Lit Systems – creators of the LIT DUO 1 compact light meter, which is currently under development – have announced they will soon open pre-orders for their device via a Kickstarter campaign. At the same time, they will also launch the LIT C1, which is essentially a simplified version of LIT DUO 1.
Last year, Swedish company Lit Systems first teased their LIT DUO 1 pocket-sized light meter. It looks quite convenient as it combines a light and a color meter into a single tool, so you don’t have to carry two separate devices on set. In case you missed it, make sure to read our initial coverage here.
Since then, the company has released additional details about the LIT DUO 1, has teased the advent of a second product called LIT C1, and is now getting ready to open pre-orders for both devices. Let’s take a look!
LIT DUO 1 compact light meter – updates
To sum it up very quickly, the LIT DUO 1 is a light metering tool offering 7 metering modes (Color Temperature/Full-Color/Video Exposure/Photo Exposure/Illuminance/Spectrum/Flickering) in a compact (13x5x3cm), sleek body made of CNC-machined aluminum on the front and durable plastic on the back.
The device features a large front LCD screen with physical control buttons, is powered by 3x AAA replaceable batteries that should keep it running for about 40 hours, comes with a protective case and a 1-meter neck strap, and has Bluetooth built-in to connect it to a smartphone app. For some users, the biggest complaint, however, could be the lack of a spot metering function. But other than that, the device seems to be really well-featured.
Furthermore, over the last year, the company has been hard at work to implement extra features. These include:
- fast operation and low power consumption;
- Flash Exposure & Flash Analysis Modes;
- a USB-C port for power and firmware updates (it can also charge AAA batteries if rechargeable);
- sound feedbacks;
- improved tripod head thread at the bottom;
- Improved ergonomics.
LIT C1
Next to the LIT DUO 1, the company is also launching the LIT C1, short for LIT COLOR 1. Essentially, this is a stripped-down, more affordable version of DUO 1 that lacks Ambient and Flash Exposure metering modes but retains all functions related to Color and Spectrum, Light ratios, Illuminance (lux/fc), and Flicker metering up to 8kHz, according to Lit Systems.
Price and availability
Both products will be available to pre-order on Kickstarter for 25 days, starting on July 10th at 9:00 AM EST time. The official target retail price for the LIT DUO 1 and C1 is set at €849 (incl.VAT)/$769 and €729 (incl. VAT)/$649, respectively. However, by supporting the Kickstarter campaign, you can benefit from discounts of 30, 35, and 40%.
Quoting Lit Systems, these “funds will be used to streamline the design for industrial production and enable mass manufacturing.”
We are saying this at the end of every crowdfunding-related article: please be aware of the risks when backing a project on a crowdfunding platform. Please read the platform’s terms of use and keep in mind that there can be significant delays when delivering the product. Some projects don’t get delivered at all.
For more information, please visit Lit Systems’ campaign here.
What do you think of the LIT DUO 1 light meter? Do you think the pricing is right? Are you planning on pre-ordering? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
