Lux vs Lumens vs Nits - A Photographer's Guide to Light Units

[@tusslemania]

my brain gets stronger after watching every single time. thanks Gerald

[@geraldundone]

Ha. Awesome! Cheers. 😃

[@TrailFeatures]

I found this video very enlightening.

[@geraldundone]

WORDPLAY! 😜

[@maminparvaresh]

Man oh man, this is complicated. English is my second language, and I don't even understand the explanation in my first language, but this video was genuinely helpful, there were areas that I didn't understand to the fullest extent, but I have certainly learned a lot. Thank you.

[@josecolon8143]

Why? WHYYYYYYYY don’t you have at least 100k subscribers??? Another great educational video!! Bravíssimo 👏👏👏👏👏🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@geraldundone]

Thanks, Julio! Very much appreciated. 😃🙏

[@SimpLeeBeth]

Sharing is caring, Julio!

[@timbeaton5045]

yep. I agree. Just this channel and Mr. Judd's channel have taught me a great deal. But Mr. Undone's theoretical explanations are just the best. At least that i know of!

[@Photographicelements]

Well... start sharing these videos like crazy, he'll get there.

[@ruwangifernando9270]

I agree with you 10000 present

[@toxictabasco]

It was very helpful. Thanks for the comprehensive to the point info. Nobody undoes it like you.

[@geraldundone]

Thanks, mate! Appreciated as always. 😀🙏

[@Jacob_Roberts]

Thank you, Gerald. You are the first KZbinr who explains what these terms mean. Everyone else uses the terms, but doesn't explain what they mean.

[@geraldundone]

Cheers, Jacob! Thanks. 😃🙏

[@TheSmeagol630]

Gerald did a great job! And not to divert from his glory; Filmmaker IQ did a video on exposure that goes over those terms quite in depth. Requires a few views before it sinks in.

[@Jacob_Roberts]

@@TheSmeagol630 Thanks for letting me know. I'll watch that video a couple of times.

[@Jacob_Roberts]

@@TheSmeagol630 I went to your page but I couldn't find a section for your videos. I also couldn't find your video dealing with these terms. What is the name of the video so that I can search for it?

[@TheSmeagol630]

@@Jacob_Roberts Not me, man. I'm no KZbinr. I mentioned Filmmaker IQ did a good video titled "The Science of Exposure". I'm pretty embarrassed you had to see the old school work on my garbage channel...

[@pranamsk]

Get this guy 100k++ by the end of year

[@lukasgrafbern]

You're killing it lately Gerald! I'm subscribed to quite a few photography channels, but this is the one that gets me excited when I realize a new video is out. 🎉

[@geraldundone]

Thanks, Lukas! That's really nice to hear. Cheers! 😃🙏

[@GeraldBertramPhotography]

When I was 9 I asked my science teacher why the sky was blue. My 9 year old eyes began to glaze over as he proceeded to say how blue light waves have a short wavelength which causes this colour to get caught in the sky as it collided with particles and gases in particular Nitrogen which makes up 78% of the earth's atmosphere and that technically the sky is dominated by wavelengths between 400 nanometers (violet) and 450 nanometers (blue) and when mixed together, our eyes are only able to see the dominant colour: blue. Watching your video I kind of felt like I was 9 again.

[@geraldundone]

Ha! I love this comment. I'm happy to have brought you back to 9. Also +1 for the sky explanation. 👍😃

[@paulk8924]

Every LED panel sold on B&H, Adorama, Amazon etc should have a link back to this video. Great job explaining this Gerald.

[@geraldundone]

Thanks, Paul! That's very kind.

[@PeteC62]

I think I might need to watch this two or three more times... Love the outtakes too!

[@geraldundone]

Thanks, Peter! Cheers. 😃👍

[@ErikHill1]

I’m in the market for video lights and this was the third video result on Google. 🙌 my search was ‘are lumens the same as lux’. Keep up the good work!

[@zfarahx]

Great job explaining concepts that can get tricky sometimes. Thanks a LOT

[@julianray]

Anyone who includes the phrases 'pedantic physicists' and 'licks and nuts' in the same video has got my vote. Gerald you ROCK! Thanks for shedding some lumens (or is is nits? -I'm so confused) on one of the marketing games in the video/still world.

