Have you ever wanted a light meter that was always to hand? Increment Labs might have what you’re looking for.
The company’s forthcoming LMW-V1 light meter for film photographers is a wristwatch that its makers claim will make you a better photographer by helping you learn to read the quality of light.
Increment Labs are a UK company made up of Eddie Wells, Rich Soler and Andy Barker-Jones. The LMW-V1 is their first product and will be launching via Kickstarter on Tuesday 5 May. (UPDATE: The Kickstarter project is now live and the watch met its fundraising target within 24 hours.)
“This idea was born from my frustration with trying to learn manual photography,” Soler tells Kosmo Foto. “As much as I love photography, I also struggled to squeeze it in my daily routine, especially when I’m trying to juggle work life, family, friends and a relationship. Photo sessions were infrequent so I ended up having to re-learn the controls every time I went out with my camera.
“This led me to ponder whether there is a way to train your eye on aperture and shutter speed everywhere you went with a more convenient tool than a bulky camera. That’s how the idea of the light meter watch came about.”
The meter can be used at any time to help the user train their eye “train your eye”, Soler says.
“Compared to simple hot-shoe mounted meters, our watch has far better ergonomics and features with a larger screen and more buttons,” Soler says.
He adds the watch meter has certain benefits compared to other accessory meters. “Compared to incident meters, our watch is nowhere near as bulky or obtrusive. As much as incident meters are great, they’re not exactly an essential item when you leave the house, so the watch is the perfect portable tool for photographers on the go.
“Compared to smartphone apps, not only do phones use different types of sensors compared to light meters, but it’s actually slower to use your phone when you consider the extra time needed to unlock your phone, scroll, swipe, load an app and tinker with the settings, by which point you may have missed the shot. Compare that to simply pressing a button on your watch which is far quicker.
Soler says the team believe the LMW-V1 is the first product like it on the market. “We’ve searched far and wide but there is nothing else like this on the market! There’s a couple watches out there with bezels you can rotate to help you see the settings based on sunny16, however none have an actual circuit light sensor integrated.”
He added that the design features elements borrowed from camera designs of the past: “The brushed aluminium case to mimic old SLRs/rangefinders, the strap to mimic the leatherette grip, buttons that resemble the shutter release button of a camera, we’re weaving all of it into our design.”
He hopes customers will use the meter to help them learn how to read light in front of them. “Say you’re walking around and you see a nice scene but haven’t got your camera, you can still guess the correct settings for that scene and use your watch as a sense check to tell you whether or not you are along the right lines. Our theory is that with repeated use, you will become far better at manual photography and have greater confidence in your settings and skills.”
The meter will also feature an alarm for morning “golden hour” and a red backlight which is safe to be used in the darkroom.
The LMW-V1 will cost £185, though those who join Increment Labs’ VIP programme will be offered the watch for only £110.
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
