thephotoman Loc: Rochester, NY

aggiedad Loc: Corona, ca

My greatest problem with phone cameras is that the vast majority of users are all too happy with most any image they get. No thought of problems with back lighting sans fill flash, and certainly they have no time or thought of editing the capture. The goal is just to quickly post to Facebook etc., and then eventually delete them. These are the descendants of instamatic users who clicked away in stadiums and then thrilled at any image that resulted no matter how tiny and poor.

SierraP Loc: Eastern Sierras

The cell phone/ camera is a real boon to the spy community. Communications and document coping in one unit.

RickBechtel

No question, cellphone cameras have improved dramatically (though I'm not sure I'm falling for all of the latest gimmicks). From my perspective, my camera phone simply broadens the range of images I can get, since it's impossible for me to carry my DSLR virtually everywhere I go. That said, there's no escaping that the tiny size of the cellphone camera sensor is a limiting factor when it comes to doing sizable enlargements. It certainly doesn't stop me from taking shots that I would have preferred using my DSLR for when it just isn't handy, but I do so recognizing that I'll be more limited in what I can do with the image.

Good case in point involved my daughter, who has her first DSLR, now, and has some real native talent. She generally takes it on hikes, but in one case she left it behind because of the difficulty of the hike (worried about whether she could manage her camera bag, etc.). She then got a really excellent landscape image with her cellphone, and later regretted not having brought the camera. I did some processing on the image as best I could, but could only accomplish so much. Lesson learned.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Getting more young people interesetd in photography, learning what makes a good image, and eventually figuring out the limitations of their phones. Where's the bad part? Unless you had a portfolio heavily dependent on Kodak stock...

Our young friends take excellent photos with their cells (in addition to the usual number of photobombs and silly selfies). The number who move on to better cameras continues to grow and that's a good thing.

Andy

Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast

Ahhhh Andy here's the quandary....the young people these days can't mix and mingle on their dependent social media with just a digital camera....

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Using a separate digital camera certainly does put a little delay in the instant gratification path. But the current generation of DSLRs and advanced bridge cameras have the capability to instantly transfer to your phone, and, of course, all of your social networks. I wait till I'm at my laptop or tablet and do it the "old fashioned" way, which is still a million times faster than waiting for your film to arrive at the store while whistlint "Some day my prints will come..." and then networking by passing them around to your friends!

Andy

Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast

Agree with you 100%....I deal with my Grand Children and their addiction to Social Media and I consider them the norm for this generation and social media because I also see it in my friends children...its not pretty

Merry Christmas

Peter767 Loc: Cape Cod,MA

The best camera is the one you have with you.....and often my iPhone camera is that one....

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

So the problem is the users, not the device. These users would likely get similar results with any camera you put in their hands.

RickBechtel

I couldn't agree more! My daughter is 22, and only within the last year did she express enough interest to warrant buying her her first DSLR. She likes it and uses it pretty regularly, and is getting more savvy each day. But the groundwork for that was laid, in part, through her use of her cellphone cameras. It's an evolutionary process, just as it was for us old-timers.

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

The low light ability is one thing I love to take advantage of with my cellphone. When I have a whim and want to take an indoor photo, I often don't have to worry about setting up extra light even in our somewhat dark dining room. Now, if I were taking pro pics I'd probably think different. Pixels do make a difference offscreen.

danersmiff

me 2.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Thanks, Blaster, and the same to you.

Social media is a tool. For me, it's a tool that keeps me in touch with old friends, introduces me to new ones who share similar interests, and allows me to see the latest doings of family and friends who may be thousands of miles away. It's been a great source of support through difficult times, and has introduced me to lots of new ideas and concepts. For a lot of "kids" today, it's a crutch, a vent, and the source of nearly addictive behavior. Like any tool, it can be used for good or evil, but I would find my life less rich without it.

Andy

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Amen! That's the way it's been in our circles. And despite the selfie-flood, some of these kids today have a really good eye. Back in film days, it was a much harder trip from Instamatics to SLRs, and fewer kids of my (and, I presume, your) generation would invest the effort. With digital these days it's much more affordable and easier to learn. As I often say, "The kids are a'right".

Andy