Larry, you hit on something that's actually become important to me over the years...the camera capability. It was my main motivation for my most recent upgrade, honestly. I actually use the camera in my phone 'a lot'!!
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Larry, you hit on something that's actually become important to me over the years...the camera capability. It was my main motivation for my most recent upgrade, honestly. I actually use the camera in my phone 'a lot'!!
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Brand? Model? Link?Originally Posted by Brian Elfert
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
I fought to stay with a phone that was primarily a phone for a long time. Years ago so many "smart" phones weren't. Jim is also on target with staying with mainstream players not just major names. There are a lot of "smart phone shaped objects" out there. Samsung and Apple seem to be the most functional smart phones. Others excel if you do something special like gaming or make movies. I also agree that with a couple of DSLR cameras around I take shop photos with my iPhone as much as an actual camera.
I can only speak for the southern California area but Consumer Cellular (a front end to the AT&T network) has been completely trouble free since I moved to them 3 years ago. They also have a running stock of new and refurb'd older models at reduced prices. When I bought my iPhone 11 for $400 the iPhone 12 was the current model at about $1000. CC also offers a discount to AARP members that more than pays for the membership. This is really the only reason I belong to AARP. You may have local resellers that can offer the same or Consumer Cellular may operate in your area. Like cable companies, we all love/hate one or the other
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Contributor
I'm using mine more than I expected, but it's mostly transient stuff like shelf labels in stores. I know the old saying, "the best camera is the one you have with you right now", but it's still true that my worst "real" camera is still better than anything they've ever put into a phone.
Yoga class makes me feel like a total stud, mostly because I'm about as flexible as a 2x4.
"Design"? Possibly. "Intelligent"? Sure doesn't look like it from this angle.
We used to be hunter gatherers. Now we're shopper borrowers.
The three most important words in the English language: "Front Towards Enemy".
The world makes a lot more sense when you remember that Butthead was the smart one.
You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much ammo.
Contributor
I have been retired for over 10 years. I normally resist change. When the gigantic corporation I worked for gave us smartphones without cameras I hated it. They wanted us to file paperwork before we left a customer site. I struggled viewing things on the small screen and typing in comments was an absolute pain. But once they came out with cameras, I began to embrace the smartphones because it allowed me to take photos to verify what I was seeing/experiencing on a customer site. It allowed me to photograph complex wiring for easy reinstallation before I removed the cable assembly to replace a unit.
The day we retired, my wife and I went to a local provider and bought our first smartphones. I still prefer using a computer as I am doing at this moment but when traveling I use my smart phone. When I am at home as I am now, I seldom turn my cell phone on except when the wife is out of town as she is now. I don't hand my cell number out to many people because I don't turn it on very often and I can't remember the password for voice mails on it. LOL! BTW, I am the guy who has a hardbound book in our home safe with all of our passwords written in it.
That being said our current cell phones only do 3G. We are on the list for new phones with 4G capability, but the current shipping delays are involved in their arrival. I refuse to pay in excess of $1000 for a new phone with 5G capability. My wife wants to stay with the local carrier as she can get her questions answered by someone other than me. I usually can answer my questions and have answered hers when she came to me with them.
Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 03-19-2022 at 1:51 PM.
Ken
So much to learn, so little time.....
Contributor
I would disagree with the thought that the worst "real" camera is better than any phone camera. The cameras on the new Samsung and iPhones are very good and better than most real cameras in many situations. I still use my DSLR for somethings especially telephoto.
I carry my smartphone everywhere except the shower and bed. My wife requires that I have it when out in the yard or shop in case of emergency.
Moderator
I have to say that I honestly have not pulled out my really nice DSLR for about two years now and the camera system in my iPhone 13 Pro Max is eye opening. Samsung's latest devices have also upped the camera ballgame, too, and Google's higher end Pixel devices are also surprising. Yes, in raw pixels, a lot of current DSLRs have an edge, especially for large format prints, but these higher end smartphones really do hold their own these days. There are people creating amazing video with them, including serious "films" that sometimes end up in theaters.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
I didn't say "the worst real camera", I said "my worst real camera". YMMV.
Yoga class makes me feel like a total stud, mostly because I'm about as flexible as a 2x4.
"Design"? Possibly. "Intelligent"? Sure doesn't look like it from this angle.
We used to be hunter gatherers. Now we're shopper borrowers.
The three most important words in the English language: "Front Towards Enemy".
The world makes a lot more sense when you remember that Butthead was the smart one.
You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much ammo.
Contributor
Now I am curious. Lee, what is YOUR worst real camera? Have you used any of the new cell phone cameras such as Samsung or iPhone to compare?
Contributor
https://www.verizon.com/basic-phones/ There are nine flip phones listed there.
Also, https://www.amazon.com/Alcatel-FLIP-.../dp/B0841S1XYH
Last edited by Brian Elfert; 03-20-2022 at 10:13 AM.
Contributor
Worst camera is a Canon SX40, best is a Panasonic FZ1000. I have a 2021 Samsung, but it's one of the cheaper (if not cheapest) models. I haven't used a shiny new Apple/Samsung, but I have helped friends post-process pictures off a 2yo iPhone and a 1yo Pixel. They were better than I expected, but I was not overwhelmed by the picture quality: both were noisier than what I'm used to from the Canon and not even close to what I get out of the Panasonic. (And yes, pretty much any DSLR is better than the Panasonic, I'm just too old to be hauling that much glass around on a regular basis.)
Everyone gets hung up on pixel count, but the size of the sensor and the quality of the lens are way more important. And even if/when the phone gets to what I'd consider "real-camera" picture quality, the ergonomics will still suck.
Yoga class makes me feel like a total stud, mostly because I'm about as flexible as a 2x4.
"Design"? Possibly. "Intelligent"? Sure doesn't look like it from this angle.
We used to be hunter gatherers. Now we're shopper borrowers.
The three most important words in the English language: "Front Towards Enemy".
The world makes a lot more sense when you remember that Butthead was the smart one.
You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much ammo.
Contributor
Very true and not widely understood by people. Increasing pixel count trend is common in DSLR as well. If anything it makes processing difficult without upgrades to computer. There is a place for high pixel count but i don't think it's required by most.
Said that modern smartphone cameras are pretty good for normal snapshots. On trips I use a DSLR but phone has replaced need of any other smaller digital camera. If photos have to be seen on phone itself or social media, then phone cameras do a very decent job.
Contributor
Maybe this was hit upon earlier, but a phone camera becomes so very useful for "notes". Pictures of things to serve as a reminder or to convey information to someone else. The idiom of "a picture is worth a thousand words" is ever so true and perhaps even more so as people age. There are many very useful tools that go with a smartphone and everyone figures out ways to increase its value to them (maps, Gas Buddy, weather apps, music, video, etc).
Also, while the trac-phone and consumer cellular work well in many cases there are limitations. I have seen first hand where the same model phone (one Verizon and one Trac-Phone) do not perform identically from the same location. The Verizon phone gets tower preference (more bars and faster service) over the Trac-Phone. That can become an issue when traveling outside your home area. The discount systems are not necessarily as reliable.
Member
Here I tried a phone that was on the AT&T network and I had to go out to the middle of my yard to get a signal Verizon I get a signal anywhere in my house. Back in 95 I was doing a job that had a 12000 pair monument in the middle of the Revco drug store I was building and AT&T was using Verizon cell phones
Moderator
I agree that from a camera perspective, the actual sensor and optical system get pretty important relative to image quality. Fortunately, both have also seen great improvements in these portable devices, at least at the higher end.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
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