New phone recommendations?

SquarePeg · Dec 31, 2015

Need to upgrade my phone in the next few months and I'm hoping to get something that makes a decent p&s for those times when I don't have my dslr with me. I currently have the Samsung Note 3 and while I love the phone, the camera is disappointing at best and I've missed some really great candids. I'm hesitant to drink the Apple Kool-Aid but my daughter does take some great shots with her iPhone - she's almost 13 so the camera gets a ton of use for Instagram and Snapchat.

My 1 requirement other than a decent camera is that the phone has to be one of the oversized models so that I can see it better.

Any recommendations? I've read a lot of the review sites already so no need to post links to those, I'm just looking for some personal experiences/recommendations. Thanks.

SnappingShark · Dec 31, 2015

I'd go for the iPhone 6s plus.

Reasons: It gets all the latest software ASAP and you know everything's supported.

The camera's pretty good, and it makes a great point and shoot.

It means you can sync with your daughter's phone and steal her images and pretend they're yours

I use the iPhone 6 and couldn't be happier with it with both photography and productivity. Oh and it makes some phone calls, too.

SquarePeg · Dec 31, 2015

BrightByNature said:
It means you can sync with your daughter's phone and steal her images and pretend they're yours

She's very territorial about her photos so this cracked me up. She is always asking if I gave her photo credit if I post something she sent me on Facebook or Instagram.

JoeW · Dec 31, 2015

BrightByNature said:
I'd go for the iPhone 6s plus.

Reasons: It gets all the latest software ASAP and you know everything's supported.

The camera's pretty good, and it makes a great point and shoot.

It means you can sync with your daughter's phone and steal her images and pretend they're yours

I use the iPhone 6 and couldn't be happier with it with both photography and productivity. Oh and it makes some phone calls, too.

I second this recommendation.

Light Guru · Dec 31, 2015

Get an iPhone and some Moment Lenses to go with it.

cherylynne1 · Dec 31, 2015

There's always this crazy little invention:

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 First-impressions Review

In a few generations, that thing might be really cool. I've actually heard that a wedding photography one town over from me has four of them and sticks them in crazy places like on the alter or in a bridesmaid's bouquet to get shots during weddings that no other photographer can. But right now it's probably still too bulky and with too slow of a start-up time to be used for your purposes.

I'm pretty anti-Apple too (I say as I write this from my iPhone 6) but it's hard to escape. My biggest gripe is really the lack of removeable memory. But when my husband surprised me with the 6 he also got the one with 128 gb. I do recommend that...16 gb run out FAST. Especially if you have any videos.

The nice thing about Apple screens is that they are pretty well calibrated. You know, for a phone, anyway. Maybe a slight tendency toward yellowish-green, but mostly very good. My dad has the 6 plus and really likes it.

KmH · Jan 1, 2016

The coolest phone to have these days is a Motorola StarTAC digital but the StarTAC doesn't have a camera.

407370 · Jan 1, 2016

I also have a Note 3. Whats wrong with the camera??

I fear change so dont listen to me.

jake337 · Jan 1, 2016

I have the Note 5 and love it.

SquarePeg · Jan 1, 2016

407370 said:
I also have a Note 3. Whats wrong with the camera??

It could be, and probably is, user error but I just never seem to get a good shot with it without multiple attempts, especially when people are involved. It's really inconsistent. Lots of blurry pics and under exposures. The flash either blows everyone out or doesn't fire at all. The camera takes what seems like forever to turn on and then turns itself off after 1 shot so I am constantly waiting for it to turn on/turn back on which is really annoying and many shots missed. I've tried resetting all the camera settings and have played around with them and I still can't get it to work well for me. It's a camera phone so I'm not looking for dslr quality but it's to the point where I rarely bother to use it.

sashbar · Jan 1, 2016

I recently got Samsung 6s, very good and quite a bargain now after the discount. Camera is good as well btw.

limr · Jan 1, 2016

I would suggest an updated Samsung. They've made a lot of improvements.
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has the third best smartphone camera according to DxOMark

I'm sure the iPhone camera is great, but I've of course seen plenty of crappy iPhone pictures. It's also hard to tell, because it's also rare to see an iPhone picture that hasn't been altered by one of the filter apps or lens kits that they sell (which are also sold for Android phones, bts.)

Apparently, there are also plans for a Galaxy Note 6 coming out later this year, which will include an even better camera.

Derrel · Jan 1, 2016

The iPhone 6 is surpisingly responsive and surprisingly good as a camera...my son has one, and I have been pretty impressed with the maturity of the camera and the basic Apple camera app and its functionality. You can also use third-party apps as well, like Camera Plus Pro, or Instagram, or VSCOcam, and so on.

Fifteen years ago or thereabouts, a 1.3 megapixel Polaroid digital still camera was priced at $1,995 retail and was considered a high-tech,cutting edge, digital imaging tool. No video capabilities, just stills. If you're shy about buying into APple's product lines due to habit, fear of being called an Apply fanboy, disdain for Apple, or a bunch of PC-loving friends or workmates, or whatever, that's totally understandable, and there are surely some other fine, fine smartphone cameras. I've shot my son's phone, iPhone 6, and the display is excellent, and the shutter feels very responsive, and the time-lapse feature works splendidly and it a lot of fun too. I laugh at people who consider smart phones "not cameras"; they are in almost all respects, BETTER cameras than the cameras most people had from the period of about 1850 until 1970. They are better cine cameras than most people had from say maybe 1929 to the 1980's.

407370 · Jan 2, 2016

Derrel said:
The iPhone 6 is surpisingly responsive and surprisingly good as a camera...my son has one, and I have been pretty impressed with the maturity of the camera and the basic Apple camera app and its functionality. You can also use third-party apps as well, like Camera Plus Pro, or Instagram, or VSCOcam, and so on.

I have found that camera phones take brilliant pics in certain circumstances and crap pics in others.
Landscapes and macro are 2 very strong areas for phone cameras but people not so much. Once you get used to the awkward handling phones are a blessing to photography.