iPhone5 or S3 for the best self-portraits/mirror camera shots?

[jstar002]

Which phone is best for taking the most flattering pics of myself and those typical "facebook"self portraits "mirror shots"? Not the timer function but those self-portrait shots where you are holding out the phone in order to snap photos of yourself/outfit etc?

I've read reviews on both phones in regards to the camera but all of the reviews were based on "Regular" photos such as photos of landscapes or of individuals that were taken by another person. From those reviews it appeared that the iphone5 had better quality and S3 was a bit too saturated and sometimes overexposed...

However, what about for people who will be using the phone to take pics of themselves all the time? Which phone does this the best?

I'm talking about self portraits like this http://instagram.com/p/Sf34HolXlc/ or mirror shots http://instagram.com/p/St8Nx8lXqH/

It may sound like I'm trolling but I'm seriously not; I will be mainly taking self portraits myself very often and want to know which phone will be best suited for this.

A lot of times self-portraits can come out "distorted" looking because of the angle and make your face look weird. Right now I'm using a regular digital camera and most of them turn out looking wonky because of the angle and they aren't as flattering as if they would be if taken by another person. Which phone camera takes the most flattering self portraits?

 

[steviewhy]

lol. I heard iPads are superior for this use case, so maybe go with the iPhone.

 

[cynics]

I enjoy me some mirror shots....

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Please no duck faces.

 

[Xanderstone12]

You have got to be kidding.

 

[jstar002]

I'm actually not kidding... Just because YOU may not take self portraits, fact of the matter is that there are LARGE number of individuals who use the camera function of their phones exclusively for self portraits... As vain as it may sound; if that is the function I am interested in, who are you to judge?

Not everyone wants to take pics of flowers, landscapes and other people. Some of us wants to take pics of ourselves mainly. I am being brutally honest; I would be lying if I said I was using the camera to take pics of other people/landscapes etc...

Once in a while I will use it to take pics of food, something interesting but 90 percent of the time I'm taking pics of myself and I need something that will take flattering photos which believe it or not, can be difficult due to the angle you're holding it when taking pics of yourself...

I am not kidding. I actually bought my Sony Cybershot with the sole purpose of self portraits. This topic isn't for you to judge on whether that is vain or self absorbed (which I know most of you are thinking/judging) but about which camera is BEST suited for this purpose.

There are many people who use their phones mainly to take pics of themselves, however they are probably not as honest enough as me to post about it online. Or they don't care about the technicality/quality enough to post about it...

 

[Xanderstone12]

I'm actually not kidding... Just because YOU may not take self portraits, fact of the matter is that there are LARGE number of individuals who use the camera function of their phones exclusively for self portraits... As vain as it may sound; if that is the function I am interested in, who are you to judge?

Not everyone wants to take pics of flowers, landscapes and other people. Some of us wants to take pics of ourselves mainly. I am being brutally honest; I would be lying if I said I was using the camera to take pics of other people/landscapes etc...

Once in a while I will use it to take pics of food, something interesting but 90 percent of the time I'm taking pics of myself and I need something that will take flattering photos which believe it or not, can be difficult due to the angle you're holding it when taking pics of yourself...

I am not kidding. I actually bought my Sony Cybershot with the sole purpose of self portraits. This topic isn't for you to judge on whether that is vain or self absorbed (which I know most of you are thinking/judging) but about which camera is BEST suited for this purpose.

What camera do you use for these self shots now? If you are smoking hot I would say use a device with a good camera. If you are so so then use one that makes you look a little fuzzy.

If you are female post a pic up

 

[Beeplance]

Have not actually used the S3 for self-portraits so can't say anything much on that part.


But I do know that the iPhone 5 front-facing camera is quite decent for this purpose.

 

[jstar002]

What camera do you use for these self shots now? If you are smoking hot I would say use a device with a good camera. If you are so so then use one that makes you look a little fuzzy.

If you are female post a pic up

Why would I post a pic here? This is not a dating site. Why would I post a pic for your amusement?

