I've been using the camera on my Samsung Galaxy phone whilst out on my walks, and the results really are quite remarkable for such a small lens, especially for general landscape shots - but there are limitations. In particular, I find the phone camera wanting in the following areas:
- Low light - works up to a point, and then the autofocus gives up. And I do like my sunrises and sunsets.
- Telephoto - pretty useless, which is only to be expected, I suppose. No way could I photograph a distant herd of deer last Thursday.
- Close ups - again, the auto focus lets it down. Flowers would be my main interest here.
- Drains the phone battery, which I might need for an emergency. I've bypassed this problem by buying a cheap lithium powerbank.
So I am looking into buying a light compact camera; don't want to spend a fortune and I don't want to weigh myself down. Not sure what my budget or timescale is yet, or if it is even worth the bother.
It has been a while since I have looked at camera tech, and I am amazed by what is available in a compact - 30x zoom, for example.
I note that the cheaper cameras, and those with a super zoom use a 1/2.3 sensor, whereas the more expensive cameras with a more modest but still very useful zoom use a 1" sensor, which I believe improves low light performance, of interest to me.
Anyone know how this works out in practice?I would also be keen on being able to focus manually if I so desire, and an electronic viewfinder would be nice, although not a must have.
I would be interested to hear what compact cameras other forum users use, and of any recommendations, whether they are significantly better than phone cameras, cameras to avoid, or additional points to consider. Thank you in advance