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Light meter buying guide

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have a dim hallway in a UK flat, or a meterless film camera on the shelf, and amazon.co.uk has answered light meter with a pile of black boxes. A light meter buying guide has to split that pile before it talks about stars. One family shows lux on a surface, one shows an aperture and a shutter, and one only lights a match needle in a cold shoe. Those outputs do not swap. Prices for this set, from about £12.99 to £199, are on the [light meter comparison](/hub/measuring-equipment/light-meter). Figures are the captured amazon.co.uk shelf, not a live recrawl. Peter F. did not laboratory-test these meters. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a dim hallway in a UK flat, or a meterless film camera on the shelf, and amazon.co.uk has answered light meter with a pile of black boxes.

Our top picks

Sekonic Sekonic L-308X

Best overall

Sekonic Sekonic L-308X
7.1/10about £199
View offer
TopTes TopTes TS-710

Rank 2

TopTes TopTes TS-710
7.4/10about £29.99
View offer
V·Resourcing V·Resourcing (black and orange)

Best value

V·Resourcing V·Resourcing (black and orange)
5.8/10about £16.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Three meters, one name
  2. 2.What to check on a lux meter
  3. 3.What a certificate is, and what these listings omit
  4. 4.Where the money goes in this set

Three meters, one name

An illuminance meter reports lux, or foot-candles on the same sensor. One foot-candle is about 10.76 lux, not a second instrument. An exposure meter reports aperture and shutter: incident light through a dome, reflected light through a lens, and flash on the Sekonic L-308X. The TTArtisan II only shows whether the scene matches the shutter and aperture you already dialled. It does not claim lux. A shoe meter will not survey a desk, and a £16 lux meter will not set a film camera. That split is the lux meter vs exposure meter page.

What to check on a lux meter

Check range, then where the sensor sits. The common claim is roughly 0 to 200,000 lux, and the screen may show lux, kilolux, or a ×10 mark. A UK owner of the black V·Resourcing watched the display walk from a decimal to klux. If the unit was klux, 180 means 180,000 lux. A fixed head puts your body in the beam. The TopTes TS-710 turns through about 180°, the yellow URCERI splits, and owners describe a remote lead on the Dr.meter LX1330B. Confirm that lead in the photo. TopTes and the Sekonic list a case. Flash belongs on an exposure meter.
Sekonic Sekonic L-308X

Testsieger

Sekonic Sekonic L-308X
7.1/10about £199
View offer

What a certificate is, and what these listings omit

A percentage on a listing is not a class. BS 667:2005 defines Type L and Type F. Guidance Note 7 from the Institution of Lighting Professionals treats Type F as the field instrument and prefers a remote head so your shadow is not the reading. Calibration is often to tungsten, Illuminant A at about 2,856 K. An LED lamp does not by itself demand a different meter. None of these twelve listings states Type F or a calibration certificate. Regulation 8 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 requires suitable and sufficient lighting and states no lux number. Grow lamps are on the light meter for plants page.

Where the money goes in this set

This batch has four price bands. Entry illuminance is about £12.99 to £19.99: Soonkoda, BSIDE L1, both V·Resourcing colours, and BINTA. Mid illuminance is £27.99 to £29.99: both URCERI meters, the Dr.meter, and the TopTes. The TTArtisan shoe pair is £62. The Sekonic L-308X is £199 and adds incident, reflected, and flash. Lux on that meter is secondary and wants a lumidisc this kit does not list. Soonkoda and BINTA have no United Kingdom review text in the file. Shared colour listings are one sample. Do not add the counts.

Common questions

Is a light meter the same as a lux meter?
Often the search says light meter and the box says lux meter, and for a room or a lamp those are the same family. A lux meter reports illuminance in lux or foot-candles. An exposure meter reports f-stop and shutter, and a shoe-mount meter only shows a match. If the listing never mentions lux, it is not an illuminance meter, however similar the plastic looks on amazon.co.uk.
Which meter is for a room, and which for a film camera?
Buy an illuminance meter when the note you need is lux on a desk, a corridor floor, or a lamp at a set distance. Buy the Sekonic when you need incident light or flash, or the TTArtisan when a meterless camera only needs a reflected match and £62 is enough. A lux percentage does not set an aperture. A shoe-mount meter does not survey an office.
Do I need a remote or rotating head?
You need one when your body would otherwise shade the cell. A fixed head works if you can hold the meter at arm's length, or if hold lets you turn away. In this set the TopTes head turns, the yellow URCERI splits, and the Dr.meter is the cabled option owners describe. A fixed head can still rank two lamps if your stance stays the same.
Does a calibration certificate come in the box?
Not on these listings. None states BS 667 Type F or a fresh calibration record. A certificate is what a survey meter carries so the reading can be defended later. These amazon.co.uk meters can still compare two spots in your house. They do not become Type F because the screen shows three digits. If a workplace or a landlord needs the number, hire an instrument that states the class.
Is foot-candle a second sensor?
No. Foot-candles are another unit for the same visible-light reading. One foot-candle is about 10.76 lux. Switch the unit, write the unit next to the number, and do not treat the button as a plant mode or a camera mode. A meter that offers both is still an illuminance meter.
Why are two colours the same price with the same reviews?
The black and white V·Resourcing listings, and the two TTArtisan colours, share one review text. Read one body of reviews, then choose the colour. Adding 111 to 111 does not make 222 owners. A small unmarked sample is the same trap.
When is £199 justified?
The Sekonic at £199 is justified when you will meter incident light or flash, or you want photo and cine modes on a meterless body. It is a poor spend for a corridor or a grow lamp: there is still no Type F class, and the lumidisc for a simplified lux mode is not in the kit. A mid-band lux meter does that room job for under £30.

Related pages

Best light meter

Light meter

Light meter for plants: canopy lux, not a PPFD figure

How to use a lux meter: cap, plane, shadow and factor

Lux meter vs exposure meter: f-stop or a lux figure

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.

  1. Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regulation 8 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. HSE HSG38: Lighting at work (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. HSE: Lighting (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. BSI: BS EN 12464-1:2021 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. BSI: BS 667:2005 illuminance meters (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. ILP Guidance Note 7: choosing a photometer (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Sekonic L-308X specification (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Michigan State University: light terminology for plants (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  9. Royal Veterinary College: reptile heating and lighting (retrieved 22 October 2026)