I currently use Cybershot because BB is not compatible with Instagram.

Whether I am hot or not is irrelevant and not your concern. My question is which camera shoots the BEST self portraits and is best suited for this purpose? In articles debating image quality between S3 and Iphone5, many have stated that the Iphone 5 is best suited for regular pictures... http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-6454_7...s-samsung-galaxy-s3-vs-htc-one-x-the-cameras/ so obviously one is better than the other in this regard.

So why give me a run around answer that it doesn't matter as long as one is "hot"? What kind of an answer is that? Why be dismissive just because you don't like the nature of my question?

If someone were to ask "Which phone is best for browsing?" Would you respond "It doesn't matter, as long as you are having fun and use a good quality phone"... What kind of a nonsense answer is that? It is obvious that one camera would be better suited to these type of pics; one always has the edge over the other in terms of anything.

Also, how is it any of your business and how is it relevant what gender I am? It is none of your business and is not something you need to know in order to answer my question. It is irrelevant to the subject at hand. I am only here to discuss which camera is best suited for self portraits; not to discuss anything about my gender, personal life or attractiveness. It doesn't concern you.

 

[Xanderstone12]

Why would I post a pic here? This is not a dating site. Why would I post a pic for your amusement?

I currently use Cybershot because BB is not compatible with Instagram.

Whether I am hot or not is irrelevant and not your concern. My question is which camera shoots the BEST self portraits and is best suited for this purpose? In articles debating image quality between S3 and Iphone5, many have stated that the Iphone 5 is best suited for regular pictures... http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-6454_7...s-samsung-galaxy-s3-vs-htc-one-x-the-cameras/ so obviously one is better than the other in this regard.

So why give me a run around answer that it doesn't matter as long as one is "hot"? What kind of an answer is that? Why be dismissive just because you don't like the nature of my question?

If someone were to ask "Which phone is best for browsing?" Would you respond "It doesn't matter, as long as you are having fun and use a good quality phone"... What kind of a nonsense answer is that?

Also, how is it any of your business and how is it relevant what gender I am? It is none of your business and is not something you need to know in order to answer my question. It is irrelevant to the subject at hand.

You came in and asked a stupid question. Don't me bad at the stupid answers.

 

[jstar002]

You came in and asked a stupid question. Don't me bad at the stupid answers.

Many people have asked in this and other forums as to which phone has better camera quality. So why would it be stupid for me to ask which phone is best suited for self portraits? It's not a stupid question; if you feel it is stupid it is because you judge people who take self portraits. However, I am not asking for personal judgments on my character, only as to which camera is best suited for self portraits. How is that a stupid question?

It's a different variation/slant on asking which camera has the superior quality. One that has better quality with regular pics may not be the "best" for self portraits since those require holding the phone at awkward angles etc. I am looking for which camera is the best for the purpose that I intend to use it for, which if you think about it, is actually smart.

 

[Xanderstone12]

How is it a stupid question? Many people have asked in this and other forums as to which phone has better camera quality? So why would it be stupid for me to ask which phone is best suited for self portraits? It's not a stupid question; if you feel it is stupid it is because you judge people who take self portraits. However, I am not asking for personal judgments on my character, only as to which camera is best suited for self portraits. How is that a stupid question?

I love mirror pics.

Do you think one device is going to be better than the next for mirror shots specifically? Why not just ask which device had the best camera for taking pictures? What If someone said "which device works best for taking pics of food?" Really you just need to know which device takes the best pics.

 

[jstar002]

I love mirror pics.

Do you think one device is going to be better than the next for mirror shots specifically? Why not just ask which device had the best camera for taking pictures? What If someone said "which device works best for taking pics of food?" Really you just need to know which device takes the best pics.

Not just mirror pics but SELF PORTRAITS, where you are holding the phone out and snapping pics of your face... It's HARD to take good self portraits because of the angle that you are holding the phone at; pics can come out distorted and unflattering. Self pics are different than if someone else would be photographing you or photographing food because you are holding it at an awkward angle when taking pics of yourself... A lot of times facial features look funny or "flatter" in self portraits....

