Camera or cell phone for European trip

[misanman]

We are booked for a European river cruise in September and I'm trying to decide whether to use my cell phone or invest in a camera to record the sites and scenery. Our photographic "orientation" is more casual these days, but DW would like to create a photographic trip memories book using one of the commercial services. I used to take tons of pix using a SLR but they remain mostly stored and unseen these days.

I've used the cell phone for photography almost exclusively lately. Advantages are: 1) I generally have it with me, 2) it takes pretty decent pictures, 3) pictures are easily uploaded to the "cloud" via wifi. Disadvantages are: 1) Hard to compose shots if screen is washed out in bright sunlight, 2) uses the battery heavily when I'm taking pictures, 3) limited photographic options, 4) no optical zoom, 5) no image stabilization

Looking for recommendations from all the travelers out there.

 

[DrRoy]

I would say that image stabilization, optical zoom, a real viewfinder, and battery life make the DSLR far superior. I would not travel without mine.

 

[Ronstar]

I would go with a point and shoot. Great for trips. Fits in your pocket. Has most features of a DSLR. Shoots in raw/jpg and photos are easily edited like DSLR photos. Can be used with a tripod. Shoots movies, panos.

I have the Sony RX100. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/869238-REG/Sony_DSC_RX100_Digital_Camera.html

Problem with point and shoot is no image stabilization (that I know of). And no viewfinder. Just the back screen that is tough to see in sunny conditions.

I also have a DSLR that I travel with. But I take about half of my photos with the point and shoot because of convenience.

Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[target2019]

We were in Austria for ten days. We carried:
- Nikon Coolpix S7000 16MP of recent vintage. Really awesome optical zoom. One card held a lot of pictures. Never thought to take video. Oops!
- (2) iPhone 4s.

I had phone service on my 4S, so I could upload pix while moving about. When we got to wifi, we'd use WhatsApp or other messaging to converse, show pictures, etc.

I was able to get better pictures with camera, since more pixels available, and better stabilization. It had manual settings for ISO, etc.

A big factor was battery power. If you have two devices charged, it defintely comes in handy. Sometimes the camera went dry, sometimes the iphone...

Just before leaving I had battery replaced on iphone. That helped some.
Also, I got a power adapter with USB, so I had two ways to charge.

Power Gear International Travel Adapter with USB-94313 - The Home Depot

 

[FIREmenow]

Disadvantages are: 1) Hard to compose shots if screen is washed out in bright sunlight, 2) uses the battery heavily when I'm taking pictures, 3) limited photographic options, 4) no optical zoom, 5) no image stabilization

Looking for recommendations from all the travelers out there.

SOME of these disadvantages can be overcome by downloading a 3rd-party camera app and not using the native phone camera software. There are some pretty nifty Android camera apps that do quite a bit (not all) what you call out above. Maybe not to perfection, but it gets you a lot closer and may keep you from lugging around a DSLR. Poke around in the app store and play around with some of the options between now and Sept.

JMO

 

[target2019]

A wide brim hat performs miracles when shooting in bright sun.

Cargo pants are indispensable, too. Lots of quick storage for the phone, camera, sunglasses, etc. Also take a lightweight nylon shoulder pack.

 

[MichaelB]

A camera can be superior, but only if you have the skill to use it. I don't, and the photos on my iPhone are just as [-]bad[/-] good. So we leave the extra weight behind and take the phones now.

 

[easysurfer]

Agree with the suggestion of the point and shoot if you as a compromise.

A point and shoot probably gives more options (bigger zoom, for example) than a phone but at the same time is more portable than a DSLR.

Of course, if you really really need to best looking photo, probably a DSLR is the way to go.

 

[LiveBelowMeans]

Used Samsung s5 on 3 week tour of Italy and convenience and picture quality were great.

 

[naggz]

Phone, maybe a small waterproof pont and shoot if you expect rain.

Take fun pictures and save the artistic photos for the pros. Every time we go somewhere and try to take nice pictures, I find i can use google image search, and get much nicer pictures than I took. (better composition, better angle, better color, etc.) plus, spending too much time behind the camera makes it easy to miss the actual experience.

