iPhone or Small Point and Shoot?

[lykaon78]

Doing a Disney family trip in a couple of months. On the last trip I lugged my Sony NEX and a couple of lenses around the park - I'm not wanting to do that this time.

Am I better offer with a small point and shoot or my iPhone 6 with an extra battery?

I'd probably pickup a used camera and give it to my daughter afterwards.

 

[Syborg1211]

Most P&S cameras aren't worth it over smartphones anymore. There are some awesome compact P&S cameras being made, but they aren't cheap. Check out the Sony RX100 and Panasonic LX100 cameras for something that will make you consider getting rid of your NEX.

Another question is why was the NEX a pain? Do you need two lenses? A NEX with a single lens should offer better pictures and more versatility than the single fixed lens on the iphone.

 

[lykaon78]

Even with the 16mm lens the NEX is not quite pocket-able.

My daughter's old enough that we don't need to carry around a bag of "kid stuff" which will mean the camera will be the largest item we'll carry.

 

[lykaon78]

My budget is $100ish so I was really of thinking of something like a used Canon for the ELPH line.

 

[jtvang125]

If you're willing to sacrifice image quality for portability then I'd say stick with the phone with a usb battery or extended battery case because you're really not gaining much in a P&S camera at that price.

For me I would see myself as carrying a backpack or at the minimum a sling type bag to carry stuff in (water, snacks, sweater, purchased items..etc) so quickly sticking the a6000 with the very compact 16-50 kit lens into the bag wouldn't be much of a hassle at all.

 

[CuriousMike]

The only reason I could see considering a P&S over the iPhone would be if you wanted zoom flexibility.
Otherwise, as mentioned, the iPhone would arguably have better image quality in good light.

 

[zCypher]

My smartphone (OnePlus 3T) is my point and shoot. It does the job fabulously. Honestly, it's super impressive what can be done despite the limitations of such a puny sensor. Makes me really excited to see how things go in years to come. I would love to pick up a high end point and shoot like the RX100 or LX100, but then it still means bringing an extra device with me where that just isn't the case with the phone. The phone does such a great job in most scenarios that I don't feel much of a gap in my use case. If I'm going out with the intention of capturing higher quality images, then I've already accepted the fact that it's not going to be pocketable. If I've accepted that, then there isn't that big of a difference between a point and shoot + a few accessories, or a mirrorless camera with lenses or a DSLR. But that's just me.

In my opinion, you won't find much of anything better than a modern smartphone for pocketable P&S duty if you don't want to spend a fairly decent chunk of change. I think you might be able to get a reasonable deal on an older generation of RX100 for a few hundred bucks.

 

[Spoooon]

You might try looking for a used Ricoh GR or CoolPix A type camera, good enough that you probably won't want to give it to your daughter. Went to Disney a while back, had a backpack with water and snacks, so having a camera was no big deal, just picked one lens and stuck with it.

 

[radhak]

The location where you want to use a camera dictates your choice. Disney parks during summer are all harsh sun and dark shades, where nuanced photography is not needed or even possible (or at least, not easy). I have realized that in such cases, a smartphone with half-decent camera works just as good - there's a lot of sunlight, and you (and the family) just want crucial memories.

The one thing any self-respecting camera scores over a smartphone is in the optical zoom, and you don't miss that much since most of your pics are mug-shots in front of colorful background. I have a great DSLR with a collection of lenses, but I have stopped taking it for day-visits to theme-parks . Your iPhone 6 should serve you well, particularly because you'll not be in a bad mood for carrying an extra load in the sun !

Yes, a battery-pack would be needed to keep it charged; otherwise you are going to find that bad mood soon enough!

 

[Charlie22911]

The best camera is the one you have with you, and for most people that is their phones.

If price wasn't an issue however I'd point you at something like the Sony RX100. Given ample light iPhones do great, but the larger sensor size of a decent P&S will win out almost always.

 

[Ratman6161]

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/low-priced-point-and-shoot-or-just-use-my-note-5.2510603/

I was recently asking similar questions. I ended up spending a little I've $400.

 

[shortylickens]

So like, did you ever make that trip or what?