URCERI MT-912 Light Meter
The MT-912 LightMeter will provide an inexpensive window into the ambient/directional light of an environment. You can quickly/easily change from Fahrenheit to Celcius, activate/deactivate the 10-minute auto-off timer, and enjoy a real-time measurement mode, a minimum intensity mode, or maximum intensity mode. Perfect for photography or other light-sensitive activites. the MT-912 between Luc/Foot-Candles. Lightweight, portable, and easily pocketable, the device should fit nicely into your camera/gear bag.
- Packaging
- Design
- User Manual
- Ease of use
Measure Ambient light with this light meter.
Over the past several years, I have grown more involved in Cub Scout and BSA activities. I have expanded my lighting needs by adding pocket lights, headlamps, lanterns, spotlights, floodlights, and a variety of other types of lights. As my collection grew, I became interested in comparing the beam intensities and looked for a digital light meter. Luckily, you can find just about anything on Amazon.
The MT-912 Light Meter arrived in a 3 3/8 inches wide by 7 1/8 inches tall by 1 3/4 inches thick yellow/black retail package. The upper 1 1/2 inches tall yellow segment wrapped around to the side, back, and top panels, while the lower black segments filled out the remainder of the package. The cover panel displayed an attractive yellow ink outline of the MT-912 device. The image showed the light ring, LCD screen, plus the power button, hold button, MIN/MAX button, and FC/LUX button. The right side panel listed five product-defining icons: 1. Measuring Range 0-200,000 Lux/0 Fc-20,000 FC. 2. Temperature Range -20C-70C/-4F-158F, 2 time/second sampling rate, 3 x 1.5V AAA batteries, and a 60H battery life. The posterior panel provided a hexalingual table (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese) of the manufacturer’s name/address and manufacturing labels. Even though I loved the yellow-on-black color scheme, I felt that the outer packing lacked a unique name; If I had a single constructive piece of advice, it would be to name the device something catchy like the MT-912 “Lampas.”
I lifted the lid of the box and removed the internal contents: 1. #3 RO3P AAA UM-4 1.5V Tcbest Super Heavy Duty batteries, a 3 1/8 inches wide by 4 1/16 inches tall 35 panel user manual, and a bubble-wrapped light meter. I removed the 3.2 ounce light meter from the bubble wrap and evaluated the device. The main body measured 2 1/4 inches wide by 4 3/4 inches tall by 1 1/8 inches thick and resembled a walkie talkie. You will find an 11/16 inches tall by 5/8 inches wide neck segment and a 1 5/8 inches diameter light sensor. The sensor had a 1 1/2 inches diameter rubberized plug with a thin attached nylon string and metallic loop. The front yellow panel contrasted beautifully against the black surrounding plastic shell, internal buttons and LCD screen. Similar to a walkie talkie or Nokia phone, the device had a refreshing nostalgic feel. I slid the thin black battery cap away from the shell and inserted the three AAA batteries according to the proper orientation. The back panel had a small plate with information about 3x 1.5V AAA batteries and product manufacturer labels. Once the batteries were installed, the device powered on and the LCD screen illuminated. I pressed the power button, turned off the machine, and turned to the instruction manual.
The multi-lingual user manual provided information in English (pages 1-6), German (pages 7-12), French (pages 13-18), Italian (pages 19-24), Spanish (pages 25-30), and Japanese (pages 31-35). The first panel provided a safety warning table, which reviewed the operating conditions ( temp -20C-60C/-4F to 140F humidity 10-90%), storage conditions (temp -20c to 60C/-4F to 140F humidity 10-75%), and max altitude (up to 2000 meter). Beneath the warning panel, you will find a labeled ink outline drawing of the MT-912 device: Photo detector, LCD display, hold button, power button, Max/Min button, FC/Lux Button, battery cover, and name plate. The second panel provided an ink outline drawing of the LCD screen: Hold Icon, auto power-off icon, temperature readings, light readings, units of illuminance, units of temperature, low battery indicator, Max/Min Icon). I loved that the company started with the product overview and the detailed drawings. I find that this simplifies ones understanding of the device utility.
The next segment of the user manual detailed the product operations. To power on/off the device, install the batteries, remove the cover from the photo detector, and press the power button. You can press the power off button to turn off the device or you can wait 15 minutes for the auto-off feature to turn of the device. With the device off, the manual detailed the mechanism to turn off the auto-off feature. To do this, press and hold the FX/LUX button and then press the power on button. When in measuring mode, you can press the “HOLD” button to freeze the display and again to unfreeze the display. You can press the Max/Min button to display maximum or minimum respectively. You can change the units from the British FC foot-candle (1 lumen per square foot) or to lumens (a square meter or lux). To convert between the two measurements, a foot-candle is roughly equivalent to 10.76 lux. The last sections of the instruction manual reviewed caution/maintenance, the product specifications, listed the 12 month warranty information, and to contact the company for any inquiries. Lastly, if desired, you can change the unit of temperature from the default Celsius to Fahrenheit, when the device is turned off. Press and hold the HOLD button and then press the Power button to power on the device in Fahrenheit mode.
I loved that I was able to interchange between the modes and that you could use the Light meter in measurement real time mode, minimum mode, or maximum mode. I found that the min/max modes were the most useful, as the value did not change/fluctuate. I enjoyed the shape, the color, and the overall design of the Light meter, and truly appreciated the Nokia Nostalgia. The rubberized light cover did a great job at protecting the sensor; the string/ring attachment ensured that you did not lose the cap. Even though this type of device is not as useful for LED bulbs (more blue wave length), I liked that I could compare different flashlights to evaluate the strength of the beams. My only criticism was that there was not an included carry bag for the device.
I recently reviewed an i3E EOS OLIGHT keychain flashlight that promised 90 Lumens of light and a 44meter beam. I tested the light at 2 feet, 10 feet, 20 feet, 50 feet, and 100 feet. I was unable to determine where the 90 Lumen metric was measured after reading the packaging, instruction manual, and website. When shined directly onto the meter, the reading showed 132 KLux. At about a foot, the meter registered 6255 Lux and at around 25 feet the meter registered 14 Lux. When I compared this to my Warrior X Pro at the same 25-foot distance, the Lux meter registered 3120 Lux. Even though I did not need the meter to know that the Warrior X Pro was significantly stronger than the i3E EOS Olight, I did not realize that it was that much brighter. With beams measuring into the hundreds of feet of throw, some of the testing parameters become difficult to control. With so many variables, with ambient lighting, with scattering, etc., It is no wonder that companies have specialty setups for their lights.
It is important to note that this device is not a photography calculator, nor is it a flash meter. After reading several critical reviews, the name suggests the function of the device as a basic light meter. I purchased two different LED bulb styles for my living room and found one had more intensity than the other. I did notice that the LCD screen had a bit too much of a mirror finish and did have some irritating reflection if the light hit it perpendicularly. In addition to the needed carrying case mentioned above, a detachable sensor would provide a significant enhancement. The MT-912 device successfully measured light from a variety of sources and allowed me to compare the beam intensities of my flashlights.
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