[@geraldundone]

Hahaha. Thanks, mate. My pleasure. Thanks for the funny comments. 😃🙏

[@Ildskalli]

Beautiful video, but something was missing (for me) - some real-world applications. Maybe you could do a follow-up video comparing two different LED panels, or a panel against a light bulb? It always helps me immensely to grasp difficult subjects when there are realistic examples properly explained along the technical bits. Thank you anyway for the great material :)

[@saadazzahrani]

Love your videos man, and also I love the physics behind this and your way of 'undoing' the physics easily. Looking forward for your next videos.

[@geraldundone]

Thanks for saying that. Looking forward to more of your comments as well. Cheers! 😃👍

[@panh141298]

Holy crap dude I was just looking up the difference between the three trying to calibrate my monitor brightness using the light sensor on my phone. You rock!

[@peepers4763]

GU, another note of appreciation for the time and impressive research you put into you productions. Your clean editing is also noted🧐

[@geraldundone]

Thanks so much! Appreciate you taking the time.

[@pammikewilliams3026]

Holy crap, Gerald. You have exceeded your exceeding nedriness again today.

[@pammikewilliams3026]

I mean excessive neediness. My head hurts.

[@geraldundone]

Haha. Perfect! 😜

[@benharris3949]

Just as I’m looking to buy panels, this comes out. Not going to lie, I’ll need to watch it a few times to keep up though!

[@geraldundone]

I'm glad it's timely. Appreciate the comment. 😃👍

[@SamLucas26]

Dude, love the scientific analyses of your videos like this. You’re awesome at explaining things. And really bring clarity to subjects like this. I went to school for petroleum engineering and now I produce videos and so I love finding balance between creativity and technicality because my brain has that intersection 👌 keep crushing it.

[@geraldundone]

Thanks, Sam. Thanks for the kind words and for sharing a bit about yourself. Glad you're diggin' the videos. Cheers! 😃👍

[@SamLucas26]

Sure thing man! Really loving your stuff since I found your channel. Thanks for putting your stuff out there 👊

[@qt31415]

WAZZAAAAAP HOMEY~ the best in terms of technical KZbin right here.

[@qt31415]

I think you changed something on the middle part of your background.. a new light?

[@geraldundone]

Thanks! Yeah, I turned on an RGB LED for fun since I was talking about light. I kinda liked it though. Might leave it up and change the colour from time to time.

[@oren.kirschenbaum]

Exactly what I wanted to know - thanks Gerald!

[@geraldundone]

Awesome! Glad to hear it. Thanks for commenting. 😃👍

[@miroslavnenchev1179]

I will re-watch this video several times :) Very useful information but my brain needs time to process it all :) Could you make a video explaining the different focus systems in the lenses?

[@geraldundone]

I touched on that topic a little in my AF Systems video. Did you happen to see that one? kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5Ktd4J-lMygfa8

[@lucafogliati6050]

Great job man!Alll concept are well explained thank you!

[@FilipedeBarrosDance]

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing Gerald!

[@StorylineMedia]

Really appreciate your content -- always factual and accurate. On a side note, Foot Candles (as opposed to Lux) was bog standard on Spectra light meters used for decades for cinematography, at least in the US and Canada. Newer digital models can measure/read out in either.

[@geraldundone]

Thanks for the kind words and the fun fact! Cheers. 😃👍

[@warpiwarpi3533]

Thanks for explaining luminance!

[@ranvierion]

Good and clear concise explanation. Thank you~

[@victorfilm_]

I was expecting your "What's happening, everybody!" trademark. This video’s not the same without it 😜 Great topic btw.

[@geraldundone]

Thanks! I've been playing around and letting people pick the greeting. It's been fun so so far. 😃

[@PhiTonics]

Ah dude, thank you for this, really helpful.

[@pebmets]

Great Job. Very useful information. The graphics really help the concepts.

[@geraldundone]

Thanks, Phil. I'm glad to hear that as they took me a bit of time. 😃

[@BeanDar]

Thank you so much for getting to the point

[@town3]

All I can say is I need some smarter friends lmbo. Great work Gerald

[@geraldundone]

Haha. Thanks, Michael! 😃

[@satan3090]

This video was illuminating

[@Asdun77]

thank you , you make it simple.

