Which to buy? Professional camera or flagship phone?

[RennSter20]

Hello everyone, my 18th birthday is knocking on the door and I am choosing which gift to get from my parents...
I was thinking between camera (nikon d3500 or something a lil bit more expensive but better quality) or a phone(pixel 4,5, galaxy s10+ or something more similar)... I currently own Huawei p20 pro which was in my budget for me to buy... I am passionate about fotography and I am not sure which one to buy... I do not really know much about cameras but I did see some videos comparing Nikon slr and phone(iphone) and I see that there is not actually much difference(i think). What are your opinions and experiences on this?
Please let me know every comment is welcome

 

[drivinfast247]

Nothing beats a real camera in its clarity, low light photos and speed of focus.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Buy an actual camera. Phone cameras try to have a one-size-fits-all package to cover as many situations as possible for a "good enough" shot. But an actual camera, at least something like a professional-grade DSLR or mirrorless camera, lets you have that on top of changing out lenses and other hardware to make them even better for specialized scenes.

For example, say you get into a type of photography that requires you to take long-distance shots. You're never going to get something good on a camera phone because there's no hardware to support that type of photography. But you can definitely find telephoto lenses for actual cameras that will let you do that.

 

[RennSter20]

Buy an actual camera. Phone cameras try to have a one-size-fits-all package to cover as many situations as possible for a "good enough" shot. But an actual camera, at least something like a professional-grade DSLR or mirrorless camera, lets you have that on top of changing out lenses and other hardware to make them even better for specialized scenes.

For example, say you get into a type of photography that requires you to take long-distance shots. You're never going to get something good on a camera phone because there's no hardware to support that type of photography. But you can definitely find telephoto lenses for actual cameras that will let you do that.

To be honest I am not really going to spend much mich money on lenses... I am just curious is it good for me to buy a camera if I am not going to use it professionally...

 

[kanewolf]

To be honest I am not really going to spend much mich money on lenses... I am just curious is it good for me to buy a camera if I am not going to use it professionally...

It depends on what you want to photograph. Sports from the stands? Has to be a "real" camera with a long lens.
Groups of friends. Either one. Your friends are probably more comfortable with you taking pictures with your phone.

 

[RennSter20]

It depends on what you want to photograph. Sports from the stands? Has to be a "real" camera with a long lens.
Groups of friends. Either one. Your friends are probably more comfortable with you taking pictures with your phone.

I was thinking like sometimes when I go somewhere new or to the city to take photos... As I said I am really passionate about photography, in my city there is really nice shots to be taken... I am about to go to course about photography next week and learn about it more... I am not sure so... Thanks for answers

 

[RennSter20]

It depends on what you want to photograph. Sports from the stands? Has to be a "real" camera with a long lens.
Groups of friends. Either one. Your friends are probably more comfortable with you taking pictures with your phone.

Btw I buy the camera I was thinking about taking pictures mainly of persons

 

[USAFRet]

It also depends on what you're doing with the pics.
Instagram/facebook...a phone is probably fine.

More than that, a real camera.

 

[RennSter20]

It also depends on what you're doing with the pics.
Instagram/facebook...a phone is probably fine.

More than that, a real camera.

Hmm I am not really sure now, I wasthinking about maybe getting payed sometimes if I get really good... ThatsMAYBE

 

[RennSter20]

It also depends on what you're doing with the pics.
Instagram/facebook...a phone is probably fine.

More than that, a real camera.

Tbh I do have a good camera phone now, P20 Pro

 

[hotaru.hino]

Actually, I forgot one important principle, the equipment largely doesn't matter. If you take crappy photos to begin with, getting a $20,000 camera isn't going to make them better.

So I now say stick with what you have and if you feel like the equipment you have is holding you back, then upgrade to something better.

 

[Math Geek]

get a real camera. especially if you have any thoughts at all of doing it for money. i know if i was going to pay someone to take pics of my family or anything else and they whipped out a phone to do it, i'd stop things right there!

get a real camera and then learn how to use its every feature. then when someone asks, you'll be able to do whatever you need to do while looking like a pro doing it. this will bring satisfaction from the client and possibly word out mouth references for other work.

 

[USAFRet]

Actually, I forgot one important principle, the equipment largely doesn't matter. If you take crappy photos to begin with, getting a $20,000 camera isn't going to make them better.

So I now say stick with what you have and if you feel like the equipment you have is holding you back, then upgrade to something better.

Exactly.
A good photographer can use a cellphone for gallery quality images.
A crappy photographer can take thousands of $$ of equipment, and have something not suitable for Instagram.

 

[RennSter20]

Exactly.
A good photographer can use a cellphone for gallery quality images.
A crappy photographer can take thousands of $$ of equipment, and have something not suitable for Instagram.

get a real camera. especially if you have any thoughts at all of doing it for money. i know if i was going to pay someone to take pics of my family or anything else and they whipped out a phone to do it, i'd stop things right there!

get a real camera and then learn how to use its every feature. then when someone asks, you'll be able to do whatever you need to do while looking like a pro doing it. this will bring satisfaction from the client and possibly word out mouth references for other work.

Thank you and all of You for answers! I am looking forward to it to be something I can make money out, since its something I love and I can earn from it It should be good, right?

 

[USAFRet]

Thank you and all of You for answers! I am looking forward to it to be something I can make money out, since its something I love and I can earn from it It should be good, right?

Just be sure you go into that money making thing with your eyes open.

 

[RennSter20]

Just be sure you go into that money making thing with your eyes open.

Hahah thanks 👌😂

 

[Benjamin22044]

Unless you wish to be a professional photographer with all the seriousness, I would not suggest you to go with a DSLR. Instead, you can get some really good smartphones that have a powerful camera in them and they can serve a lot of other purposes as well. Recently I discovered that T-Mobile LG Velvet 5G smartphone with Mediatek Dimensity 1000C processor has a really good 48MP triple rear camera and it costs about $600 in price. The smartphone has a good performance and not just the camera, the battery and the storage are also good. Samsung S series smartphones and some of the OnePlus smartphones do also have a good camera.