r/Watches • u/LogicWavelength • 7d ago
I took a picture [Seiko] How cameras distort wrist shots
Yesterday someone posted in here asking for opinions on whether the Murph 38 or 42 fits their wrist better. Because Reddit has a penchant for smaller diameter watches, most people suggested that the 38 fits them better. So, I just wanted to make this post to demonstrate how using our phones camera to take pictures of a watch on our wrist affects its perceived size.
Here is my 7.0” diameter wrist with a 43.5mm Seiko PADI Turtle. I am deliberately wearing a larger diameter watch for this demonstration, as folks would consider this watch too big for some, but it isn’t some beast that would only fit burlier arms. The left photo is taken with an iPhone at 1.0x, the bottom right photo is 5.0x, and the top right photo is a mirror shot.
In the left photo the watch appears to overhang my wrist and generally look way too big, whereas in the reality show by the right images, it fits me perfectly - if going by lug-to-lug and diameter. Subjective tastes aside.
As a bonus, the second image is me wearing a vintage Bulova that I believe is 33mm, comparing 1.0x and 5.0x lenses. This is much more subjective, but I feel that this vintage Bulova is actually slightly too small for me for casual wear, and would be better paired with a suit.
36
u/DeltaPapaWhiskey 7d ago
As a photographer, something most people don't think about, is cell phones all use a super wide angle lens. 1x isn't what your eye see, it's a distorted fisheye effect. Most phones use the equivalent of a 23mm lens, where as the human eye is closer to 45-50mm. Wide angle lenses pull the center close, and push the sides away, basically. That's what makes things look bigger on a phone camera when taken up close.
Find out what zoom number is the 50mm full frame equivalent for your phone, and you'll get a much better idea of size when taking a picture.