Smartphone for an older person?

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I was thinking about getting a seprate camera for her, she's going to Rome with her sister soon. Her camera is quite outdated so is her phone, I'll raise the budget up to £250-£300.

What do you people think about getting a MotoG/Nokia and a seprate camera? How much does a decent compact camera cost? It would be great to have a good camera in the phone, but she won't really use all the functions that a high end smartphone has to offer so maybe a sprate compact camera is a good idea in this situation?

Edit:

My dad finds his MotoG fine.
He calls, texts, whatsapps and that's it. 38Mb of 3G data last month! :)

I upgraded him from a Nokia 3310

1st gen or 2nd gen?
 
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I was thinking about getting a seprate camera for her, she's going to Rome with her sister soon. Her camera is quite outdated so is her phone, I'll raise the budget up to £250-£300.

That sounds like a good plan. You can get a nice little compact camera for £150 ish which would run rings round even the best high end smartphone! Stick to one of the major brands, Canon, Sony, Panasonic etc and you won't go far wrong.

Could get her a Lumia and a Lumix ! :)
 
Really?

Got a model number?

Really ? Serious question ?!?

Smartphone cameras are essentially a compromise, tiny sensors, tiny optics, no optical zoom. Have you ever seen a dedicated camera with a sensor and lens the size of a smartphones? Answer = NO ! There's a reason for that !!
 
Really ? Serious question ?!?

Smartphone cameras are essentially a compromise, tiny sensors, tiny optics, no optical zoom. Have you ever seen a dedicated camera with a sensor and lens the size of a smartphones? Answer = NO ! There's a reason for that !!


Show me a camera for £150 that will out perform an S6 for pics and video. Lets forget the fixed lens for a moment and concentrate on quality.

I think you have wildly underestimated the S6. Yes has a small 1/2.6 sensor but it also has an open F1.9 lens that produces great shots.

A good camera in the £150 range is the Fuji XF1 and no, I don't think it'll run rings round an S6.

http://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/Samsung-Galaxy-S6-Edge-review-Top-ranking-Smartphone-has-the-Edge


Demo's here

4K


 
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Show me a camera for £150 that will out perform an S6 for pics and video. Lets forget the fixed lens for a moment and concentrate on quality.

I think you have wildly underestimated the S6. Yes has a small 1/2.6 sensor but it also has an open F1.9 lens that produces great shots.

A good camera in the £150 range is the Fuji XF1 and no, I don't think it'll run rings round an S6.

http://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/Samsung-Galaxy-S6-Edge-review-Top-ranking-Smartphone-has-the-Edge


Demo's here

4K



So if you ignore one of the main advantages of a compact camera, optical zoom, and focus on video, which the OP didn't mention as a requirement then the S6 does ok, fair enough!
If you care about composition though, not just benchmarks, then an optical zoom is incredibly useful and reason enough in itself to choose a dedicated camera over a smartphone.
Something like the Sony DSCWX350, on Amazon for £149 should fit the bill :)
 
I didn't see the OP mention zoom either, just a good camera.

F3.5 to 6.5 on that Sony. That camera is nothing special at all.

So better pics on the S6 especially in low light. And a much better video camera.

And lets not forget a phone is on your person always, not like a compact camera.
 
I didn't see the OP mention zoom either, just a good camera.

F3.5 to 6.5 on that Sony. That camera is nothing special at all.

So better pics on the S6 especially in low light. And a much better video camera.

And lets not forget a phone is on your person always, not like a compact camera.

£300 is the budget, I can pickup a MotoG 2nd gen for around £100-£109. So that leaves me £200 for the camera...
 
Fair do's.

I just disagreed with konicy's comment below.

You can get a nice little compact camera for £150 ish which would run rings round even the best high end smartphone!



do you need video recording? If not the Fuji XF1 is a good camera for ~£150

The Sony RX100 MK1 is a great camera if you can stretch your budget a little more.

Another option is a used Note 4 for £300.
 
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My mum has recently started using a windows phone and is loving it. She has never had a smartphone before and is a massive technophobe.
 
I didn't see the OP mention zoom either, just a good camera.

LOL ! Nice try ! :)


F3.5 to 6.5 on that Sony. That camera is nothing special at all.

The F numbers are not bad for a 20 x zoom actually, and users seem to love it according to the reviews on Amazon unlike your recommendation of the Fuji XF1 which has a " Lens Control Error " issue rendering it useless, normally just after the warranty has expired !!

So better pics on the S6 especially in low light.
You seem to be forgetting about sensor size !

And lets not forget a phone is on your person always, not like a compact camera.
True but as long as his gran remembers to take the camera with her on the Rome trip she should be ok !!
 
You seem to be forgetting about sensor size !

Have you even checked yourself?

1/2.3" for the Sony vs 1/2.6" S6. Not even worth mentioning as the difference is so small.


At the end of the day your blanket comment about how a cheapish compact would 'run rings' around a high end smartphone compact is just plain FAIL.

Smartphone cams have come a very long way since you've probably last looked.




Plenty of S6 samples here

http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s6/general/galaxy-s6-camera-thread-t3045206/page21

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