Why should you use a "real" camera anymore?

Why carry and/or use a dedicated camera as a parent

In my mind, there are only a few reasons to pack extra crap with you anywhere - 1. It’s the best solution to a problem you have 2. You get joy in it’s use and you choose to carry it because of that 3. Nope - I think we’ll stop at no. 2, because that just about covers it for my personal life.

So, let’s assume, I believe correctly for a moment that most of the images parents make are with their phones, are there any challenges that tool faces as a camera for our daily needs?

The iPhone is great for casual images/video in the daylight, action photos that happen close to you, landscapes, travel, and documentary work and most importantly (not really) those images of the kids hugging and looking at the camera). In total, it’s more than capable for 50%+ of the photos most people want to make and it has that one important feature no camera really has… it’s connected. If you like to edit and share quickly, love cloud backup, then having your images on your phone is the only way to fly.

While it’s true that my iPhone 12Pro can really do a lot of jobs pretty well, no doubt, there are three things I think it still sucks at and for me that encompasses a good amount of the images I make.

1. Low light - Smart phones (why do we still call them that?) they have come a long way in this category but honestly they still suck in most indoor light and at night. Try taking images of your kids basketball game, music performance, or play and it’s plain to see how much room for improvement there is to be had.

2. Anything that’s reasonably far away. I know that Apple and Samsung are working on this but right now any kind of field sport, court sports, or even swimming, track, etc. are all too far away to get good images.

3. Anything that needs flash. Again, there have been improvements here and there are now even professional lights that will sync with a phone, but there’s still nothing that makes the process of using a flash easy for a smart phone. I’ve tried a few of the gadgets in this space but they never wound up sticking with me, if it’s not attached to the phone, I’m just not going to have it all the time. A good flash can do so much for you that I really hope we see some improvements here soon.

So should you carry a dedicated camera ? If you’re a shutterbug like me, no question yes, but if you’re a parent the answer is that it depends on the day/trip/vacation. It also depends a lot on if you like using your camera, if it brings you joy. A modern camera with the right lens is certainly a tool that brings a lot to your photo game and if you’re shooting sports, low light sports, or if you need a flash then it might become a no-brainer. If not, I think we’d all be tempted to leave it at home.

So consider your assignment, find a camera you really enjoy using and make sure you have the right lens for the job. Cameras are great but it’s really the lens that’s adding a huge portion to the equation of making great images in challenging situations.

For me, I love bringing a dedicated camera almost everywhere I go, I’ve done it since I was about 16 years old. I love the process of making images with full size cameras and now with the ability to wirelessly transfer then to my phone I’m never feeling like I’m missing out. If you’re looking for recommendations, or if you have questions on what to buy, let me know.