The Lit Duo 1 Light Meter Measures All the Lights Photographers and Videographers Need

Jul 10, 2024

Jeremy Gray

A hand holding a grey, handheld electronic device with a small screen and several buttons. The screen displays various options and settings. A similar device is shown next to it displaying a number and other data. Both devices have a modern, sleek design.

Just over a year after filmmakers and photographers founded Lit Systems in Sweden and announced the development of the feature-packed Lit Duo 1 light meter, the team has launched a Kickstarter campaign and revealed that the light meter is arriving early next year.

At the time of writing, the Lit Duo 1 Kickstarter campaign has reached nearly $300,000 in support from over 520 backers, with 26 days left. It’s looking good so far and shows that photographers and filmmakers alike demand an intelligent, feature-packed, sleek light meter.

The Lit Duo 1 promises to “reinvent” the light meter and combines six essential tools into a single device. Like any light meter worth its salt, the Lit Duo 1 can measure exposure and flash, but it can also measure color, illuminance, spectrum, and light flicker. It sports a pair of sensors, enabling simultaneous measuring of multiple lighting parameters.

Two views of a compact, modern handheld device. The front features a small LCD screen with various settings displayed (ISO, FPS) and physical controls including buttons and a joystick, while the back shows a streamlined, minimalist design. — Lit Duo 1

It’s also a rugged device, with its main chassis constructed of CNC-milled anodized aluminum. The back of the device is durable plastic, which helps keep the weight down. It has a large, sharp front display and simple video game controller-esque buttons.

A person dressed in a black outfit is holding a black video game controller in their right hand, close to their hip, with buttons and a joystick visible. The background is dark, emphasizing the controller and the person's hand.

Looking closer at its various functions, the Lit Duo 1 promises to accurately and consistently measure the precise colors from light sources, measured in Kelvin color temperature. It also shows magenta and green shift. It includes a filter function to measure (or set) two lights and see the difference between common color filters. Chromaticity can also be displayed in CIE 1931 or HSI.

Two handheld light meters with digital displays. The meter on the left shows a menu of options including Cine/Video and Photo Flash. The meter on the right displays a color temperature reading of 4850K and additional options like Green Shift. Both devices have control buttons at the bottom.

Filmmakers can use illuminance and spectrum measurements to see if their lights are performing to spec and, if not, how they are missing the mark. For example, the meter can check a light’s CRI, which measures color consistency over time. The luminance of lights is measured in either lux or foot candles, and users can also see an average value over a selected measurement time.

As for flickering measurements, the Lit Duo measures the frequency of a light source’s flicker, up to 50 kHz, and can help photographers and filmmakers determine precisely which shutter speeds to avoid for a given light source.

A close-up view of a handheld medical device named "LIT DUO 1" with a digital display showing various health metrics in colored bars and numbers. The device has multiple buttons, a USB-C port, and is labeled "Designed by LIT in Sweden Assembled in Europe.

The exposure measurement modes allow users to measure and change parameters like aperture, shutter speed (or shutter angle), frames per second, and more. Users can apply exposure compensation or neutral density filter augmentations. The Lit Duo 1 can measure flash versus ambient lighting conditions, which works with high-speed sync. It can also show precise flash duration information in the form of an exposure over time graph.

A grid of twelve black digital displays showing different metrics, graphs, and measurements such as speed, temperature, distance, force, and light intensity. Each display has various numbers, units, and colorful indicators on a black screen. — The Lit Duo 1 can perform a wide range of measurements useful for photographers and videographers.

Lit Duo 1 runs on three AAA batteries, although rechargeable ones can be charged via an integrated USB-C port. The device has sound feedback to help users operate it without staring at it, and it connects to a compatible smartphone app over Bluetooth. The meter has a standard thread hole on the bottom to be attached to a tripod or stand.

The image shows three smartphones displaying different features of a health app. The first phone shows a firmware update screen, the second phone shows saved health measurements, and the third phone shows a health measurement in dark mode.

Lit C1

Alongside the Lit Duo 1 unveiled last year, the Lit Systems team has also announced that there will be a second, simpler device, the Lit C1, designed for filmmakers who don’t need to measure exposure. By ditching the exposure measurement sensor, the device is a bit lighter and more affordable. It still measures color temperatures, spectrums, and overall illuminance, plus flicker up to 8 kHz, but it doesn’t do ambient exposure for video and photo, flash exposure, or light ratio measurements.

Image showing details and pricing of two light meters: "LIT DUO 1" and "LIT C1." LIT DUO 1 (€604, Day 1 Special) and LIT C1 (€439, Super Early Bird) are compared in categories: color temperature, spectrum, illuminance, flicker, ambient exposure, flash exposure, and light ratios.

Pricing and Availability

The Lit Duo 1 and Lit C1 will start shipping in March 2025. The Lit Duo 1 starts at €504, which is about $546 at current exchange rates. The less feature-rich C1 starts at €439, about $476.

Lit says the Lit Duo 1 will cost €849 at retail, while the Lit C1 will be €729. These prices work out to $919 and $789, respectively.

A black handheld gaming device with a rectangular screen, two large circular buttons on the top, a power button, and a small cross-shaped directional pad at the bottom. The device has a sleek and minimalist design. — Lit Duo 1 [Black]

There’s also a special Kickstarter-exclusive Lit Duo 1 [Black], which includes the Lit Duo 1 in a sleek black finish with monochrome buttons, a protective hard case, a neck strap, and a Lit-themed hooded sweatshirt. This option is €1,099 ($1,190).

A variety of handheld light meters are displayed in a horizontal row, each varying in design and functionality. Below the devices, colored bars indicate capabilities in ambient and flash exposure, illuminance, color or spectrum, and flicker detection. — Per Lit Systems, the Lit Duo 1 offers a more complete feature set than its competition, combining the functions of many different metering products on the market.

Rounding out the options is a special pledge available to one backer, including the Lit Duo 1 plus a one-week stay in Stockholm, Sweden. This €2,499 ($2,705) pledge includes travel expenses and accommodations, and the team will work with the backer to plan a fun itinerary. It’s a very unusual Kickstarter option.

Complete backing options and details concerning the Lit Duo 1 and Lit C1 are available on Kickstarter and on the Lit Systems website.

Disclaimer: Make sure you do your own research into any crowdfunding project you’re considering backing. While we aim to only share legitimate and trustworthy campaigns, there’s always a real chance that you can lose your money when backing any crowdfunded project.

Image credits: Lit Systems