For those who used to take a digital camera on holiday, do you now use your smartphone instead?

Forums › Digital Imaging › For those who used to take a digital camera on holiday, do you now use your smartphone instead?

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#1777097 7-May-2017 11:21

Technofreak:

joker97:

I dare say an iphone 7+ would be the best mobile phone to replace a proper camera,

That is a very bold statement.

I think there's a lot of other mobile phones that would at least match the iPhone 7.

Horses for courses, but for my purposes a phone doesn't match many of my photographic needs.

Obviously not for you because you don't want to use a phone to replace your camera. OP asks if a phone would replace a camera, and my response was ip7 would be the best IMO if he went that route.

My reasons

1. good internal post processing

2. wide range of optical focal length (2X)

3. "depth effect" when used appropriately

Batman

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#1777098 7-May-2017 11:30

sorry this is going to break the page but I don't know how to put a small photo that links to a big photo which opens in a new tab

Batman

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#1777100 7-May-2017 11:38

and since it's already broken ...

octopoly

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#1778664 9-May-2017 18:47

I carry always my micro 4/3 camera with me. I use my smartphones only occasionally for street photography. The quality is not bad and good enough for most web-related tasks and uses but for all serious photos, I use my camera. The image quality is just better and allows me to do large printouts of the photos.

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#1778672 9-May-2017 18:59

I can't imagine not taking a camera on holiday - on my most recent holiday I took a waterproof compact, a superzoom travel camera and a M43 mirrorless, and used all three.

Phones can take good photos but:

- underwater - I just wouldn't risk snorkelling with a phone, no matter how waterproof it's meant to be

- speed - maybe it's the phones I've used, but response time inc auto focus just isn't up there with a decent camera

- optical zoom - enough said

- sensor size - for clarity and low light performance, you can't touch M43 or bigger

- storage and backup - I like to be able to take the memory card out of the camera and backup the photos to a laptop, especially if I'm travelling for a week or more. This is fiddly with most phones. I'd still like a decent way to do this without a laptop, that doesn't involve large internet uploads

Maybe if I spent $1500 on a top range phone, some of the above would be solved, but then my M43 camera with two lenses cost $1k

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#1778680 9-May-2017 19:10

shk292:

Maybe if I spent $1500 on a top range phone, some of the above would be solved, but then my M43 camera with two lenses cost $1k

People spend 1k on a lens. And it must be worth it to them, or they wouldn't do it?

If I had $1500 thrown at me to spend with the options of:

a)flagship phone

b)decent prime lens

I'd go lens every time.

I would like a nice phone that has a great camera, of course I would

It's never going to compete with a dedicated lens. Perhaps the camera/lens separation will fully happen. We already see smartphones being used somewhat as camera backs (Sony).

I'm not sure how that type of system compares to a dedicated camera?

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#1778683 9-May-2017 19:19

shk292:
- storage and backup - I like to be able to take the memory card out of the camera and backup the photos to a laptop, especially if I'm travelling for a week or more. This is fiddly with most phones. I'd still like a decent way to do this without a laptop, that doesn't involve large internet uploads

I've changed my travelling model to using a camera connection kit for iPhone to import all the photos off SD card into my phone. Then google photos and Plex to backup. Plex goes to home.

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shk292

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#1778700 9-May-2017 19:52

davidcole:
shk292:

- storage and backup - I like to be able to take the memory card out of the camera and backup the photos to a laptop, especially if I'm travelling for a week or more. This is fiddly with most phones. I'd still like a decent way to do this without a laptop, that doesn't involve large internet uploads

I've changed my travelling model to using a camera connection kit for iPhone to import all the photos off SD card into my phone. Then google photos and Plex to backup. Plex goes to home.

Yes, that would work except where internet connectivity is limited or expensive

In my recent holiday I was paying $10 per 450MB and I probably shot 25GB of photos

rayonline

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#1960981 20-Feb-2018 14:01

I got this unlocked. Interesting thread :)

I admit that I belong to a camera club and all I had before was dSLRs. Yes, I used to travel myself overseas etc .. or when I went with others here to the South Island we spent all our time in photogenic places ie national parks etc .. and lakes. It was however not to their liking cos they prefer cities, malls, cafes etc .. The same if you walk around anywhere in Wellington, that's where people spend their time esp after 4PM.