From my experience, your face looks different in self portraits (not mirror pics) than when someone else is taking it of you... Facial features look different because of the angle...

Taking pics of food is different because you are aiming straight whereas if you are taking a picture of yourself it's hard to get it to look good because you aren't looking through the eye piece...

Obviously you don't take pics of yourself because it's DIFFERENT than taking pics of food! When you take pics of food or landscapes you can focus and look through at the screen. When you are taking a photo of yourself you obviously can't and features always come out distorted/bigger.... For example, your face generally looks bigger, nose looks bigger, wider etc when taking self portraits because of the way that the phone is held...

 

[Xanderstone12]

Not just mirror pics but SELF PORTRAITS, where you are holding the phone out and snapping pics of your face... It's HARD to take good self portraits because of the angle that you are holding the phone at; pics can come out distorted and unflattering. Self pics are different than if someone else would be photographing you or photographing food because you are holding it at an awkward angle when taking pics of yourself... A lot of times facial features look funny or "flatter" in self portraits....

From my experience, your face looks different in self portraits (not mirror pics) than when someone else is taking it of you... Facial features look different because of the angle...

Taking pics of food is different because you are aiming straight whereas if you are taking a picture of yourself it's hard to get it to look good because you aren't looking through the eye piece...

Obviously you don't take pics of yourself because it's DIFFERENT than taking pics of food! When you take pics of food or landscapes you can focus and look through at the screen. When you are taking a photo of yourself you obviously can't.

I like the front facing camera on the iPhone for those pics. You are looking at the pic before you take it and it isn't such high quality that its showing your boogers.

 

[jstar002]

I like the front facing camera on the iPhone for those pics. You are looking at the pic before you take it and it isn't such high quality that its showing your boogers.

Ok; that's what I wanted to know. Thank you for answering my question.

 

[zbarvian]

You couldn't just ask which has a better front facing camera? Or what won't make my face look weird? The way you detailed your whole dilemma makes you seem like a narcissist, and your following comments really do too.

 

[jstar002]

You couldn't just ask which has a better front facing camera? Or what won't make my face look weird? The way you detailed your whole dilemma makes you seem like a narcissist, and your following comments really do too.

I didn't know about "front facing camera" terminology; I didn't know there was an actual name for that feature. Now I do. In regards to making my face look weird that happens more with "front facing" shots and not so much with regular shots and felt the need to specify. I simply phrased it as "self portraits" instead of "front facing camera" because I didn't know that's what it was called.

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Ok, I've been reading about Iphone5's front facing feature and it's pretty cool. I have an old Blackberry now and it doesn't have anything like this at all.... I didn't know that the Iphone5 had a feature just for self-pics...

http://mac-how-to.wonderhowto.com/inspiration/10-uses-for-front-facing-iphone-camera-0127659/

Does the S3 have a similar feature??

The only thing that is making me hesitant to Iphone5 is no led notification (I have a BB and addicted to LED flashing since my ringer is always turned off) and no hard back button...

 

[F123D]

The Samsung has a feature where you can point the camera and say "cheese", "smile", "snap", etc and it'll take the photo.. You dont have to press anything.

 

[jstar002]

How is the front facing camera on S3 in comparison with the iphone5?

When I search google most of the articles about front facing camera quality for the s3 focus on video; however I'm mainly concerned with photos...

 

[zbarvian]

How is the front facing camera on S3 in comparison with the iphone5?

When I search google most of the articles about front facing camera quality for the s3 focus on video; however I'm mainly concerned with photos...

Dude, nobody knows. People don't test for this stuff, nor do they obsess about the images the front camera produces. It's meant for video chat and occasional self portraits, not as a paramount feature. I've FaceTimed with my 5's front camera, and took a shot together with my gf's Android phone. They both make your face look different (in a bad way). I'm sure every front facing camera does.