[@brynocerouss]

Thank you for this video! On an unrelated note, on my way into work this morning I was thinking about bitrates and had a question that I feel like you would know the answer to (using my Lumix G9 as an example): The recording options with the highest quality are 150mb/s at 60p or 100mb/s at 30p. It seems like the 60p would be higher quality because of the higher bitrate, but wouldn't the 30p actually be better (since there is more than half the bitrate for exactly half the frame rate, giving more bits to each frame)? Or is that now how video works at all. That's probably splitting hairs as the difference would be nearly imperceptible. (in quality, not in appearance as 30p vs. 60p is apparent)

[@geraldundone]

You have the right idea, yeah. It depends on the camera, but often the lower framerate is cleaner because it can spend the bits better. In the case of the G9 you might have a hard time telling a difference, but in some cameras it's more obvious.

[@genkiboy83]

very clear!! thank you for your video

[@PeterMKent]

I like this video, it's full of nits and wit :D

[@geraldundone]

And one nitwit, but I'm not saying who... 😜

[@StirfriedGerman]

Haha, lux your nits ...😊 Great video, thanks !

[@PaulKretz]

I won't stop until I hear *'What Is hAppenin' (boom)!"*

[@geraldundone]

Hahaha. This must be killing you, Paul. 😜

[@showdaKOs]

@@geraldundone I must ask : 'What Is hAppenin' ??? I mean I know, but we all miss it (I've been here for only 2 or 3 months but I feel like an old member of the club), even if we like the new intros. Keep it kool.

[@helmutschwarz1989]

Hi Gerald, I'm a big fan ov your explanations, including this one, On another topic - after many years of shooting video (currently I use a Sony a7R3 plus Ninja V) I am still struggling with the various log settings and how to manage them . Slog 1, Slog 2, Cine 2, Gamut - you name it. Maybe I'm too stupid for this but maybe you could explain that and how to work with it in practical live would be great. Greetings from Austria and I look forward your next one.

[@geraldundone]

Thanks for the kind words, Helmut. Good suggestion also. I'll definitely look into that and add it to the list. 😃👍

[@Rebelpatriot387]

Great video. What I want to know is how much the lux is received on the earths surface by the Sun in general? On the clearest of days of course and equatorially as opposed to polarly.

[@TatvamProductions]

Hi Gerald, I am planning on buying either the Aputure MW or the Litra Pro. They both claim that they are the brightest in the market for the small form LEDs. Can you please let me know which one is brighter? Thanks.

[@marijngoossens809]

thanks man, really helped me a lot

[@GabrielAyoroa]

Dude, you're amazing

[@nenolima5595]

How u messure you backlight.. so great light and colors

[@imbsysop]

Hi, I have been searching a lot about Lumen Lux relationships in terms of grow lights. Your video is the best approach I found this far but I still have a problem with the Lux concept in all these videos. Lux is defined as Lumen per square meter so can you elaborate on your views about the led device you show at 3'20 delivering 1500Lux@1 meter? Is this 1500 Lux over a surface that equals the light source? So what is the intrinsic Lumen emission of that device? (BTW saw some other photography related videos by you especially on color spaces IIRC)

[@jlawr4427]

I use an on camera flash with a guide number of 190. I'm considering using an on camera LED panel that outputs 4,500 Lux (at one meter) in a burst of light, just like a flash. Which one will be brighter at one meter? At three meters? Is there a conversion formula? Thanx.

[@myplanetearth8831]

Nice information 😍❤️💞💕

[@leemurai]

Need to watch this at least four times to catch everything...first round all I retained was lick nuts. LOL.

[@geraldundone]

Hahaha. Then my work here is done. 😂😜

[@lisafaireymusic]

Cool thanks! Am needing this content! Sent by Indrepreneur! Cheers! 🦋💗🧚🏼‍♂️

[@elishaisabelle1765]

Sosososososososososososo Helpful! Thankyou!

