Do you think I should get a camera?

[Twiggy]

I've always found my Nokia Lumia 900 to be handy under most circumstances, but sometimes, I just need the performance during night-time shots without spending a lot of a new phone - and less noise in most shots, too.

Now, that makes me wonder whether I should start saving up for a new camera: even a cheap point-and-shoot will do, as long as it does one thing well - take photos.

Or should I just do software magic?

Every time I look at the photos taken with my phone, somtimes things get a bit... underwhelming. It's either the noise or the detail, Anything less than perfect sunlight, and things go awry. Sometimes I get the dreaded pink blob; other times, the green blob; and finally, my videos always have a bad "Instagram effect".

[Yoshi648]

Get a camera. Phone cameras are nice for convenience, but they can't replace a full camera (and you know I like multiple devices that do one purpose well then one device that does everything mediocre.). Like you mentioned, even a simple point and shoot camera would be a better option over a phone camera.

[Twiggy]

*starts to wonder what to get without breaking the budget*

[Shade]

A dedicated device will almost always be better than a device that does many things. This includes cameras.

As for budget, depending on how many megapixels you want in a picture, you can find a relatively low cost camera that takes smaller photos.

Best Budget Cameras - Updated January 22, 2013

[Twiggy]

OK, let's see my options here:

• A $150 or less digicam will probably give me something better than my smartphone and will fit in my pocket along with my smartphone, wallet, and keys without carrying any bags
• I can also take an older Olympus from my old home, though it's kinda bulky, and doesn't tolerate shake at all, and it uses xD for the cards instead of SD or internal flash - very impractical. I will need a bag for this.
• Or I can get an old film Canon (better get used to NOT impulse-shotting) that is really, really good, but also inconvenient. I'll need a bag AND materials.

Of course, options 2 and 3 cost $0, materials pending for option 3.

What should I do?

[The Spirit of Time]

In these circumstances, option 1 seems the most viable. If you take a lot of photos, but not necessarily in the best quality, then there is no point of walking around with heavy equipments. The more comfortable, the better.

[Twiggy]

Originally Posted by The Spirit of Time

In these circumstances, option 1 seems the most viable. If you take a lot of photos, but not necessarily in the best quality, then there is no point of walking around with heavy equipments. The more comfortable, the better.

Hmm...

Indeed - the less bags I carry, the lighter it'll be, and the less likely I'll look like a mess.

That said, I wonder how an old film camera compares to a new PnS.

[Yoshi648]

Originally Posted by Twiggy

Hmm...

Indeed - the less bags I carry, the lighter it'll be, and the less likely I'll look like a mess.

That said, I wonder how an old film camera compares to a new PnS.

Well first keep in mind while you are getting the camera free, there are external costs such as film and getting the photos developed which can add up over time. And if you want to share any photos, you'll have to scan them into your computer. That being said, the digital one will provide more convenience and will be cheaper in the long run. I usually take 1-3 photos of the same thing to pick the best one, and that can be harder to do with film since it will eat up film quicker. The digital ones also can let you adjust many settings (such as lighting scene, zoom settings, etc) that can't be done with film.

*Yes this is probably weird seeing me who usually favors old-school stuff pick the modern thing in this aspect

[Twiggy]

Originally Posted by Yoshi648

Well first keep in mind while you are getting the camera free, there are external costs such as film and getting the photos developed which can add up over time. And if you want to share any photos, you'll have to scan them into your computer. That being said, the digital one will provide more convenience and will be cheaper in the long run. I usually take 1-3 photos of the same thing to pick the best one, and that can be harder to do with film since it will eat up film quicker. The digital ones also can let you adjust many settings (such as lighting scene, zoom settings, etc) that can't be have with digital.

*Yes this is probably weird seeing me who usually favors old-school stuff pick the modern thing in this aspect

Indeed, and then there's the problem of getting film in the first place. And since the Olympus is pretty bulky and uses a memory format that nobody uses, well...

[GreenMan]

As with eveyone else I do agree that getting an actually camerea is much better then just using phone app or program trickery for getting your shots to look better.

One sugestion though, find one that you like the the feel of, this is a great help when it comes to cameras. I have an old one I keep around just because off this, sadly the only real one that does it and allowed me to take some pretty neat shots Also, get one with the stuff you need no reason to buy a new cameara with a ton of features you never gonna have a use for.