Do you find yourself using your smartphone more than your SLR, MILC or P&S?

[dolina]

Having read of declining sales of SLR, MILC or P&S makes me wonder if photo hobbyists (those who do not derive primary, majority or significant part of income from photography) are leaving their bigger & dedicated cameras at home and just going "commando" with a smartphone.

Does not matter whether it be iPhone, Android or Windows (notice I did not mention Blackberry).

 

[Khufu]

I might do if phones hadn't taken a step backwards, in my experience, over the past 8-10 years in regards to how quickly you can access the camera and get shooting. My iPod 5 is pretty handy though... and I'll only use these devices' cameras in a journaling kinda' way, to document a happening or a... thing, you know, like sticking your dinner on Facebook? Yeah, that.

I've downsized to the EOS M and SL1 for APS-C quality and find myself considering anything bigger with such a sensor to be a bit daft... But I think most people here are aware of the benefits of sensor size when choosing to lug around a dSLR

...oh, and I'm totally getting me a Sony a7 series body in good time so I can leave the 5D3 at home.

wait, what was your question? Nevermind - I'm sure I must have answered somebody's question, at least!

 

[DominoDude]

I went for "No", but I admit I carry the smartphone with me all the time (posting from it right now, in a forum some are familiar with : ).
I just don't shoot with it, think I've taken 3 shots with it in total, and they were all mistakes while I fiddled around in settings and apps. At a stretch I could use it to snap a quick image of what the screen looks like on my 7D and upload that while still out in the bush.

 

[J.R.]

A mix of all the options. I always carry my iPhone and at the same time I almost ALWAYS carry a camera with me. Smartphone is used for photos only if the photos needs to be shared with someone immediately or there are restrictions on carrying a camera in select few places.

 

[dolina]

Guys, again, the poll is for photo hobbyists. ;D

 

[Ryan85]

I use my slr's the most but the iPhone is handy and gets lots of use. For serious photography it's always the slr.

 

[Dylan777]

1. The only time I use my cell phone camera is when I don't have a pen
2. I would jump over FF mirrorless world when my kids no longer doing activities or I no longer own BIG WHITES

Don't really care what others shoot with. My needs and their needs are not same. I just can't stand the smart IQ.

 

[Helios68]

Hi,

I use my DSLR most of time. My smartphone is in case of emergency to save an article in a magazine or even document my work at my job.
This means when I do 10.000 pictures with my DLSR, I maybe take 50 with my smartphone...

Not responsible for DSLR's sales drop

Regards.

 

[Ryan85]

1. The only time I use my cell phone camera is when I don't have a pen
2. I would jump over FF mirrorless world when my kids no longer doing activities or I no longer own BIG WHITES

Don't really care what others shoot with. My needs and their needs are not same. I just can't stand the smart IQ.

I agree. You get used to a dslr and quality glass and it's hard to use the smart phone and like the results compared to the dslr

 

[Eldar]

On average I would estimate about 1 smartphone image pr. 5.000-10.000 DSLR images. I only use it to photograph whiteboards at work and that does not happen very often.

 

[Reiep]

I use my smartphone for pictures that I want to share immediately and that don't have a real artistically interest, or when I can't use my DSLR. My 6D is almost always with me, so it does all the rest.

 

[infared]

I know that I am the odd man out...but I refuse to own a smart phone. ??? 8)
I like to be in the moment wherever I am.
So...I split my images between my FF Canon Kit and my MFT Olympus Kit.
Life is good!

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi dolina.
I have several DSLR to choose from, I have a 20D 17-85mm Nissin flash combo that is almost always with me, it gets bounced around in my van and car and used to document work. The other day I had a days impromptu photo walkabout. I took my van in for new tyres at 10:30 and the electric supply got cut with my van raised on the lift, what you going to do? I grabbed the camera and went on a walk along the disused railway line, up to the river, out for lunch, finally got my van back at 17:30!
Got some niceish pics that I wouldn't have got with a phone. Got to PP them then post a couple to the site.
I do not like using a phone, don't seem to get on with holding at arms length, and you don't half feel silly when you put it up to your eye! : :-[

Cheers, Graham.

 

[Arctic Photo]

There's something wrong with my S100 so I mostly use the iPhone nowadays, I have a couple of other P&S cameras, but they don't get much use. When I have a purpose I of course always bring the 5D with proper lens(es).

 

[Maximilian]

I voted "No, the smartphones aren't good enough..." because...

- smartphone IQ has improved but only in good light it is hard to differ
- AF is not good enough
- I don't like shooting looking at a screen esp. in bright light

Of course, if I'd forget to bring my dslr or P&S (my old P&S is definetly worse than todays smartphones) with me I'd use my phone camera (best cam is the one in your hand, I know well).

 

[LDS]

I usually don't spent large amount of money in smartphones (although I'm using them since 2002...) because they are just a commodity - as long as they work as a PDA and phone it's enough to me, I'm really not interested in playing games or other activities on them, have better devices for that. Also I like small, unobtrusive ones. Of course, this kind of models usually have the lower end camera features.
Also, I really hate smartphones UI to take photos.

 

[Maui5150]

I think the two are mutually exclusive.

1) I think camera phones are popular, a lot of people will choose a phone with a better camera and indeed, a lot of people probably take a lot more pictures because of ease over anything. The Selfie existed long before Kim Kardashian, though the cameraphone can be credited with this annoyance.

2) Many people will use camera phones in lieu of other cameras because of convenience and sometimes performance, especially when it comes to concerts etc., though the lighter was by far cooler and more intimate than a bunch of display screens.

3) The majority of the people who use camera phones may have been a large segment of the compact camera market, but I don't see these as the people who would have invested in a DSLR.

I might use my smartphone camera a dozen to two dozen times a year, and as example, the two most recent cases were photographing license plates of cars insurance cards and vehicle damage after an accident and then using it to take a picture of a vitamin supplement bottle to enlarge the dose/direction.

 

[LookingThroughMyLens81]

I rarely touch my DSLRs these days. My Smartphone is convenient and always there, so I use it. I wish I had a better choice in a point and shoot camera, but the good ones are few and far between.

 

[Tsuru]

The only time I find myself using my smartphone for pictures is when an SLR or point-and-shoot will not physically fit. The number of times my smartphone has saved my back because I need to find out something about a data/voice jack that is hidden behind a desk or cabinet is becoming considerable. Other than that, if I want/need to take a picture I'm grabbing an SLR.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Tsuru.
Does using your phone as a mirror with info lock or a magnifying glass really count as taking a picture? Surely a picture is something you agonise over composition, exposure etc then save to your PC maybe even print, not look at once, exclaim ahh it's an RJ 11 not RJ 45 or ahh it says have you read the small print and delete?
To me images used like that are a tool not a picture, and I would not count that as using a phone instead of a DSLR.
Just a thought or two.

Cheers, Graham.

The only time I find myself using my smartphone for pictures is when an SLR or point-and-shoot will not physically fit. The number of times my smartphone has saved my back because I need to find out something about a data/voice jack that is hidden behind a desk or cabinet is becoming considerable. Other than that, if I want/need to take a picture I'm grabbing an SLR.