How does a light meter have such a large range to measure everything from the brightest sunlight all the way down to starlight? That's an increase of 400 million times! When we measure current in circuits you usually have to change the type of sensor or at least the material used to measure the magnetic field, so I wonder how they are able to accomplish this with no moving parts. I know cameras have an aperture so maybe it's something like this?
ShivanPatel2025
I looked into this because it was super intriguing to me as well, and this is what I found: Light meters manage their huge range in measuring light from starlight to bright sunlight mainly through sensitive photodetectors, electronic adjustments like gain and integration time, and sophisticated software algorithms. These components work together to adjust the meter's sensitivity and processing capabilities, enabling accurate readings across a vast spectrum of light levels without needing mechanical changes or different sensors.
How does a light meter have such a large range to measure everything from the brightest sunlight all the way down to starlight? That's an increase of 400 million times! When we measure current in circuits you usually have to change the type of sensor or at least the material used to measure the magnetic field, so I wonder how they are able to accomplish this with no moving parts. I know cameras have an aperture so maybe it's something like this?
I looked into this because it was super intriguing to me as well, and this is what I found: Light meters manage their huge range in measuring light from starlight to bright sunlight mainly through sensitive photodetectors, electronic adjustments like gain and integration time, and sophisticated software algorithms. These components work together to adjust the meter's sensitivity and processing capabilities, enabling accurate readings across a vast spectrum of light levels without needing mechanical changes or different sensors.