cova triangle

the camera tech is unreal for me as I just look around again.
had a vintage shop and did some trading in old photo and camera stuff - still have some cool things.
My question is this -
expensive cell phone with hi-tech camera? (expensive)
or a communication device separate and combined with a slip in the pocket camera of better quality than the phones. Small camera if carrying 2 pcs. of electronics.
(expensive also I guess)
The google phones are sending out software updates every month for quality and even post processing.
carry 2 things or 1 - update - hardware - software - can't afford to buy new things all the time
pics and video wanted
in the 60's,70's and the 80's was always a component stereo buff - could that come back?

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

When my pocket camera died, I began using my cell phone--less to carry and it takes some pretty good photos, too. I won’t look back.

Tomfl101 Loc: Mount Airy, MD

With the advent of microprocessors and superior computer programming I seriously doubt component-like systems will be developed unless there is a breakthrough so substantial it’s worth carrying an additional piece in your pocket. Stereo components were in-home systems never meant to travel. But who knows what the future may bring?

chevman Loc: Matthews, North Carolina

Welcome to the forum. I understand your dilemma on the constant drain on our money! I have an iPhone and also a small point and shoot camera. I almost never use the phone camera. The point and shoot camera is a Canon g9x 20 megapixel and 1 inch sensor. The pictures are far superior to the phone pics. I got the Canons on Canon USA refurb website. This camera is very small and will fit in a shirt pocket and it takes excellent pictures. As for stereo components the ones like you remember you can still get them but they are very expensive. I still use my old Kenwood high end stereo amplifier (purchased in Japan), it is connected to my laptop via an external audio interface. Old Klipsch kg2 speakers. The sound quality beats most of the junk being sold in volume today. For the good stuff you have to go to a high end store. Most of the newer cameras have built in wifi capability that allows you to connect to a smart phone or tablet that you can load your photos to, for viewing and editing, also a laptop if you have one. The Canon PowerShot cameras like the G9x have lots of shooting options from manual to various auto picture styles. Raw to Jpeg or both.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

I guess they still produce a phone with much less or no camera capacities, but the price differences are not all that great from one with a good camera in it. And there are still non-smartphone cameras in existance, both used and new, that are pocketable and not that costly (e.g., Olympus TG-6, XZ-1). For a lot of people, more than 5B, the quality of the smartphone's cameras are more than enough. But for most of us on UHH, just "good enough" is not good enough for what we need or want. That is why there is still a market for both smartphones having cameras and straight forward cameras. And in some cases, the two complement each other. My smartphone can be used as the viewfinder and the trigger for my camera for certain shooting situation requirements.

jlg1000 Loc: Uruguay / South America

Besides other great, I have an old Nikon P510 without any means of communication.

A couple of years ago, I purchased a cheap ($30 I believe) gadget called "Eye-Fi". That thing is basically a micro-SD adapter with WiFi capabilities.

With that, I can instantly transfer all photos in the camera to the phone and then do whatever I want.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Very few people get along these days without a cell phone. Many medical and workmen people call listed cell phone number before any other number. If someone is one of those who can get along without a cell phone, I guess it doesn't matter which you use, but for those of us who do carry a smart phone, why not use it? Afterall, the best camera is the one in your hands.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

I am currently shooting with top end Sony gear and a 4 year old smart phone. The recent crop of phones look very interesting and some have as many as 3-5 cameras, ranging from wide angle to telephoto.

My phone takes great images within its limitations and I'll be using it until 5G becomes ubiquitous.

I love my Sony gear but suspect it will be the last big camera system I'll own.

Collhar Loc: New York City.

Lets hope this will be the most perplexing problem you will have to encounter.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I think that phone makers are giving us the best technology for a small package that can be made and sold at a somewhat affordable price. If the government demanded a small camera of high quality, I'm sure the quality would be higher, but so would the price.

I can't imagine paying $700 - $1,000 for a cell phone. I bought an iPhone in 2008 for $214. Is the new one really five times better? I now use a Samsung Galaxy J3. I paid $59 and $53 for two of them. Using TracFone, I've averaged $12/month to use it over the past five years. My son uses his all the time, and he's averaged $30/month. When we were using Verizon, we were paying $165/month.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

I have a TracFone similar to the one Jerryc41 has. It cost me $7.80 /mo. I generally use the phone about an hour a year mostly to communicate with my wife when we travel separately. Cell service at my house is marginal so I use the Vonage phone at home. I don't particularly like using the smart phone. The shape of the phone is a bit unpleasant to use as a phone or a camera. I have used the camera for a few utilitarian photos - may be a dozen or so over several years. I like my android tablet much better - easier to see screen content. I use it to tether my cameras, and control a few pieces of household equipment via Bluetooth. Spending $1000 on a phone is not economically justified for me.

Dave H2

Just for info, I recently signed up for cell service from Tello.com. They use the Sprint network and work every bit as well as ATT.
The real kicker is that I pay $7 per month with unlimited text and voice plus 500MB of data for my wife's phone and only $10 for my own with 2 GB data.
This shows that you can get cell service for a reasonable price.
D

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

To answer your question, they are not 5 times better than a 2008 phone. Five times does not describe it well. The latest phones are infinitely better. I do almost everything on my phone that I can do on my desktop computer, and many other things that I can't do on my computer. And I can do it anywhere in the world.

These days I only use my desktop when I need a large screen and/or am using software which only runs on a computer. Other than that, 90% of the things that I used to do on my desktop in my home office I now do on my phone. At least 75% of my posts on UHH are written on my phone which is an $800 two year old Samsung Galaxy s8 plus.

Back in 2008 I could only do a fraction of the things I do today on my phone. I use my phone to make my Amazon Prime purchases, and to make my purchases at restaurants and supermarkets using Samsung Pay. I text and email from my phone. I also create, review, and update Microsoft Word files, Microsoft Excel files, and Microsoft PowerPoint files for my wife's business. And a thousand other things everyday.

In about a year or so I plan to upgrade to the latest Galaxy s20 plus. It will likely cost around $1,100 or perhaps a bit more. Considering the use I make of my phones, it's worth every penny to me. And, completely aside from all their other great features, modern phones have a pretty decent camera. Probably my least used app is the dialer. The term cell phone is really a misnomer. I probably spend much less than 5% of my time on my phone actually making phone calls.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Yes, but your data allowance is minimal. I spend most of my time using my phone on Wi-Fi, which does not use my data allotment, but I still use around 12 or more gigabytes of my 18gb monthly allotment. I am far from alone in my data usage. So for some people like yourself who uses data minimally, your plan may be ideal, but for the rest of us, that amount of data simply isn't sufficient. The feature I use the least on my cell phone is actually making phone calls.

BebuLamar

What??? You mean today we only listen to music via tiny ear bubs bluetooth to the smart phone?