Datacolor: Colour under control
Posted on Feb 26, 2025 by Pro Moviemaker
How the cutting-edge new Lightcolor Meter will be a filmmaker’s secret weapon
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Datacolor’s new Lightcolor Meter is a compact tool for measuring both colour temperature and intensity for any light source. This includes natural light, tungsten, LED, HMI, fluorescent and even flash for stills shooters. It helps create consistent, fast workflows and, crucially, ensures mixed lighting issues that can’t be fixed in post never happen in the first place.
This innovative device offers much more than a traditional light meter, as these often only measure brightness. The Lightcolor also measures colour temperature, which allows filmmakers to not only choose the most appropriate lighting and exposure, but ensure that colour is consistent. Filter libraries from Profoto, Lee and Rosco can help in selecting the right colour-correcting gels to be used on fixtures that don’t offer hue adjustment or even green-magenta and colour temperature controls.
This compact tool links to the free Datacolor Lightcolor Meter app, available for iOS and Android devices. It connects via Bluetooth to continuously stream its data to a phone, ideal for photographers, cinematographers and hybrid photo and video shooters who need consistent and controlled light. Measuring the light falling onto a subject, rather than reflected from it, makes the meter more accurate. A handy feature for shooting at large events is that multiple meters can be used in sync, to get readings from several locations simultaneously – ideal for shifting light conditions outdoors.
The Lightcolor Meter, which retails for £379, comes with a handy pouch and two AAA batteries to provide power. It also comes with a magnetic plate to fix to the included small stand or clip so that it can be worn, as well as a standard 1/4in-20 mount for a light stand or tripod. The measuring dome on the front gives users an overall reading in standard mode and, for precise measurements from individual sources, can be adjusted into recessed spot mode. All of this can be monitored remotely from the connected phone, rather than having to constantly check the meter itself.
It takes the guesswork out of exposure settings. Users can select photo or video mode, dial in shutter speed or shutter angle, ISO and T or f-stop. These are all customisable via the menu system. The correct exposure is shown clearly on the app, ready to be applied to the camera. The percentage of flash and ambient exposure is also shown, so users can see the effect that each light is having. Experienced users will come to appreciate the advantage of being able to measure colour temperature. This means the colour of ambient light, as well as any artificial lights, can be checked directly. It can be displayed as a simple Kelvin and +/- green or magenta figure on colour graphs or chromaticity charts.
Even if the lighting offers RGB adjustment, daylight-only or bicolour with a green-magenta adjustment, what manufacturers claim is not always the exact output. The colour temperature dialled in on light fixtures can be very inaccurate. This is especially true with modifiers and lights turned up or down, as output colour can change with brightness. The Lightcolor Meter allows precise measurement of every light source so they can all be adjusted to perfectly match. From green screen and product shots to dramatic lighting for creative cinematography, it’s an essential tool. If a shoot is done with lights that should match but don’t, no amount of post work can alter that balance.
Datacolor has made a name for itself in colour-correction hardware and software, from screen calibration devices to colour charts, so the Lightcolor Meter will be accurate and reliable for years. It’s a small investment to really improve the look of your work and save time.
This review was first published in the May/June 2025 issue of Pro Moviemaker
