Best light meter
Updated: 22 October 2026
You want one box from this amazon.co.uk set, not another tour of every button. For a room or a lamp, the top pick is the TopTes TS-710. For a check under £20, the best value is the black V·Resourcing. If the job is an f-stop or flash, buy the Sekonic L-308X instead. The full table is the [light meter comparison](/hub/measuring-equipment/light-meter). Peter F. did not laboratory-rank these meters. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You want one box from this amazon.co.uk set, not another tour of every button. For a room or a lamp, the top pick is the TopTes TS-710. For a check under £20, the best value is the black V·Resourcing.
You want one box from this amazon.co.uk set, not another tour of every button. For a room or a lamp, the top pick is the TopTes TS-710. For a check under £20, the best value is the black V·Resourcing. If the job is an f-stop or flash, buy the Sekonic L-308X instead. The full table is the light meter comparison. Peter F. did not laboratory-rank these meters. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Job on this page | Sensor | Case | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Sekonic Sekonic L-308X | Incident, reflected, and flash | Lumisphere and 40° lens | Soft case and strap | 7.1 | about £199 | View offer |
 TopTes TopTes TS-710 | Lux check with a turning head | 180° rotating | Soft case listed | 7.4 | about £29.99 | View offer | |
| Best value |  V·Resourcing V·Resourcing (black and orange) | Household lux under £20 | Fixed handheld | No case stated | 5.8 | about £16.99 | View offer |
On this page
Best at what
On this shelf the common job is lux: a hallway, a desk, a window against a lamp. A camera job should not drag that pick to £199. None of the twelve listings states BS 667 Type F or a calibration certificate. Families and certificates are in the light meter buying guide. Stars promote the wrong sample. The BINTA is 4.8 from ten reviews with no United Kingdom text. The BSIDE is 5.0 from one review and no written body. The Dr.meter count of 2,937 does not repair a manual owners struggle with. Two colours of the same meter are one sample.
Top pick for a lux check
The TopTes TS-710 is the top pick for lux or foot-candles when you want a head that turns through about 180° and a case in the listing. The captured line is 4.5 from 651 reviews, with UK comments you can read. Skip it for an f-stop, for UVB, for photosynthetic photon flux density, and for a number you would show an enforcing officer. A rotating head does not create a class the listing never states. If the photos confirm the Dr.meter remote lead and the cable is all you need, that meter is the alternative. Its manual is the weak point, so it is not the top pick.
Best value on this shelf
The best value is the black V·Resourcing at £16.99, 4.3 from 111 reviews, beside the Soonkoda at £12.99, the BSIDE at £15.99, and the BINTA at £19.99. You give up the turning head and the case. One review reports a dead unit. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers goods that are not of satisfactory quality. That is a return, not a feature. A UK review walks the screen into a klux mark. Record the factor or the note is nonsense. The white listing shares that review text. It is not a second best value.
When the Sekonic is the right best
The Sekonic L-308X at £199, 4.6 from 1,283 reviews, is the right best when you need incident light, reflected light, or flash. Lux from about 2.50 lx to 190,000 lx is secondary and wants a lumidisc this kit does not list. AA cells are not stated as included. One UK unit read backwards after a drop with no crack. Retire a dropped meter. Skip it for a corridor: there is still no Type F paperwork. The TTArtisan at £62 is the reflected-only camera answer if you will recheck the ISO dial. That split is the lux meter vs exposure meter page. A certificate means buying none of these twelve.
Common questions
Which listing is the top pick for measuring a room?
The TopTes TS-710, if the note you want is lux and you want a head that turns plus a case. The review line is 4.5 from 651 on the captured amazon.co.uk listing. Skip it when you need f-stops, a UVB reading, a plant micromole figure, or a survey you would file. A room check under £20 points at the black V·Resourcing instead, with the klux caveat.
What is the best value under £20?
The black V·Resourcing at £16.99. The sample is 4.3 from 111 reviews, which is enough to read a pattern, including one dead unit and a display that changes factor. The Soonkoda is cheaper at £12.99 and the BSIDE is £15.99 with a 5.0 from one review. Neither has a United Kingdom review body you can weigh. Price alone is not the value if you cannot audit the comments.
Why not the 4.8-star BINTA?
Ten reviews and no United Kingdom text in the saved listing is a thin sample. A higher star on a small count loses to 111 written reviews when you are choosing a household lux meter. The BINTA also sits at £19.99, close to the V·Resourcing, without earning the best-value line. A factor note on that listing comes from a review that is not a UK owner, so it does not rescue the sample.
Why not the 5.0-star BSIDE?
A 5.0 from one review has no text to check. It can be a content owner, a single lucky unit, or a listing that has barely sold in the UK. It is not a reason to outrank a meter with a hundred comments. The BSIDE at £15.99 remains an entry lux meter if you accept that silence. It is not the best value in this set.
Is the Sekonic the best light meter if I do not own a camera?
No. Without a camera, flash and f-stops are idle features, and £199 does not buy a calibration certificate. Use the TopTes for a lux check with a turning head, or the black V·Resourcing if the budget stops under £20. The Sekonic's lux range is real on the specification, and it still wants a lumidisc this kit does not include.
Should I buy both colours?
No. The white V·Resourcing repeats the black listing's reviews, and the silver TTArtisan repeats the black shoe-mount reviews. Choose one finish. Counting both ASINs as two tests double-weights the same owners. If you want a second method, buy a different geometry, such as a turning head or a cable, not a second colour of the same meter.
What do I skip if I need a certificate?
Skip the whole set. No listing here states BS 667 Type F or a calibration certificate. A household lux check is not a workplace file. Buy a photometer that names the class and ships with a record. An LED lamp does not create that record.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK and manufacturer sources from the research digest. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in this batch, not a live recrawl. The price bands are this set, not a market average.
- Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regulation 8 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE HSG38: Lighting at work (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE: Lighting (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- BSI: BS EN 12464-1:2021 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- BSI: BS 667:2005 illuminance meters (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- ILP Guidance Note 7: choosing a photometer (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Sekonic L-308X specification (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Michigan State University: light terminology for plants (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Royal Veterinary College: reptile heating and lighting (retrieved 22 October 2026)