[@geraldundone]

You're very welcome! Thanks for the comment. 😃👍

[@groovymotion5706]

Gerald shed some light on the subject! 😂

[@SteveMayedaTV]

Man how do you know all this stuff!?!?! Right when I’m looking for a monitor. This whole time I thought ‘nits’ were in your hair

[@geraldundone]

Haha. Thanks, Steve! Those are definitely not the nits you want. 😜

[@raghuvasam]

Just Awesome👌

[@msanand7]

Hello buddy!! Thanks a lot for the video. Could you help me understand how 1500 lm at 0.5 m is calculated to 2400 lux @ 4:17 for wider angle and 1500 lm at 0.5 for narrower angle 12000 lux. Could you or someone please help.

[@adityaratra7290]

NUTSHELL : AWESOME. PERIOD.

[@kittytwister9011]

Thank you!!

[@windwardatom8578]

In Nits how low can an iPhone get vs what we already know is it can exceed 1200(HDR) on the latest model. Nothing like this exists yet please find out.

[@Nivenization]

Thank you.

[@TheGeoDaddy]

Still a little fizzy on why LEDs are still not useful for Stage illumination than Tungsten - because the LEDs can’t “throw” as far as Tungsten - but LEDs are good for video/filming because the lights are kept in closet proximity... other than it works! Which is important for me because the Theatre space I am going to shoot in has a very limited electrical capacity and the existing tungstens are just about IT! So I am keeping them for the backdrop/sets... but bringing in my 3 Point Lighting kits (two Intellytechs L-160s and one Aputure D3000 for key) and have to run them ALL on battery power. Haven’t set things up yet, but I’m assuming I’ll be able to keep two different lights sources in balance as everything will be shot at 5600K.

[@The_0ne504]

GOT DAMMIT GERALD!!!! We talked about this last week. It's "What is HAAAAppening everybody?!?!?"

[@geraldundone]

Haha. I know, I know... maybe next week. 😜

[@paolonervi2208]

super useful

[@LucaOliviero]

Very interesting! By the way, totally off topic question. What free LUT do you recommend for GH5 Cine D footage?

[@geraldundone]

Thanks, Luca. I don't really use many LUTs with CineD. Paul Leeming has a good one, but it's not free. But for creative LUTs, I haven't really experimented that much with what's out there.

[@motechhd]

That's a brilliant educational video, I had fun watching it, I just have a little question, I know you use Aputure H672s as your key light with an umbrella to diffuse the light, do you think it's the better option compare the Falcon eyes RX-18T which is a flexible LED mate? as it's a larger source of light or the light power that comes from H672s compensate for that after diffusion? Thanks in advance for your answer, it would help me a lot in my channel as my lights are very bad and allover the place :( keep up the good work :)

[@geraldundone]

For what I do the Aputure is plenty powerful enough, even after diffusion. I'm not a huge fan of flexible LEDs because I don't like the diffusion options as much. I always end up bouncing them. Falcon Eyes also has their Sophiez series which are pre-diffused. The SO-48 or 68 would be big enough for a key I bet.

[@motechhd]

@@geraldundone Thanks for the quick response, the problem is with my budget as well as I can get the Aputure light cheaper than the Faclon Eyes by like 100 Euros, so do think it's enough to my key light and use it for Tech reviews maybe with a little help of a smaller light like Aputure F7? Thanks again

[@geraldundone]

Yes, absolutely. I'm only using mine at 30% power.

[@veggiet2009]

I wish you'd use "Watt" similar to the way that lightbulbs use Watt. The term being "Watt equivalence" which could be more accurately called "Incandescent Equivalent" or "How bright is this compared to the average incadescent bulb rated at a certain wattage. Why this would be useful is that I learned doing photography / videography with 500 watt bulbs, when I went digital I learned that I could get away with using 200 watt incandescent, even though now I go to the store looking at the Lumens value each bulb maintains, I still do tend to fall back on the "Watt Equivalent" rating. It would be nice to know what the "Watt Equivalent" would be for some of these other technologies, and LED panel displays.

[@finnillson4808]

This was a lot of luxing information.

[@geraldundone]

😃😂🙏

[@hamzalag2006]

Thank you

[@Zakna]

OMG HES CRAZY . QUIT LICKS AND NUTS

[@nightryder21]

OMG for the sake of all the kittens in the world, bring back the original greeting.

