Nikon SLR Cameras

Why do I look so different in high quality cameras then in a selfie?

shawnie
09.05.2016
shawnie

My eyes look ok in a selfie but in high quality pictures such as talking a pic with a Nikon my eyes are different sizes and they kind of sag down from the top and small bags under my eyes are way more visible, I don't look like this in the mirrore either but why in high quality cameras?

john
09.05.2016
john

You're being too self conscious. Many factors could be the reasoning of that and it most likely isn't the camera

G. Whilikers
09.05.2016
G. Whilikers

It's mostly a function of the lens and lighting. Here's a set of photos of one model taken with several different lenses: http://gizmodo.com/...retty-face

Guest
09.05.2016
Guest

The lens - It's all about the lens. Smartphones all use a wide-angle lens equivalent to 28mm in 35mm-format photography. All wide-angle lenses produce distortion that makes things close look much larger than things just a few feet away. Much like your reflection on the backside of a spoon.

Real cameras have either a zoom lens or the ability to change lenses. There are lenses that are called portrait lenses. These lenses are in the 85-150mm range (35mm format). They do not produce the wide-angle distortion of short-focal-length lenses. Instead, lenses that are stronger than about 50mm (again in 35mm format) will have just the opposite effect. These lenses compress the facial features which often makes people look more attractive in photos than they do in real life.

Here's a link showing how using too wide of lens can drastically distort the look of an otherwise attractive person: http://www.stepheneastwood.com/tutorials/lensdistortion/tilepage.htm
Note: The 50mm lens produces a look very close to how she'd look in real life. Notice how her facial features distort as the focal length decreases.

So, how do you avoid this from happening to you? Easy, don't use a phone. Use a real camera with a zoom lens. If this isn't an option, then don't take photos of yourself with the phone at arms length. Have someone else take your photo further away. You can crop the image later. Also, avoid being the one at the edge of the frame. The wide-angle distortion is much more pronounced at the edges than in the center of the frame.