Digital Camera or Smart Phone?

[Clip-Shot]

I always carry my little Olympus compact digital camera when I head to the mountains.
It has served me well for both solo & group shots, plus some incredible scenery to use for desktop images.

Recently, I have noticed more people using smart phones for taking pictures.

Does anyone have experience with these new mobile devices for taking pictures?

[planebow]

I always carry a camera for 2 reasons. A cell phone does not work in the area that I hunt and my camera takes way better pictures then my phone. The picture in my avitar would not have been possable with my phone.

[cnelk]

I also carry a digital camera.
One reason:
I can change out my SD cards in my trail cameras and view pics.

Another reason:
I carry 2 cell phones every other day of the year. I like not carrying one for 10 days of the year...

[GetemDuck]

My phone is not very smart, I still run a flip open phone...lol Not sure about the Megapixel of the smart phones but if you ever want to get a print made from your photo, the larger (or higher) the mega pixel the better. Nothing worse then capturing a moment only to find out you can not get an 8x10 made of it.

I always carry a camera I just never remember to take photos, I could kick myself for not capturing the entire part of dads hunt last year me got shots of everything except him packing it out........I'm still mad about that.

Take a camera and take lots of pictures....bring them here and post them up and share.

[Indian Summer]

Lyn! So glad to see you here. Your Clip-Shot (in his avatar) was a big hit here on the forums. I'm pretty sure a few elknuts might have recently added them to their packs. I have lots of photos that wouldn't have been possible without one. Self taken photos of course but also those priceless group shots.... that aren't missing one guy.

Alot of time money & energy goes into getting an elk on the ground... or even getting a killer scenic photo from above timberline. A phone doesn't do the opportunity justice for me. Then again I don't have the best phone either. I love my Canon Powershot.

I recently bought a Garmin Montana 650T gps which has a digital camera. People who are buying a GPS might want to think about spending a little more and leaving the camera at home. I haven't used the camera much so I can't speak for the quality. It still won't beat the Canon though.

Welcome to the forums. I hope to see the Clip-Shot in our ElkNut store soon. Also hope all is well up there in good old Noxon Montana. I love the Bull River Valley and the monster bulls on Pillick Ridge. Moran Basin. For those who have the guts to hunt them there. Killed my first bull above the Ross Creek Cedars. You're lucky to live up there. Take care and hope to see you here more often.

[bowpackerrob]

I have always carried a small nikon cool pix camera, not bad for the money and better pics than my cell phone plus it is cheap so if something happens I am not too worried about it. I have looked at the Montana 650T gps and the Oregon 450t gps as they both have cameras built into them, anxious to hear more about them before I purchase though.

[MTLongdraw]

My phone is not very smart, I still run a flip open phone

People always look at me all apaled when I pull out my flip phone. "You don't have a smart phone!" I always reply by saying don't you think I'm smarter by not paying an extra 30 bucks a month.

[ElkNut1]

Lyn, welcome to the Forums!

I just got a smart phone 2 days ago & it looks like it will take nice photos but it won't replace my camera as I like lots of photos to be taken these days.

I just picked up a Clip Shot myself & have been playing with it, it's a very slick light weight unit! It will definitely be in my pack & ready for use. I can't tell you guys & gals how many times my son & I have fumbled around trying to get photos of us both with the self timer next to a downed animal & trying to stabilize the camera on a pack or debris of sorts, this little unit will be very handy for sure! It's a great idea!

ElkNut1

[cnelk]

My Clip-shot arrived last week and I already used it!

We went snowmobiling last weekend and I clipped in to my windshield and took some footage with my digital camera.

It was a bit shaky but it worked fine.

My son has a GoPro that works great for this and many other things - another gadget that works

[ElkNut1]

Brad, great idea on the Go-Pro use.

I should mention that the Clip Shot will be in the Store here shortly if anyone is interested, if you own a camera or such you can't beat this small tool, very cool.

ElkNut1

[Freebird134]

I found the GoPro useless for hunting. I shot several deer with it on this fall, but with the low light the deer is invisible even within 20 yards.

I only pack my iPhone. The photo quality is fantastic--better than I need and it shoots great video too. It's lightweight and can be used as a GPS. Even when there is no cell signal, I can look at pre=downloaded aerial photos and topo maps and the GPS function shows me where I am. Rechargers are cheap and light for backcountry hunts, and we even get some signal on top of peaks.

[buglmin]

I carry two cameras while hunting, both digital, plus a small HD video camera on a tripod strapped to the outside of my pack. And keep a camera handy, cause when you need it, you might need it quick, and it doesnt do you any good in your pack. Take pictures, cause you can never go back and recreate that moment that happened just minutes before...
We were advised four years ago to start vidoeing our hunts, and I do know. Buy a small video camera that uses memory cards, carry extra cards, and always make sure the batteries are charged in all your cameras. The batteries for my head lamp fit both my cameras, so i always carry extra batteries...
Buy the best camera you can afford, learn to use it, and youll enjoy the memories years from now...

[Clip-Shot]

Feedback like this is very much appreciated.
Where I live, cell service is very limited, so my experience is limited too.

[Clip-Shot]

I didn't mean to stop the flow of comments. Anyone else....?

[Freebird134]

I didn't mean to stop the flow of comments. Anyone else....?

How many megapixels is your Olympus?

