Camera for Alaska. IPhone?

[lake53]

Hi all! 
 
I wanted to get sone thoughts of just taking our IPhones for photos. 
Or should we invest in a decent point and shoot camera? We’re not ready for the DSL fancy cameras yet. Happy cruising 

Thank you 

[MBP&O2/O]

I am no camaera expert, but I have a four year old Sony HX400V bridge camera with excellent zoom facilities.

It beats a phone camera hands down, and as it has built in WiFi I can transfer the pics to my tablet for ease of viewing.

Never regretted it ... apart from the $$$.

[Heidi13]

Another vote for a Bridge camera. Most of the major manufacturers have a number of models with varying types of zoom. Bought DW one of the Canons and it works well for her.

[lake53]

1 hour ago, MBP&O2/O said:

I am no camaera expert, but I have a four year old Sony HX400V bridge camera with excellent zoom facilities.

It beats a phone camera hands down, and as it has built in WiFi I can transfer the pics to my tablet for ease of viewing.

Never regretted it ... apart from the $$$.

Thank you! 

[lake53]

12 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Another vote for a Bridge camera. Most of the major manufacturers have a number of models with varying types of zoom. Bought DW one of the Canons and it works well for her.

I appreciate the info I’m going to  look those up now. 

[SightCRR]

I am a big fan of my Sony HX400. I have or had and given to family 5 of them either 400 or 300. Had to replace lens of two of them. They had zoom errors. All bought used on ebay. Very good youtube videos on how to get the best out of them. 

For whale watching also take the phone for videos of breaches then copy stills from them. 

sightcrr

[lake53]

1 hour ago, SightCRR said:

I am a big fan of my Sony HX400. I have or had and given to family 5 of them either 400 or 300. Had to replace lens of two of them. They had zoom errors. All bought used on ebay. Very good youtube videos on how to get the best out of them. 

For whale watching also take the phone for videos of breaches then copy stills from them. 

sightcrr

Thank you for all the great info I really appreciate it. 

[dhanakorn]

iPhone certainly has its own limitation, especially on telephoto. Although most of the times, you may not see much difference compared to entry-level DSLR.

 

You can see the iPhone photos from my recent Alaska cruise. All photos were taken by iPhone 12.

 

 

 

[don't-use-real-name]

Nothing fancy - use your cell phone for those memorable pictures.

The newer models have zoom telephoto capabilities

Older models you can always photo shop the pictures 

And most have the video function.

 

CAUTION - remember to charge the phone battery often - so that you can take more photos 

AND of course be able to use the phone as a phone

 

Lack of phone picture memory - transfer the pix to another device frequently

 

Cell phones are amazing - no need to spend big $$$s on D-SLR and their accessories

 

 

[cabland]

34 minutes ago, dhanakorn said:

iPhone certainly has its own limitation, especially on telephoto. Although most of the times, you may not see much difference compared to entry-level DSLR.

 

You can see the iPhone photos from my recent Alaska cruise. All photos were taken by iPhone 12.

 

 

 

Really great shots (and awesome weather really helped to ensure enough LIGHT!).  Honestly, the latest camera phones are so darn good, you can get away with just those.  I had a Samsung S9 for our trip in 2018 and was satisfied with it for wide scenic views, but wanted something for Telephoto (zoom) shots and picked up a Sony HX80 for that (note: I didn't want to lug our DSLR around).  It was OK - not awesome as it suffers in lower lighting - bit I was definitely glad I had it.  If I were headed there now, if I had a later phone with a stronger telephoto that MIGHT be good enough.

 

 

[lake53]

2 hours ago, dhanakorn said:

iPhone certainly has its own limitation, especially on telephoto. Although most of the times, you may not see much difference compared to entry-level DSLR.

 

You can see the iPhone photos from my recent Alaska cruise. All photos were taken by iPhone 12.

 

 

 

  Wow those are some  nice photos. Thank you for sharing. 

[thehowlingroad]

5 hours ago, don't-use-real-name said:

Nothing fancy - use your cell phone for those memorable pictures.

The newer models have zoom telephoto capabilities

Older models you can always photo shop the pictures 

And most have the video function.

 

CAUTION - remember to charge the phone battery often - so that you can take more photos 

AND of course be able to use the phone as a phone

 

Lack of phone picture memory - transfer the pix to another device frequently

 

Cell phones are amazing - no need to spend big $$$s on D-SLR and their accessories

 

 

 

To add on to these thoughts: I travel solely with my iPhone 11 Pro; I would recommend getting the Pro models whenever possible if it's going to be your only travel camera. I also bring battery packs (you can get them on Amazon; I am a big fan of Anker) to keep it charged when I need to. If you want to get into photography as a hobby, then sure, maybe invest in a DSLR and a basic lens, but if you're just looking to take nice vacation photos with the family, an iPhone will be perfectly suitable, and in some cases, much more convenient.

Edited June 19, 2022 by thehowlingroad

[Coral]

I also have a Bridge camera and love it. Most cruises lately - I have only taken my iPhone (11 Pro) but for Alaska, I think I would take my Bridge camera. Mine is a Panasonic Lumix. I looked at a Canon but found a great closeout deal on Lumix and they got great reviews. I am pleased with it.