[@geraldundone]

If I'm hearing you right, you want me to use a kitten in the next greeting? 😜

[@ahmedtajbir]

How much lux is ideal for product photography

[@shamnarinepersaud1942]

What is the s in lighting eg 30s

[@gregsullivan7408]

There's one thing I don't quite understand: why the Nit is Cd/m2. A Candela is essentially a measure of power per unit area (a Steridian is essentially a measure of area, afterall). So it doesn't make sense to me to say "power per unit area, per unit area". Do they really mean that the Nit is "the amount of power in 1 Steridian worth of a light source, that is emitting at X Candelas intensity, per square metre"? That's not the same thing as "Candelas per square metre".

[@timbeaton5045]

@ 3:49 Illuminated confirmed!

[@plaidklaus3407]

I love the information in this video and your explanations, but it's hard to focus on the information with those gap cuts. I know it's a style of web tutorial videos to remove all empty space, but leave a bit more space for the viewer's mind to process the load of information that you just dropped. Just a suggestion. Obviously, do what works for you, but I just wanted to give some feedback. Overall, excellent video, I'll be following more from your channel!

[@veggiet2009]

So if I have a 3,000 NIT Led display, how many Lumens does it have? if I place it 6 feet behind a subject, how much light maximum could I expect it to project onto that person?

[@davidhrzenjak]

I think that depends on the size of the display. Because lets say you have 2 displays at 3000 nits they will have the same percieved brightness but will illuminate the subject twice as bright than only one display.

[@napalmhardcore]

Why do some of your videos have what looks like screen tearing but vertical? Edit: My bad, some bug with my computer/display drivers.

[@PostColorGear]

Hey!!! I'm a pedantic physicist!!

[@geraldundone]

I mean, I didn't want to name names... 😜

[@Enrique-the-photographer]

💡👍

[@kaistudio8229]

you light my brain

[@catnamestaken]

Cool

[@mattlappinen5029]

That's nice to know, but I am not a math wizard. How about getting this into a guide number that I can understand as a photographer? Please keep it simple.

[@benzinfilms8761]

what's happening ??!! i miss that "what's happening" thing :D

[@geraldundone]

I'm sure it will make an appearance soon. 😋

[@Photographicelements]

The Flux Capacitor.

[@geraldundone]

How much power would something like that take to run? It would probably be measured in gigawatts...🤓

[@Photographicelements]

@@geraldundone Mr Fusion.

[@ruwangifernando9270]

I Subscribe and I am sure you are fit to get a diamond playbotten

[@hassanhashmi4715]

gr8

[@__donez__]

0:36 "If there are any pedantic physicists out there..." Thanks for the warning.

[@bitTorrenter]

So, the correct order is Lumens - Lux - Nits

[@aboalhassenahmed7270]

😂🖤

[@imiy]

Very nice channel picture of Elon Musk

[@geraldundone]

Haha. You think I look like Elon Musk? 😜

[@imiy]

@@geraldundone at least on your channel avatar. Or maybe he looks like you :)

[@stans5270]

IF, Randy Johnson measures light, is he a Lumen, Lux, or a Nit?

[@geraldundone]

Haha. The pitcher?

[@stans5270]

@@geraldundone Yep - nicknamed "The Unit"

[@underdog_factor]

GIVE ME YOUR BRAINNNNNNN

[@LegionOfWeirdos]

"Candela" sounds like a stripper's name.

[@timbeaton5045]

@ 0:39 Pedantic Physicist just got her ass handed to her. Or him! 😎

[@ikestrom]

Thanks! Fun and informative watch as always. For a slightly more formal and math-heavy explanation, John P. Hess from Filmmaker IQ covered this here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3Ork4xvpZl1nas

[@geraldundone]

That's interesting. I hadn't seen that video before yet I'm subscribed to FIlmmaker IQ. There are some very close similarities between our videos in that segment. I kinda feel bad now. I guess mine will stand as the "lite" version. 🤔 Thanks for sharing and for the kind words.

[@ikestrom]

@@geraldundone No need to feel bad at all! Your "lite" version is a welcome addition to the lighting & exposure KZbin canon :) Keep up the great work!

[@NavarroOne]

Way too much info crammed in there, very confusing

[@anthonyfesce3838]

Science be-yotch! 😂

[@xmlthegreat]

It's just Lightception.

[@geraldundone]

Insert Leo gif here. 😜