Sometimes you need something more convenient. So in this 2-part article, we asses whether a ‘Camera-phone’, a phone with a built-in camera can do the job? Or is the ‘middle-ground’ of the Point’n'Shoot camera the best compromise?

Well, with it established that both of these can’t generally use interchangeable lenses, and generally take much lower quality photographs than DSLRs (again, read our previous article comparing the higher-end DSLR cameras to the cheaper Point’n'Shoot Cameras if you need more information), lets assess the Pro’s and Con’s of these two ‘low-end’ photographic options:

We’re going to start by looking at the issues that don’t directly affect picture quality (the lens, sensor etc.), simply because these are easiest for the amateur to get their head round:

The Dedicated Point’n'Shoot Camera route, General Advantages:
1. For non-technical users; Simple Photo Backup & Safety:
Photo’s should regularly be copied to your computer. On a phone or camera, there is always a risk the phone/camera will be lost/stolen, and then the precious photos are gone also. When you get back from a trip, you are quite likely to specifically transfer the photos from your camera to your computer (where they are relatively safe). It’s an easy, and beneficial routine to get in to when you have a dedicated camera.
- Unlike photos sitting on your camera-phone, where there is no ‘mental trigger’ of ‘putting the camera away’ at the end of the trip. Those photos are more likely to stay on the camera-phone, and be at risk from theft/loss.

2. Flexible Storage:
Almost all Point’N'Shoot cameras store their photos on something like a ‘Storage Card’ that can be removed from the camera. Many camera-phones, the iPhone being a good example, can only store photo’s ‘in the phone’. Removable storage generally lets you store more photos than if you only had ‘on-board’ storage (like most camera-phones). It gives you a greater ‘capacity’. ‘Storage Cards’ allow the flexibility to classify one ‘card’ for only work use during the day, and in the evening you can swap the ‘cards’ and use another one for personal use. Or have one card for the photos of your French holiday, one for your Spanish holiday, etc. etc.
- Which you often can’t do with a camera-phone.

3. Sole-function devices work better:
A dedicated camera is just that. Dedicated It’s sole function, and design considertion, is to take the best pictures for your budget. A multi-purpose device like a Camera-Phone? Well it’s full of compromises. It might ‘multi-task’ (badly) so it can be your music-player at the same time (giving slow focusing pictures), it’s buttons might be placed for ideal Phone-use, but not camera-use. And the more complex the unit, the more can go wrong. Sole-function devices, carry-out that function…better.

4. Cost: 2 devices is cheaper than one.
At this end of the market a dedicated camera will give slightly better pictures than the best camera-phone. And it will do so for around £40 less. It’s hard to make direct comparisons, but generally having both camera and phone in one, is more expensive.

5. Loss/Theft: Lose a camera-phone it will cost you more…
Loss and theft are unfortunate, but you can lessen the blow. Stress-saving companies like Gadget Cover can help with insurance for all these devices, but lets try and keep the costs as low as possible hey? If the cost of regular phone and decent Point’n'Shoot camera is less than an equivilent Camera-Phone, then losing your ‘device’ while taking photos will cost you less if you using a dedicated camera. It also means you’ll lose only the photos. And not the photos, phone contacts, past text messages etc. etc. Of a camera-phone. Though Gadget-cover do offer that handy free 3Gb data-backup on their (Camera-)Phone policies.

The Camera-Phone by itself route, General Advantages:
1. For technical users; Easy Copying of Photos to the Internet:
For the technically savvy among us, Camera-Phones have offer the ultimate method of keeping your photos safe from loss, and the quickest method of publishing them to social websites like Flickr and Facebook – which youngsters are finding increasingly useful. Camera-phones generally have WiFi & Mobile Phone internet built in, Point’n'Shoot Cameras generally don’t.
- This means photos can be backed-up to ‘the net’ as soon as they are taken. You don’t have to remember to do it later, and if you lose the device before you finish the trip and copy the photos to the computer, it’s not an issue, as the photos can be sitting safe on the Internet for you. And whatever your reasoning, if you want to publish the photos to the Internet, the camera-phones ability to publish ‘in-the-field’ from almost anywhere, beats most dedicated cameras hands-down.

2. Having a camera in your phone saves space by you having less gadgets :
Less bags, less gear, more space all round : And surprisingly, a phone with a camera in, is generally not significantly bulkier than a phone without. Even when an expandable lens is built-in! Isn’t miniaturisation wonderful!

3. If you always have your camera(-phone), you’ll never miss that shot!:
Yes you might get better quality photos/shots from a dedicated camera, but many photo opportunities happen briefly, spontaneously, and only once. With a camera-phone you’ll have the pleaseure of being able to record these moments. With a separate camera, you’ll generally miss them.
It’s better to have a low-quality photo, than no photo at all! And these photos are generally the most fun too!

In Summary:
Well despite the increased popularity of Camera-Phones, in part 1 of this article, the dedicated Point’n'Shoot Camera seems to have more going for it.
Though the value of each point will differ for individual photographers.

Can the Camera-phone swing things back it’s way? You’ll have to read the next Part of the article to find out!

So, you want to buy a digital camera. If it’s you’re first digital one, you’ve only previously had phones with cameras, or you are just generally inexperienced with these camera gadgets, before you start looking at individual cameras ,with their confusing mega-pixels, it is worth taking a moment or two to learn about the two main types, so you buy the type that suits you. It is worth reading-up independently, as salesman’s advice will often be slanted towards making them a commission.