 

[jstar002]

Dude, nobody knows. People don't test for this stuff, nor do they obsess about the images the front camera produces. It's meant for video chat and occasional self portraits, not as a paramount feature. I've FaceTimed with my 5's front camera, and took a shot together with my gf's Android phone. They both make your face look different (in a bad way). I'm sure every front facing camera does.

I actually was able to find an article that devoted some time to self portraits with the S3.. It has anti-shake feature which is good because it's hard to have a steady hand when taking pics of yourself...

Also, the S3 also has a "beauty mode" which as face detection as well as a "denoise function" to smoothe out your skin etc...

Shooting self-portraits with the Galaxy S3

The Samsung Galaxy S3 offers, just like its predecessor, a 4x digital zoom lens, by ‘pinching’ the display, you automatically zoom in. To enhance image quality, the Samsung Galaxy S3 has an image stabilization function, via the photo settings menu you can turn on the 'Anti-shake' function, in order to counteract camera shake. This menu also has 13 different scene modes, as well as 3 different color effects. Additionally, you can adjust the flash settings. With the Galaxy S3, just like with the Galaxy S2, you can easily take self-portraits, thanks to the 1.9 megapixel camera on the front. With one tap on the screen, the camera is activated on the front, so that you can see how the photo will look.

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Here is another review of self portraits with S3

The front facing camera remains nothing to write home about at just shy of 2MP and packing a sensor that looks a bit past its sell-by date. Pictures of yourself are good enough for a video chat, a quick self-portrait or squeezing a spot, but images do look flat, slightly grainy and a bit washed out. Thinking about it that could have just been how I looked on the day.

Read more: http://www.gizmobird.co.uk/2012/07/samsung-galaxy-s3-review-1012.html#ixzz2Ec5zil3V


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So apparently Iphone5 is superior when it comes to front facing pics.

 

[zbarvian]

I actually was able to find an article that devoted some time to self portraits with the S3.. It has anti-shake feature which is good because it's hard to have a steady hand when taking pics of yourself...

Also, the S3 also has a "beauty mode" which as face detection as well as a "denoise function" to smoothe out your skin etc...

Shooting self-portraits with the Galaxy S3

The Samsung Galaxy S3 offers, just like its predecessor, a 4x digital zoom lens, by ‘pinching’ the display, you automatically zoom in. To enhance image quality, the Samsung Galaxy S3 has an image stabilization function, via the photo settings menu you can turn on the 'Anti-shake' function, in order to counteract camera shake. This menu also has 13 different scene modes, as well as 3 different color effects. Additionally, you can adjust the flash settings. With the Galaxy S3, just like with the Galaxy S2, you can easily take self-portraits, thanks to the 1.9 megapixel camera on the front. With one tap on the screen, the camera is activated on the front, so that you can see how the photo will look.

Ok, but I doubt anybody's devoting serious time to compare the images of the 5 and S3 and determining which is more flattering.

 

[jstar002]

Ok, but I doubt anybody's devoting serious time to compare the images of the 5 and S3 and determining which is more flattering.

Well, it is a good way for a blogger to get a lot of attention and traffic if they were to do such a comparison since I'm sure many people would like to know (they just aren't brave enough to admit it publicly as I am).

If Cnet did wrote an article about self portraits and which camera would be best I'm sure it would go viral and get a ton of traffic. People want to know these things!

 

[zbarvian]

Well, it is a good way for a blogger to get a lot of attention and traffic if they were to do such a comparison since I'm sure many people would like to know (they just aren't brave enough to admit it publicly as I am).

If Cnet did wrote an article about self portraits and which camera would be best I'm sure it would go viral and get a ton of traffic. People want to know these things!

Sounds like the false-consensus effect.

 

[jstar002]

Sounds like the false-consensus effect.

Not really; I know people who use their cell phone cameras for self shots 90 percent of the time. The number of people who use their cameras exclusively for self shots is higher than you think. People just won't admit it publicly.