Euglena gracilis and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were used as model organisms to establish the best conditions for studying photosynthetic efficiency using the Light Pipette – experimental system, which enables sensitive detection of changes in oxygen evolution/consumption and an easy collection and digitalisation of data. Chlorophyll concentrations of 0.005, 0.025, 0.050 and 0.075 mgmL-1 were investigated using different light regimes. Cultures of E. gracilis at the same chlorophyll concentration absorbed more light(measured at 580 μmol m-2 s-1) than those of C. reinhardtii. Cell density had a considerable effect on the reliability of measurements. Chlorophyll concentrations between 0.025 mgChl ml-1 and 0.050 mgChlml-1 can be recommended when applying the Light Pipette system in bioassays using microalgae.