About this project
Lumu - bringing Light Meter to the 21st Century
$244,085
2,622
People tend to settle in the safety of mediocrity. Not because they want to, but because they have no choice. Fortunately, every now and then, a small team of young, passionate talents who strive for excellence emerges, with a common goal to explore the boundaries of their own knowledge.
At Lumu Labs, we don't believe in comfort of mediocrity. We want to explore the uncharted territories. It is not always easy, but it can be joyful, especially if you are not alone on the journey.
We’ve created Lumu, the light meter for the 21th century. So be an explorer and break free from mediocrity. Back us up. Join us on our journey and help us discover new horizons.
We live in the golden age of photography.
The desire to preserve moments that leave a mark in our lives, that give meaning to our existence, that become etched into our soul, as pictures, has never been greater.
Sometimes it is all about capturing a memory. Moments of our lives that become eternal with the release of the shutter.
At Lumu Labs, we care about your memories. So we changed the way we think about light meters. They should unleash your creativity, be innovative, intuitive to use, obvious to have, and be your life companions for creating lasting memories.
The light meter of the 21th century should obviously make use of the smartphone. But not because of its light metering capabilities, but because of all the other things smartphone is good at: big screen, gestures, location, connectivity, mobility, apps, and more.
It enables Lumu to bring you the best experience that light meters had ever had. Back us up, explore.
Lumu works with Apple's iOS 5.0+ devices (iPhone, iPod Touch).
And with Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. These devices have to run Android 4.1+.
To make the most accurate luminance measurements, the smartphone's sensor isn't good enough. We made electronics with the best sensor there is, with spectral response exactly like the human eye. There is no darkness too dark and no light too bright which Lumu can't measure.
- Measuring Range (Ambient Incident light, ISO 100): 0.15 - 250,000 lux (EV -4 to 20)
- Accuracy: +/- 0.1 EV
- Light Receptor: Hemispherical Diffuser, Cardioid-type
- Power Source: Audio signal (no batteries)
Lumu is built to be long lasting. We eliminated the battery, which was the right thing to do. Your only concern will be to decide which memory to capture next.
Design is the essence of Lumu. The transformation of functionality and user’s needs into intuitive use. The goal of our design is to be invisible. To not disturb your creative process of making a new photograph. Making you a better photographer.
The app enables Lumu to be a truly innovative, different light meter. It is not just about getting your measurement right. Lumu's app enables our light meter to use all the cool features smartphones already have. By saving it to a cloud you are able to track your progress. Save all the data about the moment you shoot: location, voice record, note, picture, photo parameters, and many more. The app is made to support your creative process, not to stand in your way.
At Lumu Labs we are pushing ourselves to make best apps for you:
For creative photographers:
Giving
you parameters: time, f-number, ISO, EV, Lux. Also calculating average
value or contrast between multiple measurements. To shoot memories worth
keeping. Storing them in cloud with location, notes and camera info.
You are able to access it from anywhere. Track your progress, improve
your creativity.
For aspiring filmmakers:
Made for
specific needs. With Shutter Angle or FPS time value. Using ND or other
filters? No problem. All other features included.
To know if light is right:
In simplest form. Shows you Lux or foot candles.
It is meant for explorers.
A reflected meter reads the intensity of light reflecting off the subject; it is easily fooled by variances in tonality, colour, contrast, background brightness, surface textures, and shape. What you see is often not at all of what you get.
At Lumu Labs we want to have precise control over the built quality of our products. Fortunately, we are able to achieve it locally with knowledge, manufacturing expertise and experience that we have access to. All the parts that you see on the above pictures and videos are and will be made locally in Slovenia, EU.
Durable, long lasting housing is made of solid block of anodized aluminium with Lumu engraving. Simple, like all things should be. Plastic (PMMA) diffuser is designed to make measurements of luminance as accurate as possible. It's sole purpose is to be functional, protect the heart of Lumu, the light sensor. Beauty is what came afterwards.
Electronics with a light sensor at it's core, CPU and energy harvester. Because of innovative soldering of the audio connector to the PCB, Lumu is lifted from the smartphone so you can use it with almost any protective case. No worries there.
Made out of one piece of leather and one button. Elegance, simplicity, innovation and intuitive usage. It's what we at Lumu Labs strive for. The leather case for storing the Lumu was made by eliminating all unnecessary details. Just to store and protect.
When you have something as beautiful as Lumu, you want to have it close to your heart. So you can wear it around your neck. It can be a necklace or a holder for Lumu. It is simple, made of just three parts.
We spent more than a year preparing to launch Lumu on Kickstarter to ensure that we can deliver what we promise, the light meter for the 21th century. But we need your kick.
If we want to make them affordable, we need to make electronics and cases in bulk quantities. To manufacture the optical diffusers cheaper (prototypes are now CNC milled), we need injection mold tooling. And to extend the features of our Lumu app, we need more coding power on our team.
Lumu is a small team. We are friends, photographers, engineers, researchers, designers, explorers. We have known each other for a very long time and are bound together through a journey of discovering the light meter for the 21st century.
Luka Mali - Researcher, electronics prototyping enthusiast and gadget lover.
Marko Pirc - Optics, physics, photography. In reverse order. Pixelperfect.
Benjamin Polovič - Hardcore coder, loves to play basketball and fix bugs.
Maja Tisel - Designer, typo and pictogram lover.
Staš Stankovič - Builder and constructor, glider pilot and lover of all things beautiful.
Niko Klansek - Business Advisor, electric bikes lover.
Disclaimer: iPhone, Apple, and Apple logo are
registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Minolta is a registered trademark of Konica Minolta Global.
Lightmeter App is made and copyrighted by Anton Repponen.
---------------------- Press about us ---------------------
- ... replace “bulky” traditional light meters with a pocketable gizmo... - TechCrunch
- It truly made me say WOW, it just makes sense. - FroKnowsPhoto
- ... pretty impressive for something the size of a 50-cent piece and that doesn't require batteries. CoolHunting
- Lumu is beautiful in its simplicity... - TheNextWeb
- ... the team is working to take full advantage of the hardware and the iPhone’s processing power to develop new and unique apps. - Petapixel
- ... designed to make measurements of luminance as accurate as possible. - iClarified
- In other words, it can see in the dark. - Cult of Mac
- The ability to take a more traditional incident reading is a plus... - PC Mag
- Lumu shows the disruptive power of dedicated hardware paired with smart phones. - HackThings
Risks and challenges
Together with our partners, we were preparing for over 6 months to arrange the supply chain and are waiting for your kick. All the Lumus that you see on the above pictures and videos are made in the same way your Lumu will be made, except for the optical diffuser, for which we need money for injection mold tooling.
Join us on our journey of making the light meter for the 21st century. Lumu.
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Funding period
- (25 days)