So the two categories, are known as “Point and Shoot or ‘Compacts’ ” and “DSLR Cameras (digital single-lens reflex)”.

Neither is absolutely ‘better’ than the other, indeed most professional photographers own both types. It really depends on what you want do with them. There are technical differences between the two types, but as you’re reading this, we’ll assume you’re not highly experienced, so we’ll keep the technical details light for now.

Taking the highest quality photos requires time setting up a camera, assessing things like exposure, focus, reflections etc. This is not always possible, as you don’t always get advance notice and things can happen quickly (.e.g Your child daubs a blob of ice-cream on their head, which would make an adorable picture, but you didn’t know it was coming, and it will be gone in a minute). You may have an urge to just turn on a camera and click the big button, and that can be fine, but just be aware that getting the best quality photos takes more preparation. When you take a photo, you have to compromise, do you want a great quality photo that takes time to prepare for? Or do you want to just take a reasonable photo without taking time to setup?

Pros’n'cons of “Point ‘n’ Shoot Cameras”:

Pro’s: Light, small, generally cheaper, always have LCD screens for previewing the photo, simpler for the beginner to use, and beginners will get better results with “Point’n'Shoots” than with “DSLRs”

Con’s: Not so good in Low-light conditions, ultimate quality is generally limited,

Pro’s'cons of “DSLR Cameras”:
Pro’s: Generally better image quality, generally more adaptable for issues such as Zoom and low-light situations, expert photographers will generally get better results from “DLSRs”. They also hold their value better than “Point’n'Shoots”.
Con’s: Heavy, big, expensive, need maintenance, noisy.
The investment in a DSLR and it’s lenses, will almost certainly warrant dedicated camera insurance from someone like “Gadget Cover“. They are very attractive to thieves.

So which types suits you? Well generally a beginner will want to start with a “Point and Shoot”.
And someone more experienced…well they will probably want both.

Happy Snapping!

Shakin’ Stevens has recently been in court due to allegedly breaking a member of the press’s camera (and nearly his skull) with his tripod in a violent incident that the photographer described as ‘shocking’ to the court. Most paparazzi and professional photographers know how important it is to insure their equipment, but if any are in any doubt, read Mike Tyson’s autobiography.

So as to show that this behaviour isn’t restricted to already tarnished or diminished celebrities, here are some other examples (OK, so they’re tarnished and diminished to an extent).

Kate Moss vs. the paparazzi

Amy Winehouse struggles with photographers

Cameron Diaz takes a camera from a paparazzi in 2004

Some might say that the paparazzi deserve what’s coming to them after what they did to Diana, but we couldn’t possibly comment.

Research by home contents provider Prudent Minds reveals a darker side to Christmas, as thieves typically wait until December the 31st before pouncing on our loot. A Californian business think tank also did some research way back in 2002 suggesting that summer time also sees a large peak in home burglaries, as people go away and leave their possessions unattended. Though most of us take our cameras on holiday with us, getting comprehensive gadget insurance means you don’t have to worry about individual items.

Cameras are one of those gadgets designed to go far and wide with you wherever you go. This association with adventure and travel, perhaps more than any other piece of personal technology, means they’re more likely to be destroyed in terrible and inhuman ways, as well as being lost and stolen.

There’s an intangible human side to camera ownership that should not be underestimated as well. The loss of a holiday’s worth of pictures is probably at least as valuable to most people as the cost of replacing the hardware itself. Of course, replacement cost isn’t exactly a laughing matter, as some digital cameras cost as much as cars; this also means they’re a common target of theft.

A UK insurance firm recently published the results of a study that revealed just how fragile cameras are in the hands of their human owners. If they were alive, they’d be a protected species.

One in ten of camera owners has fallen over whilst taking a shot and what’s worse, a significant portion of them fall into water. For people, falling into the water can be dangerous, while for most cameras it’s a death sentence. Next time you’re balancing awkwardly on something to get a perfect shot, remember the risk.

Dropping cameras on hard surfaces accounts for nearly a quarter of all claims, so consider utilising a sturdy strap and make sure you put it in its case when it’s not being used. As human beings we come across a lot of hard surfaces, so I can’t really suggest that you avoid them altogether. Just bear in mind that you have to be extra careful when you field of vision is narrowed, as when trying to take that once in a lifetime shot.

According to the study, 3% of cases involved cameras that had been run over by a car – think about that – 3%! What people are thinking that causes them to place their cameras in the road in the path of a car they’re about to drive, I’ll never know. One report in the study told of a man who thought he’d placed his camera in the back of the family car at the start of a long trip and heard a pop as he left his driveway. He thought he had burst a tire, but it turned out he had run over his favourite and most expensive camera. I’ll let him off for being so candid.

I guess it’s ok if you have a camera like this.

Theft should be a serious consideration for anyone who takes their equipment travelling – and that’s a lot of people. Around 600,000 laptops are estimated to be stolen each year at US airports, and I can’t imagine the figure for cameras being much lower. There have recently been several cases reported of airport staff being charged with the theft of digital cameras. People in positions of trust can often be less trustworthy than we would like or expect. Travelling is a very stressful time for a lot of people, as we’re outside of a our normal everyday routines and familiarities. These factors make us vulnerable so we should be on our guard and take out insurance before you travel.

Even Hollywood stars are not immune to camera thieves and the anguish that camera theft can bring. While attending the Cannes Film Festival in France to promote the film,