The newer dSLRs have gotten larger esp now with full frame being more affordable. So travel wise, it's OK if you are out there for those few hours and you're photographing but things like casual things - on the train / plane, having your foreign meal, in a mall. The big camera is awkward. I also did a trip overseas with the others here and yeah again ... you couldn't go out every day to your places, and just photograph, you couldn't delay dinner to 9PM every day. It's not like with others you would walk mindless around the same block for 2hrs for some street shots or at night, nor would you go to the botanical garden with your tripod and macro lens or spend most of your holiday in a photogenic remote town.

If I was a foreign group tourist visiting NZ it's not like we would come here and just spend the 10 days on the West Coast and fly out.

Even with serious photography, many of my club members have moved away from dSLRs to mirrorless, M4/3 being the most popular for them. Granted they are more walkabout style or visiting places like Myanmar for street photography. So I am looking for maybe a second hand Fuji, since I still shoot a manual film camera occasionally and prefer the Fuji analogue dials. It is for the small size and stick with Fuji's prime lenses, their zooms are quite big as well.

Recently I picked up a second hand fit in the pocket Ricoh GR, similar to the Sony RX100 with a wee larger sensor and no zoom, Panasonic have something similar, Fuji has the X70 equiv. Yes, with people in general, smartphones are the way. At lunch you can share your images with people online, it's the world we live in now. The reality is that with my family and friends here, they are not interested in photography, they very seldom want prints, so it's just a quick spin thru on the HDTV. If they did want a print, it be a 5x7 of some close family and friends group shot. Like if they went on holiday and caught up with them. On holidays I find it is the enjoyment and time together. I suppose its not different to the film days, we also only did family snaps in the past.

Before I got the Ricoh, certainly I did use my smartphone. Casual stuff, in the cafe, restaurant, the mall, on the plane / train it was great. Able to upload and share online with mobile data. The Ricoh is a 28mm lens equiv so it's similar to a smartphone without zooming in. One of the reasons of the Ricoh was the larger sensor I could take casual shots without the grain in low light. 28mm is like some of the disposable film camera at least with Fujifilm. So it's that general walkabout sightseeing lens.

When I look back. Esp with others. I could had been more laid back, enjoy the trip more, less on photography. On each city there was just 1 or 2 shots I really wanted to get. I could had took my larger mirrorless or dSLR out for that sunset or twilight hour and everything else just use my phone or a compact camera.

The smartphones are really good. In the film days, we had our compact camera, we dropped our film at the pharmacy, occasionally at the local lab. The prints were not as sharp, the color not as accurate and there were more handshake blur. With film handholding it, a night shot of the city was impossible. Maybe with a more premium film compact ie F2 lens etc .. But the majority of people didn't have that.

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#1961066 20-Feb-2018 15:38

Fully agree with the post above.

Lenses are what capture the light and direct/shape it onto a sensor. Interchangeable camera bodies will come and go over time, but the contribution the lens is doing is often undervalued.

It costs a lot to get a good lens, and this cost typically increases with sensor size.

You'd easily spend more money on one lens for a APS-C or larger sensor, than you could buy a whole advanced point and shoot camera for.

I struggle finding a decent quality zoom, with a useful range, that isn't super expensive, is weather sealed, and isn't a massive trade off in quality over primes.

Travelling with a couple of lenses, in that traditional kit 18 - 50mm and 50 - 200mm range, means a lot of swapping at times.

Milford sound was like this, where you want wide landscapes and close up seals/waterfall pics etc.

I honestly think a high quality compact would have been a better approach for travelling especially, than chopping and changing lenses.

And the weight, when travelling/lugging this stuff around all day, IS a viable point of consideration. Mirrorless seem to have this covered, both in terms of size (no need for the mirrorbox volume) and the size of the lenses seems smaller too, especially if you m4/3s.

