Current Events > Worth it to buy a digital camera?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I know nothing about taking pictures. I have been happily using my iPhones to take pictures.

I need a new phone now, and I don't really care to spend $600+ on it. Seems like any Android phone around $2-300 is good for me................ except the camera.

All these budget phones have pretty shitty cameras. So instead of spending $600+ every couple years just to get a phone with a good camera, I'm thinking of just buying an entry level DSLR camera for ~$500 and purchase budget phones every couple years.

Think that's a viable option?

So I intend to just use my budget phone for everyday camera use, and for vacations/special events, bring a DSLR.

I assume DSLRs don't need replacing every couple years, but is good for like a decade? Anyone know where I can start researching into this (before I start Googling and go down the wrong rabbit hole)?

Yeah, $500 is a good number. However keep in mind that you're gonna have to learn to use a DSLR. They're not for point and clicks. You can use them as such but just get a compact for those

Also don't be one of those guys who buy a DSLR and have a single lens. The whole point of those things is being able to swap out lenses for various occasions

Basically, if you don't want a steep learning curve/don't want to invest in lenses but still want higher quality pictures than a phone, get a mid to high end compact. A DSLR requires a lot more investment than the initial jump, in both time and money but in the long run can be more rewarding
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If you say you know nothing about taking pictures, I wouldn't begin with an DSLR. Just get a high end point and click that allows you to adjust all the manual settings. Get used to setting the shutter speed and exposure, things like that. Learn more about it. I wouldn't invest $500+ on something you know nothing about.
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Huh... I didn't know "high end point and shoot" cameras are a thing. Well thanks for that! Time to do more research...