Color Checker not included

The Isolight light meter system is an excellent addition to any image quality testing workflow. It’s four incident light sensors, one at each corner of a standard test-chart, measure light intensity and uniformity.  By ensuring that your test images are perfectly lit, the Isolight helps you get the most accurate readings and highest quality calibration.

What’s included:

  • Isolight four-channel illuminance meter
  • AC power supply
  • 3m (10ft) mini-B USB cable
  • Hardshell storage case
  • User manual

If you need to measure color as well as illuminance, you may want to consider the Isolight Color.

Isolight chart holder showing detail of corner sensor

Four Cosine Corrected Incident Light Sensors

The Isolight measures illuminance (in lux) in all four corners of the chart using photopically accurate, cosine-corrected sensors.

Indicator LEDs

Customers and industry standards specify test light levels and uniformity, but achieving the right lighting is tricky and tedious.  The Isolight makes it easy.  Innovative LED indicator rings around each light sensor to show when the light level is too high, too low, or within target levels.  Set your target light level in lux.  Set uniformity in either lux or percent.  The indicator LEDs change color to show whether each corner is too bright, too dark, or within specifications.   Easy.

Isolight chart holder with chart clips

Securely Hold Test Charts

Retractable clips and a lipped shelf hold test charts of all sizes.

Large Backlight LCD Display

The LCD display has many display modes, so you can see the information you need most.  The backlight automatically adjusts to the ambient light level so that display is readable in captured images.  The display modes include:

  • Large Average Reading – Best for low resolution cameras and basic operation
  • Large Readings – Large individual readings show the level at each sensor
  • Reading Details – Shows light details including average level, current uniformity, target high and low levels, and individual sensor readings
  • Level Bar Graphs – Auto-scaling horizontal bar display of individual levels with reading details
  • Tolerance Bar Graphs – Horizontal bar display of levels relative to tolerance target.  Central arrows indicate the target level for each sensor
  • LED Chaser Display – Shows all LED chaser settings
  • Combination Display – Combination of readings, target and tolerance data, and LED chaser settings
Isolight chart holder, LED chaser display

LED Chaser

The Isolight includes a 100 LED chaser display.  The LEDs light one at a time, in sequence and at a user-settable rate.  The LED chaser can be used to measure a wide range of time-related imaging parameters, including frame rate, integration time, frame-to-frame jitter, and shutter lag.

Measure from Milliseconds to Minutes – easily measure the fastest single frame exposures all the way to minute-long exposures or video clips.  Step time is programmable from 0.1 ms per step to 1.0 second per step and the total display cycle time is from 10.0 ms to 100 seconds.

Emphasis LEDs for Easier Counting – To make the LED counting process faster and more accurate, Isolight features an LED emphasis mode. The emphasis mode makes every fifth, tenth, or 33rd LED brighter.  Those emphasis LEDs make blocks of LEDs easier to count the same way tick marks on a ruler make measurements easier.

Auto LED Brightness – Like other Isolight components, the LED chaser brightness can be set manually or to automatically adapt to ambient light levels.  In “auto” mode the LED brightness is set so that the LEDs are clearly visible at any light level but not so bright as to introduce light pollution.

Audio Output for Audio/Video Testing – the Isolight can also generate audio markers (beeps) synchronized with the LED chaser operation for testing camera audio/video synchronization.

Use the LED chaser to measure:

  • Integration/Exposure Time – the most basic measurement. Set the LED chaser at an appropriate step rate and capture an image. By counting the number of lit LEDs, you can measure the image’s exposure time.
  • Frame Rate – Set the LED chaser so that several LEDs are visible in each image. The frame rate is the number of LEDs from the start of the bar in one image to the start of the bar in a second image
  • Frame Rate Jitter – the frame time from one image to the next should be constant. If the frame rate varies more than one LED, there is significant frame rate jitter in your system
  • Dropped Frames – Every LED should be visible in at least one video frame. If any LEDs are missing from the sequence, your system is dropping frames. You can estimate the drop-out period as well
  • Audio/Video Synchronization – Audio/video track synchronization can be measured by capturing video with audio markers enabled for emphasis LEDs. Each audio marker should sound during the associated video frame. The amount of leading or lagging indicates the audio track desynchronization
  • Auto-Exposure Behavior – Using the auto LED brightness mode, you can watch the exposure time change from frame to frame as you adjust the light level. This is very useful for measuring and auto exposure convergence time, stability, and over/undershoot

Mounting Options

The Isolight can be mounted almost anywhere – in a light booth, on a table, on a tripod, or against a wall.

Isolight chart holder to check illuminance uniformity

Rare earth magnets on back

Built-in folding legs

1/4″-20 tripod mount on bottom

1/4″-20 tripod mount on back

Isolight chart holder, keyhole mounting slots

Keyhole slots for hanging

Remote Communications over USB

Get readings and adjust settings remotely using the built-in USB port.  Our simple serial-over-USB command protocol is compatible with Windows, MacOS, Linux, and embedded controllers.

Multiple Power Options

The Isolight can be powered by 6 “AAA” batteries, the included DC power adapter, or over USB.  Please not that due to USB power limitations, the Isolight may not be able to operate reliably with all LEDs (chaser, LCD backlight, and corner indicators) at full brightness.

Calibration Services

While our products are designed for a lifetime of reliable performance, we recommend recalibrating once a year to maintain peak accuracy.

Return your Isolight or Isolight Color light meter to our labs and we will perform a full inspection and recalibration.

The whole process typically takes less than a few days, ensuring that you are up and running again quickly.