Is the mirror or the camera more accurate?

[scarlett774]

Every time I take a mirror selfie or even look in the mirror and then take a picture with the camera it looks soo different. The mirror one honestly looks better. But which one is more accurate and which one do people see?

[Clo917]

We are 3D beings that are constantly moving, a photo is a 2D still image that if taken from the wrong angle/lighting, can drastically distort your face. I'm inclined to say mirrors are more accurate, but they're not 100% truthful too as they are flipped. I think the most accurate way to know how you look, is to set up a camera from a good angle with good lighting and take a video of yourself in motion.

All that said, camera vs mirror, I say mirror, but neither is 100%.

[Passinggas]

The mirror adds refraction errors and diffraction smearing to the pixel precision that is apparent when shot direct. The mirror has the effect of almost simulation film to some degree.

[0112358]

Are you comparing a mirror selfie to an 'arm stretched out' selfie, or to a photo taken by someone else?

[scarlett774]

Both I guess and how I look in the mirror compared to when a photo is taken of me

[0112358]

When a camera is close to you, there's distortion of your face. Arm length selfies suffer from this quite a bit. mirror selfies are more accurate. A decent photo taken by someone else is probably even more accurate.

As for 'looking in the mirror' that's likely more accurate in the sense you see a moving living person, not an image.