There are those situations when we find ourselves without an easy-to-use light meter - most commonly when using older film cameras that either didn't have one to begin with, or the internal electronics have faded over the years.

Readouts for the Reveni Labs Light Meter.

Thanks to a clever solution by Reveni Labs, you can easily add a silicone eye with digital readouts to any photography situation.

I've been testing their hot shoe light meter ($95 USD/$125 CAD) and have been able to use cameras once again that had been on the shelf due to their lack of electronics. The Reveni Meter provides a digital readout of the light in front of the camera (or where ever you point the eye). You can use its controls on top to "shift" the readout to a pairing that best suits your needs at the time. So if 1/125th at f/4 is stopped down too much, shift to 1/250th at f/2.8.

Top panel of the meter with the controls.

One thing to keep in mind with the device is that it's good-old-fashioned single-segment metering. So if you point it at a subject that has a bright background, such as a white fence, the fence will influence the readout accordingly. Once you get used to that, you should be in business.

The Reveni Meter is powered by a button cell (provided) and resides comfortably in the camera's hot shoe. But if you want to use it differently, there are lots of accessories on the site that provide flexibility.

I published an article on Medium.com titled, The Body Is Willing Long After the Mind Is Gone that tells the story of how the Reveni Meter gave a second life to my Nikon FA that could no longer read exposures, but all the shutter speeds still worked. It's a good story and a true real life experience.

I highly recommend this photo accessory.

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