academy | Colour
Smart moves Datacolor’s meter links to your phone so you can check accuracy or transfer settings
New kids on the block Now there are alternatives. Swedish start-up Lit Systems launched its Lit
The Sekonic provides deep analysis, the Datacolor focuses on wireless workflow, the Lit combines colour and exposure
Duo 1 through crowdfunding and it is now fully available at £757⁄$799. It combines conventional exposure measurement with colour and spectral tools using a 14-channel multispectral sensor. Illuminance can be measured from 0.15-250,000 lux, with colour information including CRI and TLCI. There’s also flicker analysis up to 35,000Hz, which is potentially invaluable when assessing LED fixtures or preparing for high-frame-rate shooting. The Datacolor Lightcolor Meter takes a very different approach. At £299⁄$349, it is significantly cheaper, and instead of putting a screen and extensive controls on the meter itself, it’s a Bluetooth device that streams to a smartphone. That’s particularly interesting on-set because the information can be monitored continuously. If you are mixing artificial lighting with daylight and the ambient illumination starts changing, you can see
what’s happening without repeatedly walking over to the meter. It’s compact, powered by AAA batteries and attaches to a stand, tripod or a handle. It measures exposure and illuminance as well as CCT from 1600-20,000K, chromaticity and DUV, the latter helping identify green⁄magenta deviation. It works with continuous sources and flash, while built-in Profoto, Lee and Rosco gel libraries can translate a measurement into a practical correction. You can even monitor multiple Lightcolor Meters simultaneously from up to 80ft away. Different ways to measure All three use a lumisphere for taking incident readings, but there are differences in implementation. On the Sekonic and the
Datacolor, it can be retracted when a more directional measurement is required. The distinctly retro-looking Lit takes another approach, with a hemisphere and flat receptor sitting alongside one another. You can switch between them depending on whether you want a broader incident measurement or a more directional reading. The Sekonic provides the deepest spectral analysis and does it all, the Lit Duo 1 gives extensive colour information with exposure and powerful flicker analysis, while the Datacolor focuses on the measurements filmmakers are likely to use most frequently and delivers them through a simple wireless workflow. But all three can reveal something far more important than the number printed on a fixture as they tell you what the light is actually doing.
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September/October 2026
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