Need a camera when have a smartphone?

[Tarheel girl 1975]

I like having an optical zoom too much to just rely on my phone. I always take my P&S.

 

[greentea]

If you have memory maker and are used to just using your phones for the most part, I probably wouldn't take a camera -- just because if you feel like it might be overkill, you don't seem like you'd be overly concerned with camera vs. phone snapshot quality, and it's an extra thing to carry around all day. That said, if you have a camera already, there's not much harm in packing it in your luggage just in case you decide you want it partway through the trip.

I found my phone battery to hold up pretty well, but I did bring along a portable charger as backup.

 

[ModernArtist]

My husband on previous trips lugged around his Nikon, but that gets old fast. This year he decided..'the heck with that'. We have iPhones. They take awesome pics and there are so many filter apps now.

 

[North of Mouse]

Depends on the quality of pictures you desire, also if you want to enlarge any of them. My dh's i-phone 6 takes great pics, but doesn't come close to our Canons.

 

[Amanda999]

Last week I took only my cell (with camera) - I didn't want to deal with bag check (and, thus, didn't bring my normal camera). I thought the photos were good. Maybe not as good as with the camera, but all the posed character meets were fine (they have good lighting, and your child is still).

My phone camera backs up automatically to google drive, so I like that benefit over the normal camera (if I lose the camera, or it gets damaged in rain/whatever, I could lose the photos). Just a thought there.

That all said, we go to Disney often, so if some photos didn't work out we wouldn't be heartbroken.

I think that if your camera doesn't weigh much, and you are checking a bag anyway, might as well bring it.

 

[siskaren]

Everyone is addressing the question in terms of picture quality, but I prefer a camera because I feel that it's easier to hold. I know that a phone is most likely lighter weight than a camera, I guess what I mean is more in terms of ergonomics.

 

[mom2rtk]

You're basically asking people here about something that is a very personal preference. If you're just taking outdoor photos to share online, you'll be fine with a your phone camera.

If you want photos indoors or want to make nice scrapbooks, you need a real camera.

People don't carry nice cameras for the exercise. There's a reason. And the usually has to do with having the right tool for the job.

 

[wdwjeffc37]

Memory Maker is good for character and family pictures but you won't be able to get those candid spur of the moment shots. We have a Fuji "bridge" camera that is not too large or heavy that has a decent optical zoom(25x) and resolution and powers up to shoot pretty fast. It's easy enough to carry without being a pain. It just has a lot more flexibility photography wise than my phone. I bring it to the parks everyday forr the first part of our trip, but if we are revisiting a park I might not bring it.

 

[mom2rtk]

I would never suggest relying exclusively on Memory Maker for all of your important family and character shots. We have been very happy with Photopass through the years, but we have also had them miss some shots. They make a fair number of mistakes. If the shot is important to you, than you should always be prepared to take one yourself.

 

[minniemous]

4 years ago we brought our smart phones, video recorder and camera. When we did the Crystal palace breakfast with Pooh and friends it was a confusing badly orchestrated mess of trying to do everything! So, now it is smart phone for everything. Our pictures turned out very good. I did love the memory maker we did this last vacation because we could relax in general with the pictures.

I know a real camera will take better pictures but our iPhones do a very nice job and not every picture needs to be perfect. We also do short videos here and thereon the phones (we just are sure to back up and erase all pictures and video's from the phone before we go so we have optimal storage). It is very freeing NOT having to archive every moment!

 

[picprincess]

I would never suggest relying exclusively on Memory Maker for all of your important family and character shots. We have been very happy with Photopass through the years, but we have also had them miss some shots. They make a fair number of mistakes. If the shot is important to you, than you should always be prepared to take one yourself.

I totally agree! I've also experienced a Photopass photographer who was having problems with his gear and wasn't able to take any pics at a M&G. There are also times when the PP person isn't there at all.

I'm a picture person, so I ALWAYS have my camera strapped to me!

 

[RustManFan]

I always take at least my bridge camera since I do tend to want to enlarge the best shots. Also a must have is the zoom I can use at AK etc.

I do like my photos to be perfect and not just snapshots

 

[nkereina]

We like to travel as light as possible so we use our iPhones for cameras. We've also been many times before, and tend to take fewer photos at this point.

 

[hakepb]

To me, photography is a hobby, and Disney World is a wonderful place to exercise that hobby

If I just viewed photography as work, I may not do much more than just a phone and memory maker.

 

[SadieDawn90]

I love taking pictures but decided to get memory maker, leave my big camera setup at home, and save myself the cargo. I have a tendency to get caught up in taking pictures and I end up missing out on moments. Memory Maker was a great purchase, and I was really happy with a lot of the images. I love that I'm in the picture for once, and some of the things that memory maker offers are things that I couldn't capture, like ride photos or the magic pictures that have things like stitch coming out of the ground. PP photographers are plentiful and their cameras capture really decent HQ images.

BUT.

I wish I had brought my camera.

The biggest issue for me was character meals. There aren't PP photographers there, and my iPhone 5 did NOT cut it. Those pictures are barely usable for photo books and the like. Also there are some situations where I really would've liked to be in control of the camera. I maybe wouldn't lug it into every park, but plan to have it in some cases.

I'm sure the newer phones have a better camera but seriously I think there are some instances where you really will want a real camera.

 

[tammgerine]

On my last trip, the majority of my pictures were taken with my iphone. I did take along my camera and will on my next trip just in case I really want it, but it always seemed like the camera was at the bottom of my bag and my phone was always more easily accessible.

 

[swooshbear]

I usually take my DSLR with me to the parks because there are still a lot of things a real camera can do that the iPhone can't (yet) like dark rides, fast moving objects, etc. However, the iPhone 6+ camera has really impressed me, smartphone photography has come a long way since the first iPhone. Here are two photos, one taken with a DSLR and one taken with the iPhone 6+:

 

[dmband]

I use my phone as backup or when I want to capture something I didn't plan on.
If I know I want to take pics, I bring my camera.
If I know I want to video tape, I bring my camcorder.
I have always got better quality using a device designed for what I want to achieve vs a phone plus the phone is limited in many cases such as zoom

 

[msmama]

You don't have to take your camera with you ALL the time if you're going to be there for several days. Nor do you have to carry it all day if you're going to take mid-day breaks. If I know we're going to be meeting characters, I like to have my camera with me. If I think we're going to be mostly riding rides, I'll leave my DSLR in the room and deal with snapshots on my phone.

So, basically, it doesn't have to be all or nothing!!

 

[mom2rtk]

I totally agree! I've also experienced a Photopass photographer who was having problems with his gear and wasn't able to take any pics at a M&G. There are also times when the PP person isn't there at all.

I'm a picture person, so I ALWAYS have my camera strapped to me!

I remember a long thread on the DIS a few years ago when Rapunzel was the Elsa of her day. Anyway, mom waited forever for a photo of her DD with Rapunzel. Just as she gets to the front of the line, Photopass has technical problems and has to leave. But the line moved on. Mom was really upset because her phone battery had died and she had no backup plan. I'm sure if anyone can find that thread, they will see I posted the same advice there...... If the photo is important to you, be prepared to take it yourself.