever the camera on the phone is. Most are quite wide angle, the camera on my iphone is equal to a 28mm on 135 format.
I have not tried zooming in to change the angle of view and seeing what the exposure reading does, but I expect that if you excluded sky for example, the reading should chnage.
More like 0.0167, so that would round up to 0.02. Still probably not enough to notice in the shadows.
Yeah, that qualifies for infinitesimal influence.
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