The camera uses a lens aperture to let light in; the human eye uses the pupil. They function in a similar way.
Many cameras can use a variety of different lenses, from wide-angle to telephoto lengths. The human eye is essentially a very wide-angle lens---roughly the equivalent of a 22mm lens.
A camera lens can create a brighter picture with less light than an eye can, simply because it can collect light over a period of time. The eye can only use the light visible at one instant.
The eye is better at determining contrast, or differences between light and dark, than a camera. The range of a human eye is far wider than any camera film.
As humans, our emotions do affect what we see, for better or worse. The camera can only record what is there.