Photometry

Photometric Spectral Light Meters

Unique human visual perception presents challenges in light measurement  

The visible light portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, sometimes called the optical spectrum, encompasses wavelengths approximately 400 to 700 nm containing most of the colors discernible to the human eye.  However, the human eye is not equally sensitive to all wavelengths of light, being most sensitive to green at 555 nm under normal lighting conditions then to other wavelengths.

 

Complicating attempts to measure human light perception is the individual variation in our ability to distinguish, describe, and reproduce color.  A summary of average human visual perception of light would be required if any method for measuring it or reproducing its color was to be developed. 

 

The CIE or Commission internationale de l'clairage (International Commission on Illumination) is the international authority on matters involving light, illumination, and color. In an attempt to solve the problem of human color perception, the CIE in 1931 developed one of the very first mathematically defined color spaces, the CIE XYZ color space.

 

The human eye contains receptors for short, middle, and long wavelengths, also referred to as blue, green, and red respectively, and therefore a color sensation would have to be defined as three parameters. A specific method for assigning three numbers, also known as tristimulus values, to represent each color, is called a color space.

 

Based on direct human eye measurement experiments performed in the 1920's, an RGB color matching model of human vision was developed, and from this the CIE XYZ color space was derived.  The central color matching function in calculating the CIE XYZ color space was the photopic luminosity function which represents the typical human eye response under normal lighting conditions and is referred to as the standard observer.

 

Scotopic luminosity represents the typical human eye response in dark conditions where no color perception exists, and mesopic luminosity is a combination of the photopic and scotopic functions where minimal color perception exists and represents the human eye response in dimly lit conditions.

 

Having developed a basic color space based on a standard observer, we can then quantify the perceptual brightness of a light by direct measurement with devices that have the same response to light as that of the standard observer in a science now called photometry. Photometric light measurement is widely used in many industries to specify, monitor, and control the brightness of task, street, safety, automotive, and aerospace lighting to name a few.

 

It is important to note that the CIE XYZ color space can only describe colors of light itself and not objects, since the perceived color of an object will depend on the surface and color properties of the object itself, that of nearby objects, and the ambient and direct lighting properties, but it does serve as the foundation for colorimetry, the science of color measurement or reproduction.

 

Many additional color models, measurement techniques and instruments have been developed subsequent to this groundbreaking research to objectively reproduce color in a wide variety of analog and digital media.

 

Light Meters for Photometry

ILT offers photometric measurement instruments that are unmatched in accuracy, sensitivity, and versatility for photopic and scotopic applications including illuminance and luminance, as well as extensive color analysis via the powerful feature set of either the ILT960 or ILT560 spectroradiometer.

 

Use the table below to identify the system (meter + detector) that meets your specific application.  Use the table to find the spectral range you wish to measure.  The table can be filtered to show our meters by type, (e.g., hand-held), as well as searching on the minimum and maximum spectral range you wish to measure.  The tables can also be sorted to group systems by meter type, spectral range, measurement range, and units.  Click the product link of the system to view it's details.

 

Need assistance?  Contact us using the form below, or by calling us at 978-818-6180.

 

* All Radiometers/Photometers/Spectroradiometers are NIST Traceable.
* If units of measure are not shown please contact us (empirical units also available i.e.
fc, fL, nits, lm/ft²). 

 

< Back to Light Measurement Systems

 

 

