Camera rental/Buy or iPhone for Aus/NZ?

[tulak]

I got rid of a dedicated camera years ago and use only an iPhone. I upgrade every few years, primarily for the better camera.

It's easy to share pictures, search for pics, etc. I use iCloud Photos, so I never have to worry about backups. No regrets in using an iPhone and I've never had complaints about the picture quality.

 

[DrRoy]

It definitely depends on what you want to shoot and what you will do with the photos. That being said, I got an iPhone 14 Pro because I had heard so much about the camera, and that it shoots in Raw. When I compared the files from it to my full frame Nikon, I was quite disappointed. I would opt for the nicest camera with the largest sensor that you are willing to pay for and carry.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

I'm in the camp of just using my iPhone. For years, I lugged around a higher-end camera on trips. But, I took pictures with both my iPhone and a higher end digital camera when I took my first big post-vacation cross-country trip in 2019. When it came down to it, when I compared the quality of the pictures, I really couldn't tell the difference. Yes, there were differences, but to me, both were very very nice sets of photos. Since then, I've just taken pictures with my iPhone. So much simpler when it comes to travel. And I use Apple's iCloud, so all my photos are uploaded automatically and saved there. I do turn off automatic upload while on cellular coverage so as to not use up international data uploading photos. Photos upload when I get back on WiFi.

I do recommend staying up on the better iPhones for camera improvements. I tend to buy a new iPhone every other major release. I have a 14, so I will wait for the 16 to come out.

 

[Ronstar]

Another thing to consider. Storage.

I have some shots from my Nikon D850 where I focus stacked 3 or four images together - final image is around 50 mb. Most of my Nikon pics are in the 10-20 mb size.

My iPhone 15 photos are generally 1-2 MB.

So about 10 phone photos can be stored in the same amount of space as 1 DSLR photo

 

[folivier]

Couple points Ronstar. You can set your phone to take higher resolution pictures and conversely set your Nikon to take lower resolution pictures. If you plan to do any cropping and/or printing it's best to have the highest res. available.

 

[Ronstar]

Couple points Ronstar. You can set your phone to take higher resolution pictures and conversely set your Nikon to take lower resolution pictures. If you plan to do any cropping and/or printing it's best to have the highest res. available.

True. The phone pics I like to keep low so I can easily post pics online. I keep the Nikon set up high and then save as a lower res out of Lightroom if I need to send it somewhere.

 

[easysurfer]

There's the difference! Cell phone cameras work well for shots that suit their fixed focal length; landscapes for example. On this trip you will undoubtedly be shooting wildlife where the compositions will cry out for good zooming capability.

My wife's criterion is similar to yours: small is beautiful. Both she and I have been very happy with the Panasonic "ZS" series. ZS50, ZS70, ZS100. They are great pocket cameras. The newer models will shoot RAW, too.

When we get back from a trip I dump all of our photos into legacy Lightroom and I go through them More than once I have been very proud of a shot only to realize it is hers! (I am shooting Panasonic GX7 & GX8 most recently, with zooms from 12mm to 400mm.)

I own a used Panasonic ZS50. Brought that along when going to the zoo. Was nice and compact and offered offered a good zoom. Shoots in RAW too.

I also brought it to a museum. But wish I would have brought my Sony RX100 III instead. The RX100 has bigger sensor and better in low light (like at a museum). But the focal length for RX100 pales compared to the ZS50. The right camera is the one you have and the one for the proper situation.

I own too many cameras for my own good .

 

[Major Tom]

It definitely depends on what you want to shoot and what you will do with the photos. That being said, I got an iPhone 14 Pro because I had heard so much about the camera, and that it shoots in Raw. When I compared the files from it to my full frame Nikon, I was quite disappointed. I would opt for the nicest camera with the largest sensor that you are willing to pay for and carry.

Although I have no experience of shooting with a high-end phone camera (mine is a budget model), this lines up with what I have been reading. I read recently that development efforts are underway to put a 4/3 sensor into a phone. If and when that happens, there could be a drastic increase in the image quality from phones. In the meantime, I'm still searching for a large sensor compact with interchangeable lenses to replace my rather wonderful little Ricoh GR II. I love the portability and image quality that I get from it, but every time I want to clean dust off the sensor, I have to disassemble the camera, due to it having a fixed lens.

As much as I like the fact that my phone camera is always with me, I'm still in the camp of wanting an actual camera for my more "serious" photography efforts.

On the other hand, if image quality is not the very highest concern, particularly if you're a jpeg shooter and not a RAW shooter, a good camera phone does have advantages over regular cameras. The in-camera jpeg processing on some cameras is quite impressive. If you shoot jpeg, aren't concerned with being able to get the maximum possible latitude for post-processing adjustments and/or don't care for performing post-processing on your images, a good argument could be made for having a high-end camera phone.

 

[braumeister]

I would opt for the nicest camera with the largest sensor that you are willing to pay for and carry.

This is the key factor for many. The old saying that the best camera is the one you have with you is still true.

I've gone from strictly DSLR to just my iPhone and I'm quite happy with what I get from it. There is one small exception, and that is that when I travel I like to take a little pocket camera with a good zoom for those rare occasions when I'm just too far away from what I want to photograph. The one I use is a Sony RX100.

 

[OldShooter]

... I would opt for the nicest camera with the largest sensor that you are willing to pay for and carry.

Yes. A few years ago I wrote an article for a travel magazine with this as its theme. With size comes capability of all kinds, but with size also comes reluctance to haul the camera. That's why, as I mentioned above, the Panasonic ZS series has worked well for my wife. These little guys fit in almost any purse she wants to carry and the lack of low light performance is an easy tradeoff for her.

This tradeoff comes around again when talking lenses. Primes for an ILC are smaller but add to carrying weight and bulk. Zooms vary but with my current wide-range stable comprising 12-200 and 8-25 I sometimes don't even feel the need to carry both. Yet another tradeoff, though, as neither is a low-light lens.