Understanding nits to lamberts Conversion
The nit (nt) is the SI unit of luminance, equal to one candela per square metre, used to quote display and surface brightness. The lambert (L) is a CGS-based luminance unit equal to 1/π candela per square centimetre, named after Johann Heinrich Lambert and used in older photometry. Because the lambert is a much larger unit than the nit, this conversion produces small decimal values and appears when reconciling historical luminance data with modern SI figures.
Conversion Formula
To convert nits to lamberts, multiply by this factor:
Step-by-Step Example
Convert 25 nits to lamberts.
How to Convert nits to lamberts
Convert SI luminance in nits into the CGS lambert unit with one multiplication.
- Read your nit value: Begin with the luminance in nt (cd/m²).
- Multiply by the factor: Multiply by 0.0003141593, the number of lamberts per nit.
- Expect a small number: Because the lambert is large, ordinary nit values give fractional lamberts.
- Worked result: 25 nt × 0.0003141593 = 0.00785398 L.
nits to lamberts conversion table
| nits (nt) | lamberts (L) |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 0.0003141593 |
| 2 | 0.0006283185 |
| 3 | 0.0009424778 |
| 4 | 0.001256637 |
| 5 | 0.001570796 |
| 6 | 0.001884956 |
| 7 | 0.002199115 |
| 8 | 0.002513274 |
| 9 | 0.002827433 |
| 10 | 0.003141593 |
| 15 | 0.004712389 |
| 20 | 0.006283185 |
| 25 | 0.007853982 |
| 30 | 0.009424778 |
| 40 | 0.01256637 |
| 50 | 0.01570796 |
| 60 | 0.01884956 |
| 70 | 0.02199115 |
| 80 | 0.02513274 |
| 90 | 0.02827433 |
| 100 | 0.03141593 |
| 150 | 0.04712389 |
| 200 | 0.06283185 |
| 250 | 0.07853982 |
| 300 | 0.09424778 |
| 400 | 0.1256637 |
| 500 | 0.1570796 |
| 600 | 0.1884956 |
| 700 | 0.2199115 |
| 800 | 0.2513274 |
| 900 | 0.2827433 |
| 1000 | 0.3141593 |
| 2000 | 0.6283185 |
| 3000 | 0.9424778 |
| 4000 | 1.256637 |
| 5000 | 1.570796 |
| 10000 | 3.141593 |
| 25000 | 7.853982 |
| 50000 | 15.70796 |
| 100000 | 31.41593 |
| 250000 | 78.53982 |
| 500000 | 157.0796 |
| 1000000 | 314.1593 |
What is the nit?
The nit is a unit of luminance used to describe the brightness of light emitted from or reflected by a surface, most familiarly the screens of televisions, monitors, and phones. It is numerically identical to the SI unit, the candela per square metre.
Definition
One nit is exactly one candela per square metre, the luminous intensity of one candela spread over one square metre of projected surface area.
The two units are interchangeable: .
Origin and History
The name "nit" derives from the Latin nitere, meaning "to shine," and came into use in the mid-20th century as a convenient shorthand for the candela per square metre. It remains popular in the display and photometry industries.
Law and Notable Facts
The nit is not an official SI unit name but is exactly equal to the SI candela per square metre, so it carries no ambiguity. Display manufacturers routinely quote peak brightness in nits, with high-dynamic-range (HDR) televisions marketed at 1000 nits or more.
Real-World Examples and Conversions
- Standard SDR television: about 100 nits reference white.
- Modern OLED and LCD monitors: 250–600 nits.
- HDR displays: peak highlights of 1000–4000 nits.
- .
What is the Lambert?
The lambert is a non-SI unit of luminance, describing how much light is emitted or reflected from a surface toward an observer. It is named after the Swiss-German polymath Johann Heinrich Lambert and appears mainly in older optics, photometry, and lighting literature.
Definition
The lambert is defined so that a perfectly diffusing (Lambertian) surface emitting or reflecting a total luminous flux of one lumen per square centimetre has a luminance of one lambert.
Equivalently, . The factor of enters because luminance in candela per unit area relates to the emitted lumens per unit area through the geometry of a Lambertian (cosine-law) emitter. Sub-multiples such as the millilambert (mL) and microlambert are common in practice.
Origin and History
The unit honors Johann Heinrich Lambert (1728–1777), whose 1760 work Photometria laid the mathematical foundations of photometry, including the cosine emission law of diffuse surfaces. The lambert itself was proposed in the early 20th century as photometry was being systematized, and it saw wide use before the SI candela-per-square-metre (nit) became standard.
Law and Notable Facts
The lambert is not part of the SI and is discouraged in modern metrology, but it survives in legacy instruments and texts. A key convenience of the lambert family is that a perfect diffuse reflector illuminated by one lux has a luminance of exactly lambert, tidily linking illuminance and luminance for ideal surfaces.
Real-World Examples and Conversions
- A surface of 1 lambert equals about 3183 cd/m², roughly the brightness of a bright fluorescent lamp diffuser.
- 1 millilambert = 3.18310 cd/m², close to comfortable indoor lighting levels.
- The closely related foot-lambert (used for cinema screens) equals about 3.426 cd/m²; standard theater screen luminance of 14 fL corresponds to roughly 48 cd/m².
- 1 lambert ≈ 929.03 foot-lamberts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many lamberts is one nit?
One nit equals about 0.000314159 lamberts, since the lambert (1/π cd/cm²) is a far larger luminance unit than the nit.
How do I convert nits to lamberts?
Multiply the nit value by 0.0003141593. For example, 1,000 nits × 0.0003141593 ≈ 0.31416 lamberts.
How do I convert lamberts back to nits?
Multiply the lambert value by 3183.099. So 1 lambert ≈ 3,183 nits.
Why is the lambert value so small?
Because one lambert corresponds to over 3,000 nits, ordinary display brightness in nits maps to a tiny fraction of a lambert.
Is the lambert related to the foot-lambert?
They share a namesake and the same 1/π convention, but the lambert uses square centimetres while the foot-lambert uses square feet, making them different-sized units.
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Complete nits conversion table
| Unit | Result |
|---|---|
| candelas per square metre (cd/m2) | 1 cd/m2 |
| stilbs (sb) | 0.0001 sb |
| apostilbs (asb) | 3.141593 asb |
| lamberts (L) | 0.0003141593 L |
| foot-lamberts (fL) | 0.2918635 fL |