Explore All Light Meters By Application Type

Application Common Sources Meter Type Spectral Range Measurement Range Units Product
Illuminance Office/Home Lights, Lamp Manufacturer, LEDs, Fluorescents, Halogen 380-780 nm 20 – 1e4 lux & colorimetry ILT350 Chroma Meter
Illuminance Office/Home Lights, Lamp Manufacturer, LEDs, Fluorescents, Halogen Bench-top/Lab 400-700 nm 8.34e-4 – 1.67e6 lux ILT5000 Photometer, SED033/Y/W Detector
Illuminance Office/Home Lights, Lamp Manufacturer, LEDs, Fluorescents, Halogen Handheld 400-700 nm 0.03 – 5e5 lux ILT2400 Photometer, SED033/Y/TD Detector
Illuminance Office/Home Lights, Lamp Manufacturer, LEDs, Fluorescents, Halogen Handheld 400-700 nm 0.09 – 1e6 lux ILT2400 Photometer, SCD110 Detector
EML Equivalent Melanopic Lux LED Based Lamps, Signs, Headlights, Displays, TVs, etc. Handheld 400-600 nm 5e-3 – 8e4 lux ILT2400 Photometer, SED033/EML/TD
LUMINANCE (Brightness Intensity Systems) Displays, LEDs, Signs Bench-top/Lab 400-700 nm 6e-3 – 1e7 cd/m2 ILT5000 Photometer, SED033/Y/R Detector
LUMINANCE (Brightness Intensity Systems) Displays, LEDs, Signs Handheld 400-700 nm 0.3 – 5e6 cd/m2 ILT2400 Photometer, SED033/Y/R Detector
LUMINANCE (Brightness Intensity Systems) Displays, LEDs, Signs Bench-top/Lab 400-700 nm 6.67e-3 – 1.33e7 cd/m2 ILT5000 Photometer, SPD025Y Detector
LUMINANCE (Brightness Intensity Systems) Displays, LEDs, Signs Handheld 400-700 nm 0.4 – 6e6 cd/m2 ILT2400 Photometer, SPD025Y Detector
LUMINANCE (Brightness Intensity Systems) Displays, LEDs, Signs Bench-top/Lab 400-700 nm 0.5 – 2.5e8 cd/m2 ILT5000 Photometer, SED033/Y/PIN4 Detector
LUMINANCE (Brightness Intensity Systems) Displays, LEDs, Signs Handheld 400-600 nm 20 – 2.5e7 cd/m2 ILT2400 Photometer, SED033/Y/PIN4 Detector
Flash Photometry Warning Lights, Runway Lights Bench-top/Lab 400-700 nm 7e-6 – 3e3 lux ILT5000 Photometer, SED033/Y/L30 Detector (> 25') Flash/Steady
Flash Photometry Warning Lights, Runway Lights Handheld 400-700 nm 3e-4 – 3e3 lux ILT2500 Photometer, SED033/Y/L30 Detector (> 25') Flash/Steady
Flash Photometry Warning Lights, Runway Lights Bench-top/Lab 400-700 nm 2e-4 – 9e4 lux ILT5000 Photometer, SED033/Y/H2 Detector (< 25') Flash/Steady
Flash Photometry Warning Lights, Runway Lights Handheld 400-700 nm 9e-3 – 9e4 lux ILT2500 Photometer, SED033/Y/H2 Detector (< 25') Flash/Steady
Candela/ Lux Multi-Point Simultaneous Measurement Systems  Flashing/Pulsed or CW Light Sources Low Profile 400-700 nm 0.03 – 5e5 lux ILT1010/TD (< 25') Flash/Steady
Scotopic Luminance/Illuminance Signs, Displays, LEDs Bench-top/Lab 400-700 nm 2e-3 – 1e6 lux ILT5000 Photometer, SED033/ZCIE/W Detector
Scotopic Luminance/Illuminance Signs, Displays, LEDs Handheld 400-700 nm 0.09 – 1e6 lux ILT2400 Photometer, SED033/ZCIE/W Detector
Scotopic Luminance/Illuminance Signs, Displays, LEDs Bench-top/Lab 400-700 nm 0.03 – 2e7 cd/m2 ILT5000 Photometer, SED033/ZCIE/R Detector
Scotopic Luminance/Illuminance Signs, Displays, LEDs Handheld 400-700 nm 1 – 2e7 cd/m2 ILT2400 Photometer, SED033/ZCIE/R Detector
Illuminance Office/Home Lights, Lamp Manufacturer, LEDs, Fluorescents, Halogen Low Profile 360 – 1e3 W/m2/nm ILT560 Miniature Spectrometer
Flash Photometry Lamps, LEDs, Fluorescent Sources, Halogen Sources 380-780 nm 5 – 5e5 lux ILT710 Flicker Meter
Illuminance Office/Home Lights, Lamps, LEDs, Fluorescent Sources, Halogen Sources Spectrometer 380-850 nm Customized Spectrum W or W/cm2/nm ILT960-VIS Spectroradiometer