Long ago, photographers had to guess: Is it bright enough? Too dark? Will my photo turn out okay?
That’s where the light meter — or exposure meter — became their best friend.
The very first light meters weren’t even gadgets — they were charts.
If it was sunny, you used one setting. If it was cloudy, you used another. It all depended on the photographer’s experience… and a bit of luck.
But soon came real devices that could actually feel the light.
These were photoelectric light meters, using light-sensitive elements to measure how much light hit the scene. The first ones appeared in the 1930s, mainly for movie cameras.
In 1935, the company Zeiss Ikon built a light meter directly into a photo camera — a big step forward! Still, many photographers kept relying on their trained eye, especially when shooting with black-and-white film, which could handle small exposure mistakes.
But everything changed with the rise of color photography, which demanded much more precision.
Starting in the 1970s, built-in or handheld light meters became essential — for cameras and camcorders alike.
📷 In our exhibition, you’ll see the evolution of these clever tools — from simple paper charts to smart meters that could read the light like a pro.
Because sometimes, all it takes is one wrong exposure to ruin a whole roll of film — and the light meter is there to keep your photo just right.
