ABJanes Loc: Jersey Boy now Virginia

Good Morning:

My niece is asking me for advice on a iPhone 11 Upgrade but she has a thin budget (right now less than $500--unrealistic I know). She complains of dark & blurry images. Her family has a young fast moving toddler. Learning to use her iPhone Flash and auto semi-high speed shutter might help and I will research that for her with articles and/or YouTube Videos. I think training first with what she has is best. But if a camera is what she wants, I think a micro 4/3's with a telephoto lens would make sense but used might be required to fit her finances. Would a Bridge Camera with the flash turned off with auto iso make sense--I have shutter lag concerns? Direct flash over and over is not very pleasing IMHO. Learning tech is not high on her list, which makes all of this challenging. I'm a DSLR Nikon Guy. Any thoughts here!

Thanks,
Bruce Janes

BigDaddy Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

I hate to say this but, cell phones seem to take low light photo's quite well, and with no fuss. For years my kids would take pics in minimum light with no flash, and I would yell at them they need more light or a flash... I was wrong, their pics always turned out good even with minimum lighting. Myself, I found none of my cell phones worked well with the flash, (my kids never used the flash, and I now know why. If your daughter is having light issue's with her Iphone 11, then it's either way too dark, or her phone has some setting wrong, or it is broken. My experience with camera's is that low light pics take a good bit of skill in settings and flash usage. For the record, we've used Iphone, Samsung and LG cell phones, and they all took/take pics about the same, which is very, very good, including low light and movies.

If you have a DSLR, I'd recommend lending it to your daughter for a bit to see if it really suits her needs. My daughter's Canon DSLR has been sitting in her closet unused for a good number of years, and she has taken thousands of pictures of my GD, all with cells.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

I have and still use my Nikon P7800: 1/1.7 sensor, shoots RAW & JPEG, has built in flash as well as a hot shoe, has an EVF in addition to the rear screen, good zoom range, flip and tilt rear LCD, still available used for prices ranging from $300 - $500 on Ebay. Even though I have multiple DSLRs, this P7800 is a keeper for me.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Your observation about training first with what she has is the best route. And be assured that she does have a "real" camera. Chasing toddlers indoors for photos demands more from the photographer than from the camera. If changing cameras is the goal, then knowing how to use flash should be included

Bayou

The Nikon D3500 kits sell for $500 or so, with a fine 18-55 lens. It does very well at high ISOs so is good for shooting moving kids at higher shutter speeds. Though you don't like the idea, the pop-up flash really seals the deal on moving kids indoors. Even used an M4/3 would likely exceed the budget.

ELNikkor

Bump up the lighting in the house would be one quick way to to solve the low-light problem. Flash will ruin the aesthetic look of most photos, and may not be good for young eyes. I agree that the iPhone 11 should have no problem taking photos in low-light. Our comparatively lower-end phones take great shots in low-light.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

A DSLR is a waste of money, time and effort. Learning to use the phone better is the best approach. A pocket-sized model, literally in the pocket for immediate access, is the best approach for a 'camera'. The Nikon P7800 is one such example. I'd go even smaller such as:

Panasonic ZS80
Canon G9 X
Olympus TG-6
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX220

If the new prices are over the budget, each of the brands have different models that bundle different options at different prices. Sony has models that run from $1000+ to $129, so there's plenty of options. Look at eBay too. People will buy one, decide they don't like it for whatever reason, but waited too long to return to the store.

BebuLamar

I don't think another camera or another phone will fix the dark blurry images. She needs to find out why and you can help her doing so.

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

As a general rule the bridge cameras struggle to achieve autofocus in a fast moving environment. Especially in lower light. Phone will do better.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

This maybe is getting advanced for our OP's niece, but a camera like the Canon G9X offers AI Servo that will help with tracking and maintaining focus on a moving subject. More technology will help, but it depends too on the willingness of the photographer to use / learn to use that technology effectively.

BebuLamar

I don't find the Iphone 11 has tendency to take either dark or blurry pictures than any other cameras. The OP niece must do something wrong. I don't think it's something money can fix (except the hiring the OP to take the picture).

ABJanes Loc: Jersey Boy now Virginia

Thanks to all...... I have many of the same concerns. I sent her an article on how to capture in-focus images with an iPhone 11. It will be interesting to hear her feedback. Bruce

Chadp Loc: Virginia Beach

I find that my IPhone will produce grainy pics in low light rather than blurry. But upgrading lighting in the house is the easiest solution as others have mentioned.

However, it was the desire to capture better images of my newborn 7 years ago that brought me back into the digital camera world. Since then, I have owned Nikon DSLRs and mirrorless from Olympus, Panasonic, Sony and my current Fujifilm. I like trying out different camera systems. I buy them used. But out of all the cameras I have used to photograph my kids, the one I enjoyed the most and I thought gave me the most bang for my buck was the Olympus OMD-EM10-II. That camera coupled with the 25 1.8 lens produced some excellent images. And the built in flash seemed to work better on that system than any others I have tried. You could probably find the camera and lens used for around $500. I owned Mark I,II and III of the EM-10 series. Mark II was my favorite of the three.

Bayou

The "waste of money" entry level DSLR would eat those models alive and spit them out in terms of image quality. Certainly there is something to be said for pocketable portability, but the OP made no mention of that. He spoke primarily of low light capability and focusing issues. A DX DSLR is vastly superior to compacts for those concerns.

While the future for DSLR does look quite limited, we're not talking about a hobbyist or system builder here, just someone who is looking to take good shots of kids indoors. The dark and blurry problems she struggles with now will not get any better with another tiny sensor camera.

BebuLamar

I tend to think that the dark and blurry she is getting now won't get better with any camera.