Upgrade your phone or buy a mirrorless camera in 2023?

It's the question I'm always asked. Should I upgrade my phone for a better camera or just buy a dedicated mirrorless/DSLR camera?

In this video I talk through some of the pros of both mobile photography and the pros of having a dedicated camera.

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[beckyisj]

I was an iPhone-only photographer for the longest time because it got so good! But I miss the power of a camera so I bought my first crop-sensor Sony. SO much more powerful. And now I love splicing shots from both together.

[coment]

One more thing - the way people consume content - take 3 kg of equipment with you and then spend hours processing it so that someone would spend 0.5 seconds watching it on a smartphone? No sense.

[alangold]

This is a Major dialogue I am having when faced with buying new phone because of the battery dying. This is very helpful

[VictorReynolds]

I love my iPhone 13 Pro as a camera. I also made a premature mistake and sold off my Olympus mirrorless camera. Despite the iPhone’s assets, there’s still something about using a DSLR or mirrorless in certain situations where the smartphone’s camera can’t quite touch. I’m in the market for a traditional camera now. Thanks for sharing a great video.

[gtotalman]

It’s good for phones to have a good camera quality but can’t compete with DSLR or mirrorless cameras because they’re limited by design

[thebritishindian]

This video, combined with the experience of my phone battery constantly draining last year on my holiday to Italy, has made me consider a camera for the first time since I last owned one in around 2008. (It was a Canon IXUS). Battery was a huge problem when I was there. On some days I didn't take as many photos and videos as I wanted to because I knew my phone would die before my day of sightseeing was over. Thanks for posting this video.

[Mrscott]

"The best camera is the one you have with you" - Chase Jarvis

[khanscombe]

For me, I’m looking at the convenience & compact. The best camera is useless if you don’t have it on you. A Canon M50 Mk II is awesome small but it’s still bigger than a big phone. The S120 was good enough to grab & go even walking the dog. Literally pocket size.
At the end of the day, the best camera is the one you already have in your hand If that’s your phone, good engine. Better to get the shot than not. (:

[ronaldlee]

I have both a phone and a Sony RX100, and the Sony RX100 take a better pic because of the larger sensor size. If you want to bulk transfer photos & video to your, you can get a micro-SD card. Put the micro-SD card in the camera with an adapter and then transfer the micro-SD to the phone's micro-SD card slot. You can also backup your photos to cloud when it is in your phone.

[ryans]

For my situation, my phone camera is already pretty decent and will capture the memory of the moment well. There is a bunch of processing done to the photo to get it to that point, which can ruin a photo from time to time.

The detail in a phone camera is not that good, on a small screen if you don't zoom in it's unnoticeable, but if you wanted to look more closely at something the lack of details or sharpening jumps out.

The other thing is I love sunsets and and night time or dim lit situations, and the phone camera really still struggles in those situations at times.

So looking into a smaller mirrorless camera that is protected well that I can pull out when I when I want a better picture . My family used to have a good camera at some point in the past and it was always very fun to use, something the phone camera has lost.

[shawmutt]

One of the pros not mentioned is security. Whipping a phone out and taking a shot doesn't get attention. Grabbing a camera, especially with telephoto lenses, makes you a target.

[camilomorenosala]

Probably upgrading my phone for now, but you've made me think of maybe trying to get a used mirrorless camera as well.

[gododgers]

Seeking to upgrade my camera that I love using now (canon t3i). I feel like the phone is an opportunistic camera for me. But when I want a mental deep breath and go shooting with my camera it's just a whole different experience. So I choose my camera. Be interested to see how the mirror less cameras work. I'll also accept used donations of a mirror less lol. Love the videos 🤘 keep it up!

[RobJohns]

Decided to get a canon m50 and a couple sigma primes instead of upgrading my iPhone X a few years ago. Fast forward to now and I have a used R6 and some RF glass. The 24mm main lens on my wife’s iPhone 14 pro is pretty incredible though. What a time to be alive

[Animationcove]

I've been looking to upgrade my photography, this helped a lot. Thank you!

[phaseboundary]

This reminds me of the debate decades ago around personal computers versus serious Unix workstations, "Do I really need a workstation or can I get away with just a PC?" Well, the old Solaris and AIX workstations are relegated to computer museums, and the trendline for commodity phones versus serious cameras is likely to play out similarly.

[MiegmaishMenas]

Hey, maybe you’ll share your reasoning in my situation.

I am (99%) upgrading my iPhone 11 promax to the 15 promax, mainly for the camera. Especially the video capability. But lately my still photo enthusiasm came back where I started considering a very small portable camera like the X100 or the x-t30 from fuji. My main interest is jpeg, film simulation and seamless workflow.

I even dug up my Nikon D7000 from the good old days with my smallest lenses (like the 35mm f/2 and the 50mm f/1.8) to play with built in colors and if I like the process.

So my question now is - getting a used T30 (first gen) with a 27mm pancake, just shooting on the new iPhone which will offer an improvement on the 11PM or playing with my Nikon +usb-c on the phone.

Would see the point in BOTH upgrading your phone and getting a slightly older camera?

[moimannata]

I am actually thinking of upgrading my phone or buying a mirrorless camera.

[ItsRandall]

I would want to plug a mic or something regardless if I’m using phone or camera

[mcknackus]

Been on the verge of upgrading my phone but after doing tons of research I'm almost certain I'm gonna invest in a compact mirrorless camera. Just a small pocketable one with a few lenses primarily for street and travel photography. I don't think I'll ever desire a setup that would require anything more than a fanny pack.