 

[jonat]

I have done European river cruises and more recently a Greek islands cruise. I had with me my Sony A7-II (mirrorless ILC), Sony RX100M2 and iPhone 6. All saw use. As I remarked after an earlier cruise, "the best camera is one you have with you". If I was in a situation where I would be taking a lot of pictures in variable circumstances, the A7 was preferred. The RX100 went into my pocket if I didn't feel comfortable carrying the larger camera, and the iPhone was of course always with me. Sometimes the phone was the only camera I had when something interesting happened.

If you don't already have a good larger camera, then compact cameras such as the RX100 are an excellent compromise. Phone cameras are much better than they used to be, but they have their limits.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

Just to reiterate some of the previous thoughts in the thread...

I typically bring the SLR and phone for trip pictures. The SLR is a bit of a drag in some ways. I'll end up hauling more gear like lenses and a portable tripod. If you're not going to make use of some of the cooler features of the SLR, it's not worth bringing IMO.

If I didn't bring my SLR, I'd bring a (small) point and shoot if just to help save battery life on the phone. For pictures that I know I'd want to immediately post on social media/send, I'd instead take it with my phone.

 

[athena53]

I have a DSLR and a Nikon Coolpix as well as my phone and take all 3 on big trips. Very handy to have a backup when the battery of one dies.

I'd also find the loss of my phone far more catastrophic than the loss of a camera, so I prefer the camera in places where the phone might accidentally get wet or even dropped into water.

 

[target2019]

Nikon S7000 - 5.82 oz
iphone 4S - 4.9 oz

Considering the flexibility of two devices, approximately the same weight, I'll take both on memorable trips.

 

[Sunset]

I would go with a point and shoot. Great for trips. Fits in your pocket. Has most features of a DSLR. Shoots in raw/jpg and photos are easily edited like DSLR photos. Can be used with a tripod. Shoots movies, panos.

I have the Sony RX100. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 Digital Camera (Black) DSCRX100/B B&H

Problem with point and shoot is no image stabilization (that I know of). And no viewfinder. Just the back screen that is tough to see in sunny conditions.
....

I agree a point and shoot is great, convienent, easy and much better than a phone for shots.

I would not pick the one above simply because there are many terrific ones for $250 or less.

They have optical stabilization.

Features to look for are:
Optical stabilization (the other image stabilization is really fake).
Optical zoom of 4x or more (the Digital zoom is fake).
16 mega pixel size.
HD video recording (here your phone if a good one could be used).

Here is one with all that and more for $99

Canon PowerShot ELPH 160 Digital Camera (Silver) 0137C001 B&H

 

[mpeirce]

Nikon S7000 - 5.82 oz
iphone 4S - 4.9 oz

Considering the flexibility of two devices, approximately the same weight, I'll take both on memorable trips.

Seriously, if you value the quality of your photos enough to drag along an SLR, consider getting a newer iPhone too.

I had an iPhone 4S and the newer iPhones have improved the camera a lot!

The iPhone 6S is virtually the same weight (5.04 oz) and the camera is significantly better.

Personally, I have an iPhone 6S+ with optical image stabilization. It's all I take on trips these days. It's heavier, but the battery is much larger and I've never run it out in daily use.

My photos are so much better than with older phones - and my non-SLR older cameras. Optical image stabilization is awesome. My only complaint is no zoom. We'll see what the iPhone 7 brings in a month or two...

 

[target2019]

Seriously, if you value the quality of your photos enough to drag along an SLR, consider getting a newer iPhone too.

I had an iPhone 4S and the newer iPhones have improved the camera a lot!

The iPhone 6S is virtually the same weight (5.04 oz) and the camera is significantly better.

Personally, I have an iPhone 6S+ with optical image stabilization. It's all I take on trips these days. It's heavier, but the battery is much larger and I've never run it out in daily use.

