About the LightRead Tool

Did you know your smartphone can function as a light meter to help you determine the correct exposure settings for your camera? For photographers new to shooting in manual mode, understanding the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO can be a challenge.

The LightRead tool from PhotoLab35 simplifies this learning process. This tool interprets EXIF data from a digital photo to aid photographers. Modern digital cameras, including the one in your smartphone, automatically embed exposure information into every image file. This data, known as EXIF data, contains the precise aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings used to capture the photo. LightRead is designed to read this hidden data. By uploading a photo taken with your phone, the tool instantly extracts and displays the settings your phone's camera used to achieve a balanced exposure. This gives you a reliable starting point for setting up your manual camera, making it easier to master the fundamentals of exposure and other photography techniques.

How to Use LightRead

1. Take a Picture: Use your smartphone to take a photo of the scene you want to shoot with your manual camera.
2. Upload the Image: Navigate to the LightRead tool and upload the photo you just took.
3. Get Your Settings: The tool will automatically analyze the image's EXIF data and display the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings your smartphone used.
4. Apply to Your Camera: Use these settings as a baseline for your manual camera adjustments. See the important note below for film users.

Important Note for Film Photographers

A roll of film has a fixed ISO (e.g., ISO 200, ISO 400). Unlike a digital camera, you cannot change the ISO for each shot.

When using this tool for a film camera, you should set the ISO on your camera to match the ISO of the film you have loaded. Ignore the ISO setting suggested by the LightRead tool. Use the provided aperture and shutter speed as a starting point, but be prepared to adjust one of them to compensate for the difference between your film's fixed ISO and the reading from your phone.