This Watch Can Tell You The Exposure Settings For Your Film Camera
The Nodus Obscura is the first mechanical watch to integrate an exposure gauge for film photographers who don’t have a light meter.
Made in partnership with Beers and Cameras, the patented timepiece’s exposure gauge is based on the Sunny 16 rule; a classic photography guideline for estimating exposure settings in daylight without a light meter.
The Sunny 16 rule is for photographers working with old cameras that have no light meters or for those whose built-in meters have run out of battery.
As explained in PetaPixel’s guide, it’s a formula that will tell the photographer what shutter speed to use on a bright sunny day when the lens’ aperture is set to f/16.
Essentially, when shooting at f/16 on a sunny day, the shutter speed should be “equal” to the ISO. So, if the photographer is shooting at ISO 100, then their shutter speed should be at 1/100 second for the correct exposure. If they were shooting at ISO 800, then their shutter speed should be set to 1/800s.
The Nodus Obscura expands upon this principle by “offering settings for various other apertures, ISOs, and the most common lighting conditions of sunny days and overcast cloudy skies.”
The exposure gauge operates via the watch’s bezel. First, the photographer must turn the bezel indicator clockwise to find the aperture value that corresponds to the camera’s aperture setting.
Then using the dial-ring, find the correct ISO marker based on the film speed they are using. The ISO indicator on the chapter ring points to the corresponding shutter speed on the bezel.
Taking into account the lighting conditions (sunny or cloudy with minimal shadows), the photographer can then use the shutter speed indicated on the bezel to properly set their camera and take pictures.
Designed and assembled in Los Angeles, the Nodus Obscura costs $650. Aside from being a helpful analog photography aid, it is also a stylish bit of wrist jewelry.
“Function meets form in a sleek and wearable package. The Obscura is built with a new compact Sector Il case in 316L stainless steel, measuring just 11.7mm thick while maintaining a robust 100-meter water resistance,” Beers and Cameras writes about the watch.
“The seconds hand, finished in light blue and white, pays homage to the photographic technique of exposing slide film sprocket holes. Additionally, the shade of blue is drawn from vintage depth-of-field markings found on 1980s zoom lenses, complementing the orange-hued ‘+1’ stop markers representing ISO 200 and ISO 800 on the dial.”
“At 12 o’clock, the aperture indicator and ISO 100 marker form an hourglass-like alignment—a subtle reference to the passage of time and a nod to Seiko’s legendary SNA411 Flightmaster which uses a similar-shaped marker,” it adds.
The Nodus Obscura is currently available for pre-order and is expected to ship in June 2025. Head to the Nodus website for more.
Image credits: Nodus
