Is A Camera Necessary Anymore?

One thing I may not have mentioned in last week's post about my selfie stick failure was that over the course of the 4th of July weekend, my camera was put out of commission.  By a couple of grains of sand.

I don't know if you've ever had something happen to your digital camera, but if you have, you've probably found out that they really aren't repairable, in most cases.  I went to a camera store with a previous camera and was told that there really is no fix.  It would almost always cost more to repair than the camera would cost to replace.

I have what many would call a “point and shoot” style camera.  As much as I've drooled over the thought of a nice, DSLR camera, I've never had the economic capability to get one.  And for the most part, the point and shoot camera does just fine, especially now that my 12 year old daughter has found a fascination with nature photography.

But, now that a little grain of sand has jammed itself inside my camera lens making it inoperable, I have to ask myself,

Do I really need another camera?

I have a perfectly good camera on my phone.

So does my husband.

So does my 14 year old daughter.

My tablet also takes photos, as does my daughter's ipod 4 (although it won't operate much longer, either).

With this many “cameras” already in my house, do I need to get another point and shoot?

This probably all boils down to a preference issue.  I have been a photographer since high school, when I spent two years as a member of the yearbook photography staff.  That “staff” designation meant that I went to most athletic events and other school functions with at least 2-3 rolls of bulk-loaded film (meaning extra exposures per roll).  Then I spent hours after school and on weekends developing film and prints for use in our yearbook.  It was actually a huge experience for me as a teen, and I wouldn't trade it.

I have to say, after that amount of time behind the viewfinder of a camera, there's something about taking pictures by tapping my phone that just doesn't feel very comfortable.  It's handy to have the option to snap a photo with my phone when I'm out and about, but when it really comes time to save some memories, the camera just seems to get the job done better.

So, if the site I found for digital camera fixes doesn't help give me a solution, I may be in the market for a new camera before the summer is out.  (We still have one more little trip planned.)

What about you?  Do you take most of your photos with your phone?  Or a camera?

~ Deb