CheckMag | Smartphone cameras suck — buy a compact camera and a mid-range phone for better photography

Most flagship and even mid-range smartphones from brands like Apple, Google, and Samsung are now receiving as many as seven years of software support. They also have hardware more than powerful enough to deliver a smooth, snappy experience in everyday apps, even years down the line. Given just how affordable mirrorless cameras can be, it makes sense to at least consider upgrading to a “real” camera instead of hoping Apple, Google, or Samsung's software can get the white balance right or produce pleasing portrait mode background blur. 

There are plenty of affordable cameras that don't demand that you make those same sacrifices to image quality.

Nikon's retro-flavoured Z fc is just $1,096.95 on Amazon, even with a stabilised Nikkor Z DX 16–50 mm f/3.5–6.3 VR lens.

If you're looking for something even smaller, the Panasonic GX85 is still kicking around on Amazon for as little as $647.99 — only a hair more than the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE — and that's with two pocket-sized M4/3 lenses, to boot.

The Fujifilm X-T30 II, which delivers flagship-tier APS-C performance from a very small body, can be found used or as new old stock for Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra prices — $1,299 with an XF18–55 mm kit lens on Amazon.

Look at the used market from a retailer like KEH camera, and you can get even better bargains on incredibly capable cameras, like the Fujifilm X-T3 for around $800, a Fujifilm X-E3 for less than $800, or a Panasonic Lumix G9 for under $700. These are only examples from recent generations — go back further, and you're looking at magnificent M4/3 cameras for under $500. 

As just two examples, KEH has the legendary Panasonic Lumix GH4, which records 4K video and was a favourite for YouTube creators for a long time, for as little as $220.78. The newer Lumix G7 is just $325.55 in almost new condition, while an Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II can be had for just $338.79. There are tons of examples of used camera bodies that will serve you brilliantly for well under the price of a flagship phone. 

It isn't that image quality is all there is to it, either. While a phone is sort of designed to distract you with its notifications and shiny app icons, a camera does the opposite.

When you take out a camera to take a photo, that's all you can do with it. There's no Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly Twitter) to pull you out of the act at any point during the shooting experience. So, while it might take a little more effort to shoot with a camera, although not much, given how good automatic and priority shooting modes are these days, the results are often more carefully considered.

As mentioned previously, a camera also gives you a level of flexibility and control that a smartphone simply doesn't. Sure, depending on the brand, you can sometimes adjust contrast, exposure, or saturation on a smartphone, but you typically don't have enough control over what the phone is doing to make sure you get the result you want. There is always going to be interference from the phone's image processing pipeline.

It's even worse when it comes to video capture, where it's basically impossible to set the “correct” shutter speed outside of basically perfect conditions. This is why smartphone videos can have that strange jerkiness to them. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra comes close to solving this with its variable aperture, but it still lacks the range of a dedicated camera.

Isn't it worth it to use something more fit for purpose to capture precious memories of your friends and family? Sure, even compact cameras might not be as discreet as a smartphone, but they're usually close enough that anyone that regularly wears a backpack won't notice a difference, and the gap in image quality these days can be night and day — especially when people are involved. 

Plus, if you use a camera, you're more likely to have juice left in your phone to doomscroll your favourite social media site after your day's activities.

B&H Photo, Fujifilm