Learning to use a 35mm film camera can be intimidating. There’s no screen to check, so you need some way to gauge exposure without burning through frames the way you would with a digital SLR. A light meter app can save the day.
Why Do You Need a Light Meter?
If the film camera you picked up was well-maintained, its internal light meter might be working fine. But many of them degrade over time and give you an exposure reading that’s at least a little off. If you have the cash, you could spring for a dedicated light meter.
Or you could just use your smartphone.
Here we’ll cover how to use a couple of popular light meter apps with your 35mm film camera (or 120mm film if you’re fancy). But first, a primer on how they work.
How Do Light Meter Apps Work?
Light meter apps use your phone’s internal light meter to measure exposure, much like it does automatically when you use your phone’s camera to take a photo or video. That means that how well the app works will depend on your phone’s capabilities. If the camera doesn’t perform well in low light, the app won’t be able to accurately meter in lower light because the sensor doesn’t work as well as the one in a newer phone might.
Keep in mind that, depending on your phone’s light sensor and camera capabilities, some functions might not work at all. Some apps might work better with your particular phone than others. We recommend that you download and test multiple apps to find which ones work best for you.
Smartphone Light Meter Apps to Help You Shoot Film
Whether you’re an iPhone or Android user, there’s a light meter app for you. Some may be a bit confusing to read at first, but they’re pretty easy to get the hang of.
Here is a couple you can download and try today. This isn’t an exhaustive list, just a few of the more popular apps available now.
myLightMeter Pro (iPhone)/Light Meter (Android)
You can find this app developed by David Quiles on iPhone and Android with a slightly different name but the same look. You’ll know it by the old-school interface designed to look like a vintage film light meter.
The app’s look is super stylish but might intimidate you if you’ve never used a light meter before. You set the ISO of whatever film you’re using, say 400. Then, the app will measure exposure according to that film speed and present you with shutter speed and aperture settings by turning the central dial.