Still wouldn't rely on a cellphone for travel, but am certainly questioning the DSLR kit I have (in favour of a mirrorless interchangeable lens system) for sure.

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#1961107 20-Feb-2018 17:11

heavenlywild:

That is the question I am asking myself. I have always used a digital camera on holiday, because I was never confident that my smartphone could do the job properly.

What do you plan to do on your next holiday?

I tend to have high-end smart phones, so the cameras are pretty good. For normal 2D photos I use my current smart phone.

For 3D I still use the Fuji Real3D W3.

For 2D 360 VR (still or video) I use the Samsumg Gear 360 - original. All things considered the second version isn't as good.

For 3D 180 VR (still or video) I use the Lucid VR Camera

for 3D 360 VR (still or video) I use the VUZE 3D 360 VR camera.

I also take a DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone with me most times, for those wide-view scenic panoramas at altitude that no normal camera can come close to doing. It has a 20mp camera on it.

I take a lot of cameras.

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shk292

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#1961169 20-Feb-2018 18:27

I think smartphones are never going to capture the sort of images you can take with a proper camera. Eg this one

rayonline

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#1961173 20-Feb-2018 18:36

Jaxson:

And the weight, when travelling/lugging this stuff around all day, IS a viable point of consideration. Mirrorless seem to have this covered, both in terms of size (no need for the mirrorbox volume) and the size of the lenses seems smaller too, especially if you m4/3s.

Depends on the trip. If I was into photography and had the opportunity to do so then it would be Olympus OMD. OTOH when I am with people I tend to just go to tourist sites quickly and into the cafe and restaurants, the markets and malls, using public transportation etc ... etc ... so for me I just take a high end compact and just bring out the mirrorless or dSLR a few evenings out and let them know to don't expect me.

I have a thing with old fashion film cameras so I prefer the Fuji. Zoom lenses are big esp the F2.8 so I just shoot prime lenses which I also prefer.

For me at times I don't get the opportunity. Because the others want to do something else. Daytime the light is strong so it's not the best, so often I may not carry any interchangeable camera out with me. It's like going to Disneyland or Hasting's Splash Planet or Rainbows End with a mirrorless and a few lenses in my camera bag ... err .... maybe not. The Ricoh GR is also known as a nice street camera so with daytime that's what I kinda resorted to.

Even now when I have not got my mirrorless yet. My standard kit for travelling even by myself is the 18-35/3.5-4.5 and the 50mm. Occasionally I have also taken a fixed 85mm or a consumer 80-200mm but find I seldom use that, I have used it but to me it is more deliberate photograph isolating the frame etc. I have found however the larger 70-200mm F4 easier but it is a lot larger and heavier cos it has stabiliser but I guess one could get a consumer 55-200 or 70-200mm f4.5-5.6 with stabiliser. I restrict myself to a belt bag. I have a thing with night cityscapes so that means a tripod, either way it is a dedicated trip, with people I don't always get to do that. I have a travel tripod. With myself I used to carry the tripod by hand all day, every day, but I really need to leave it in the hotel and come back for it.

One can also buy used. Olympus OMD can be had cheaply and if it doesn't suit can sell it with little pain.

rayonline

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#1961174 20-Feb-2018 18:39

shk292:

I think smartphones are never going to capture the sort of images you can take with a proper camera. Eg this one

Of course. But most tourists don't go on a holiday to shoot sports and wildlife :)

It all depends. Mum and dad with the kids on a typical holiday, not everyone wants to bring their camera and few lenses.

Batman

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#1961283 21-Feb-2018 07:17

I have a 1kg dslr, a 2 kg lens for 70-200mm, a 1kg lens for 24-70mm, and other 500g lenses. also have a 500g lens for 28-300mm. if i travelled i would use the 28-300mm but only if i don't want to enjoy my family. i have enough luggage to carry unfortunately.

so the poor dslr feels unloved most of the time. only used on special occasions.

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