Edited June 19, 2022 by Coral

[lake53]

13 hours ago, thehowlingroad said:

 

To add on to these thoughts: I travel solely with my iPhone 11 Pro; I would recommend getting the Pro models whenever possible if it's going to be your only travel camera. I also bring battery packs (you can get them on Amazon; I am a big fan of Anker) to keep it charged when I need to. If you want to get into photography as a hobby, then sure, maybe invest in a DSLR and a basic lens, but if you're just looking to take nice vacation photos with the family, an iPhone will be perfectly suitable, and in some cases, much more convenient.

Thank you! I may end up doing that. Good call on the extra battery pack. 

[Coral]

On 6/18/2022 at 1:51 PM, Heidi13 said:

Another vote for a Bridge camera. Most of the major manufacturers have a number of models with varying types of zoom. Bought DW one of the Canons and it works well for her.

I think the Bridge cameras are almost the best of both worlds. They have amazing zoom but you don't have to deal with having a DSLR and switching different lenses all the time. Of course those diehard photographers will always bring along their DSLR (and several lenses) but those of us who want great camera shots and great zoom for distance like the Bridge cameras.

[MBP&O2/O]

As I said, I am not an expert apart from pointing and pressing the correct button 😄

Attached ... pointed, zoomed to maximum, and pressed the button.

The 2 inch flower was 45 feet away and the camera in full dunce mode.

 

[Ben Nicholls]

Ultimately it comes down to what you want. Smartphones can take some excellent pictures, but they are still a tiny sensor with small limited lens. They use software to get the most out of it. Where they shine is is well lit fairly stable shots. Where they lack is in zoom quality, low light, and fast moving subjects. You also don't have as much flexibility in the settings.

 

You don't need a DSLR. Unless you plan on really learning how to use one and plan on investing in lenses you should not get one. The above suggestion of a bridge camera is a much better option for someone who wants better pictures but does not want to mess with an interchangeable len system. 

 

The Sony 400 is a great option for this. Sony does well with their compact cameras. If you want a bigger step the DSC-RX10 would be a great choice. It is similar quality to some of their interchangeable lens cameras but with a good superzoom lens permanently attached. 

 

Edited June 20, 2022 by Ben Nicholls

[lake53]

13 hours ago, Ben Nicholls said:

Ultimately it comes down to what you want. Smartphones can take some excellent pictures, but they are still a tiny sensor with small limited lens. They use software to get the most out of it. Where they shine is is well lit fairly stable shots. Where they lack is in zoom quality, low light, and fast moving subjects. You also don't have as much flexibility in the settings.

 

You don't need a DSLR. Unless you plan on really learning how to use one and plan on investing in lenses you should not get one. The above suggestion of a bridge camera is a much better option for someone who wants better pictures but does not want to mess with an interchangeable len system. 

 

The Sony 400 is a great option for this. Sony does well with their compact cameras. If you want a bigger step the DSC-RX10 would be a great choice. It is similar quality to some of their interchangeable lens cameras but with a good superzoom lens permanently attached. 

 

Thank you

[Anita Latte]

I went through the same question about cameras before our March 2022 trip to Fairbanks, except that I knew I wanted an upgraded camera capable of taking decent photos of the aurora borealis. After much consideration, I did decide that I didn't want to mess with a camera with interchangeable lenses...all it took was my friend's description of her holding camera lenses and bags, etc., while her DH was wiping lenses and dealing with changing them, etc. I'm not that fussy.

 

I think what I ultimately got is considered a bridge camera. It's a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000. It's an older camera but it is highly recommended for low light conditions because it has a 1" sensor. That may not be important to you though...but it all depends on what your itinerary is. I have a smaller point and shoot Panasonic so the camera was more familiar to me from the get go.

 

STILL...what I really want to share is that I purchased my camera online from KEH. They are an excellent source for used cameras. They rank the condition of the cameras and price accordingly. This was recommended to be by a friend who's son is a professional photographer and it seems to be well known is such circles. If you decide to look for a new camera, they would be a good source.

 

Edited to add...I also second a portable battery for recharging your phone. We have two Anker brand ones. The first is larger and capable of charging two devices at the same time via USB. The second is just as powerful, if not more so, but it smaller, lighter, but only capable of charging a single device.

Edited June 21, 2022 by Anita Latte

[lake53]

40 minutes ago, Anita Latte said:

I went through the same question about cameras before our March 2022 trip to Fairbanks, except that I knew I wanted an upgraded camera capable of taking decent photos of the aurora borealis. After much consideration, I did decide that I didn't want to mess with a camera with interchangeable lenses...all it took was my friend's description of her holding camera lenses and bags, etc., while her DH was wiping lenses and dealing with changing them, etc. I'm not that fussy.

 

I think what I ultimately got is considered a bridge camera. It's a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000. It's an older camera but it is highly recommended for low light conditions because it has a 1" sensor. That may not be important to you though...but it all depends on what your itinerary is. I have a smaller point and shoot Panasonic so the camera was more familiar to me from the get go.

 

STILL...what I really want to share is that I purchased my camera online from KEH. They are an excellent source for used cameras. They rank the condition of the cameras and price accordingly. This was recommended to be by a friend who's son is a professional photographer and it seems to be well known is such circles. If you decide to look for a new camera, they would be a good source.

 

Edited to add...I also second a portable battery for recharging your phone. We have two Anker brand ones. The first is larger and capable of charging two devices at the same time via USB. The second is just as powerful, if not more so, but it smaller, lighter, but only capable of charging a single device.

Thank you for all the great info. I will check out KEH now.