In many ways the ease and capabilities of mobile devices have surpassed those of stand-alone cameras. For example the ability to shoot, edit, and directly upload to Flickr or social media has sort of spoiled me. I find small device software is flexible and oft updated. One can easily create a panorama or even a 360 degree image with a phone nowadays. Even completely competing imaging apps such as Instagram extend the concept of what a photograph is.
However, for all the benefits, I am strongly considering going back to a single-purpose camera. The major thing I miss is zoom capabilities. I have sort of gotten used to seeing life in its full frame version. Yet, there is no denying, on any given day, I miss great images. This happens because I cannot precisely get just the part of the world I want to be in the shot.
I'd be nice to get closer to the guy selling prawns from the back of his red pickup without getting off the balcony.
I have discovered that picking a camera nowadays requires profound analytical skills. Each manufacturer produces dozens of different products. Many overlap but some have unique capabilities. It has taken some time to narrow down the offerings to create a smaller, more focused list. I had to check through characteristics that I desired. Luckily, February is a perfect time for this research as cameras are now released annually. Unlike cars, the newest models are announced near the beginning of the year and become available in the spring. This means I have had to rely on old reviews and explore what changes will be made in the newer, replacement versions.
First, everybody seems to now offer a solid 30x optical zoom in a small, non-bridge format. Some have dubbed it the travel zoom category. (See, there is even entirely new vocabulary to learn!) I definitely do not want something approaching the size of an SLR. If lugging along the camera is a chore, then it's apt to stay unused. Additionally, I didn't closely consider any of the rugged, sports models although some looked pretty sleek and cool. I am not a suba-diver needing underwater shots, but more importantly, the zoom levels offered in this category were not sufficient.
So the list of possibilities got a lot shorter and most of what remains looked remarkably similar. Although connecting a camera to computer is easy, I think I would like to seamlessly connect to my phone via WiFi. I can keep the ease-of-use advantage of uploading images this way. Most companies are starting to integrate WiFi and NFC, but that narrowed the list somewhat.
No single camera on the market provides exactly what I would like. To me, that seems a bit odd. For six years my photos have had GPS information included. I can't see why in 2015 that function isn't offered on every single camera made. In addition, I noted that a retro look seems all the rage. Many of my selected camera models are offered in silver and black. I sort of like that. Colour is not important to a camera's function. I guess the traditional look might be preferred by people, like me, who are returning to a stand-alone camera.
Here's my short list.
I would absolutely love any advice and comments. If you have knowledge of this market, please share!