My photos are so much better than with older phones - and my non-SLR older cameras. Optical image stabilization is awesome. My only complaint is no zoom. We'll see what the iPhone 7 brings in a month or two...

I'll stick with this for another year or two. It's all paid for...
Here's the Coolpix S7000 stats. Plenty good for me.
Nikon COOLPIX S7000 | Read Reviews, Tech Specs, Price & More

 

[mpeirce]

I was browsing my photo library last week and I definitely could tell the older photos (4S) from the new ones (6S+). Significant difference. I was glad I had the new camera.

Still, it's always nice to have a working older device that does a good enough job.

 

[target2019]

I was browsing my photo library last week and I definitely could tell the older photos (4S) from the new ones (6S+). Significant difference. I was glad I had the new camera.

Still, it's always nice to have a working older device that does a good enough job.

And also nice to have another device that does a superior job.

 

[Souschef]

I use a Canon SX20 I bought used on eBay, and I love it. It has a 20 to one zoom and does not need any other lenses.
I keep it in a Lowepro case that is small, but has enough room for spare batteries and an SD card.
The attached images are of a snow play area below the Jungfrauhoch in the Bernese Alps

 

[HFWR]

When carrying the DSLR is too arduous, I carry a pos (no, not that kind of pos...), an older Nikon Coolpix S51. The iphone takes great full-frame shots, but, for example, take a pic of the moon, and it's a few tiny pixels, rather than the magnificent glowing orb you photographed... The pos has an 3x internal lens zoom, so maintains a slim profile, but will pull in distance or small features that would be lost in a phone pic.

I would like to upgrade to a pos with bluetooth, but so inertia has won the day...

 

[donheff]

If you are into serious photography a DSLR and knowledge of how to use it are key. For memorable snapshots a modern smart phone or point and shoot are pretty impressive. I am the later, I like to take lots of photos on trips but I am not serious enough to drag a DSLR around. Many of my trips are bike rides where pulling out a cell phone would be inconvenient. Instead I hang a Canon G11 around my neck. It is slightly larger than the small point and shoots but it has an optical viewfinder (which I love) and is pretty fully featured. DW and my daughter just returned from Iceland and I was impressed by the photos they captured on cell phones.

 

[hiker88]

I used an iPhone 5s for my carry around camera on a Europe trip in 2015. It did ok for bright, sunny middle of the day images, but I was disappointed in the quality of photos I shot indoors or outdoors near sunset. After I returned home, I bought the Sony RX100m3 point&shoot for future trips. It does a much better job in low light.

 

[tulak]

We're traveling in Europe right now and have an iPhone 6s and an Olympus mirrorless camera with a high quality lens. The Olympus takes very nice pictures, but I find that I prefer not to take it and use the iPhone instead. We'll see how the next few weeks go, but at this rate, I might get rid of the camera and stick with the iPhone. Pictures might not be as good, but probably more than sufficient for our needs.

As an added bonus, we get GPS data embedded into the pictures. I should also upgrade iPhone storage to allow backing up of pictures to iCloud. I tried backing up with Google Photos, but couldn't get it to work. Maybe I'll need to try that again.

Thankfully Apple invests in camera technology. Each generation of the iPhone takes better pictures. That alone might be enough reason to upgrade to the latest iPhone.

I'll also add that using a phone as a camera also makes it easy to share pictures with family and friends while traveling. Another plus for using an iPhone.

I wrote more than I expected. Mostly to convince myself that the phone's camera is good enough.

 

[walkinwood]

As someone said, the best camera is the one you have with you.

If your wife wants to create a hardcopy book, then you should try printing some of your smartphone pictures at the same size to see if they are acceptable to both of you. Use the zoom function and see how it degrades the print, so you know just how far you can go before it gets too bad. Take some low light or night shots and see what the print quality is. Then, I think you can make a more informed decision.

I know a couple who create a photo-book every year with the year's highlights. They use smartphones exclusively. I find some of the prints are unacceptable to me because they are blocky with little detail, but it meets their needs and that's all that matters. They want prints to remind them of the events that took place and it works for them.

Enjoy your trip.