[mtman71]

Second post here. My two cents are to take a smart phone and camera. Wish I had a camera last summer, while trout fishing/float tripping below Wolf Creek Dam with some college friends. I had a new smart phone but had no way of charging it so kept it turned off unless I had to take a pic. The problem with this phone (Samsung Rugby, a "rugged" phone) was that is would take a good two minutes to boot up. Now, I'm not familiar with what Iphones are like, so maybe it's different.
Some of the new, "rugged" cameras look pretty sweet, turn on faster and probably take just as good, if not better pics. I missed some awesome pictures just because we didn't want to wait two minutes for this phone to take pictures or because time passed by and the shot was missed. Just my thoughts.

[one_elk]

Camera over cell phone for me….

[G Posik]

Digital camera attached to my CLIP SHOT that arrived last week (I love this simple little thing). Now I do not have to find the right rock to sit the camera on. The cell phone is for using with my InReach to text the family ad get weather reports from the wife.

Glenn

[Clip-Shot]

How many megapixels is your Olympus?

My Olympus is maximum of 10 megapixels and I'm very happy with it.
From what I understand, the newer he Smart Phones improved to around 8.

I'm just trying to figure out if I should make a little smart phone accessory available to use with my Clip-Shot.
So far, it looks like the majority still prefer a digital camera.

[Indian Summer]

Got my package in the mail yesterday Lyn. Thanks!

Yesterday I was thinking that it might be nice to have one with a bigger clip that fits the 3/4 r 1 inch hand rails on boats. When you mount cameras to the boat itself it's always held steady, even in rough water. GoPro users are doing that. There's nothing in a boat small enough to clip to.

[elkmtngear]

I have a small HD Video camera that takes 12MP Stills. Like buglmin, it fits in a waterproof pouch on the outside of my pack belt, so it is always handy.

I can use the SLIP Systems' mini ball camera adaptor multiple ways...from filming over the blind on a setup, to having it mounted atop the handle when using it as a walking stick.

One of the best things I have found for filming and video, is a LANC controler. I can clip the controller to the trekking pole piece on a setup, twist the viewfinder down, and watch the action from behind the SLIP Blind.

I can pan by twisting the handle, and zoom and take stills with the remote, without exposing myself from behind my elk decoy.

[timberghost51]

I just got one of those all weather Nikon digital cameras...it takes great pictures and not to mention you can take it underwater so hopefully get some nice trout pics from the blue river this year...ill post some up when I get some underwater shots

[6.5City]

Generally I will take both. In one of the areas I can get enough cell service to send some texts back with location and that we are ok. Last year, we were in a different area and no phone contact with anyone for 7 days and only saw one other person. It was great.

[WindedBowhunter]

I have both, the phone for a quick pic to share, once I get to civilization.

But, for quality pics to share with family and friends I use my Canon camera.

On a side note, Nokia is releasing a 41mp camera in their new smartphone later this summer. I am not sure I am sold on this as the lens will be Zeiss glass, but still waayy tooo small to gather the true details of the image.

[Clip-Shot]

Keep the feedback coming...

The reason I started this thread was to determine if anyone could use a little Clip-Shot accessory for such phones.
I found a high quality suction cup, made in Pennsylvania, that works very well.
The suction cup must be attached to a smooth surface of course, and some covers are textured.
This makes it very easy to choose between a vertical or horizontal shot.
The accessory adds 7 grams of weight. A Clip-Shot weighs 28 grams.
From what I understand, a timer application can be downloaded giving up to a 30sec delay.

Clip-Shot w-Accessory Horizontal.jpg (107.08 KiB) Viewed 11404 times

Clip-Shot w-Accessory Vertical.jpg (107.04 KiB) Viewed 11404 times

[erichunter14]

I consider myself pretty knowledgeable in this area. Two things...you want high megapixels but it means nothing if you have a tiny lens...aka smart phones. They physically don't let enough light in to really utilize the mp's. Especially in hunting situations where most shots happen in low light. Eastmans mag just published an article supporting this. They said in order to use pictures in there magazine they have to been taken with a digital camera and not on iphone. iPhones just don't get the detail needed to blow up a picture 2 large size. Second...Your flash is usually insufficient for dark shots, where your digital camera with just fine. Lots of my killshot photos were in the dark and would not have been possible with an iPhone.

[caperoll/Scott]

I carry a small sony digital camera, that has stills and video on it. I can also change out the SD card on my trail cams. One of the guys I hunt with taKES his smart phone with him to take photos with, it works ok during the day but at night not so much, not enough flash. The clip shot looks like it might work on camers if the camera is light enough.

[BobcatJerry]

Indian Summer to answer your question about the GPS cameras, My Garmin Rino 655T doesn't hold a candle to my Canon power shot. The GPS cameras just don't have the light meters, optics, nor a flash. In low light the GPS camera takes bad pictures,In good light the GPS camera takes OK pictures. Nice that it marks your location of your picture, a little better than just marking a way-point. You get to see exactly what you marked.

I carry the power shot in my shirt pocket in a non-slip pouch, and always have easy access to it. I think phones would be Ok if you just want to take a quick shot, but if you like to compose a great shot, it can't be done like what you can do with a camera. The power shot is a great point and shoot camera.

[Clip-Shot]

The clip shot looks like it might work on camers if the camera is light enough.

That is true. It works great with my Olympus digital camera which weighs 5.5 ounces. However, the Kodak in my Avatar weighs nearly 13 ounces. I carried it for several years and really liked the zoom and other features it has, but it is a battery hog. Originally, I got the Olympus for my wife, but since it is so much more compact, I carry it all the time now instead.
When attached to a screw-in tree step, a Clip-Shot will easily hold 20 ounces. I don't have the spotting scope, so, can't provide an accurate weight, but I know it was well over 1 pound. The round part of the clip will fit nicely over a small Gorilla tree step, like this:

For a Spotting Scope.jpg (55.5 KiB) Viewed 11364 times