I love a good camera. I have been blown away by the abilities of my iPhone 15 pro’s camera. But as I learn more about this trade and get ready to head out on mock inspection and then ride alongs, I really don’t want to risk breaking my $1500 phone. Plus any photo I take is thrown into the cloud and added to my family albums.
I’m thinking about a rugged camera with a good zoom and when I get home I can pop the card into the computer and drag them all into a folder for that house’s address to keep organized.
I’ve always been a fan of Canon power shots, but my current one is from 2008 and it’s woefully out of date.
The newer small Canon cameras are more than capable, have plenty of modern features, and don’t cost a whole lot. Just be sure to buy extra batteries for what ever model you get .
Depending on the software you use, when I take inspection pictures with my inspection software open, it will insert the picture right into the line item I’m working on. But I still have to upload the entire report from my phone to the cloud, then download it from the cloud to my PC to put the final touches and finish the report.
I do use a Panasonic DC-ZS70 for cover shots and any shots that I need an extended zoom lens for.
I have used both Canon and Olympus in the past and was happy with both, I used to get a new camera every other year so I’ve gone through a lot of cameras.
I haven’t chosen any software yet. I’m still researching. Are you saying if the software is open, on say an iPad, the camera can drop it into the report live? That’s slick.
It looks like the current Canon Elph 360 has 12x zoom and wifi and near field for sharing photos. That might be the ticket. $270 online, probably cheaper than getting a broken iPhone fixed.
Yep. That is how the mobile software options operate. I use my phone for every picture I take and they go directly into the report and into the narrative you want them in.
I can’t speak for all the mobile options out there, but Spectora doesn’t need Internet access or a cell connection to work onsite. I have two older back up phones in the truck with the software loaded in case my regular phone craps out or I damage it or something.
So just an option, you can buy an older phone and use it instead of your nicer phone. You don’t need to add the phone to your plan or anything, basically use it just for mobile reporting.
Yep! My iPhone is an 8 which is vintage in today’s time. Still takes good pics and I can “airdrop” all the photos to my iPad in seconds. I do my reports on my iPad, in the comfort of my office…
Home inspection software is available for the iPhone. Photographs may be taken with the iPhone. You have a phone to do everything you need. I don’t know why you would want to use anything else. Keep it simple. If you’re worried about dropping a phone, get insurance for it.
This is what I do. I use my phone in the field. It takes excellent photographs. When I open my iPad everything is automatically synced. I complete my report on my iPad with a cup of coffee and some Baileys.
That’s exactly what I’m saying, same as @ruecker but he uses different software than I do, I’m pretty sure most software programs have this capability.
My pics will automatically sync over a period of time (older versions) but I still do the Airdrop. A day or so later I’ll clean up any duplicates as to not overfill my storage space.
The iPhone 15 Pro is an outstanding camera (especially low light) with excellent battery life. Plus, as others have indicated, you can import photos directly into your software with most software packages. So, add a quality screen protector and spring for the Otter Box Defender Series to make your phone more durable and near waterproof.
Thanks everyone. Sounds like the iPhone will do the job and I’ll have to be diligent about moving the pics off my iCloud storage and onto a drive after the report is done.
I do have apple care so if it breaks, it’s covered.
If you are into onsite reporting, then your phone will work
if you want offsite reporting, this is my go-to camera:
However, the flash will break rather quickly. I do not need the flash, and I love the zoom. https://a.co/d/7IxR0wN
Ground shot 5 story building. Brick/mortar damage is pretty obvious.
My backup camera is a Nikon Coolpix P100. Made in 2015. 26x zoom and a eyepiece viewfinder for those backlit shots that wash out the LCD display.
This is not a photography contest. You want something reliable without a lot of pixels. Pictures in a report that are too big make the report take too long to load and awkward to email.
Canon PowerShot SX620 HS for backup camera. I have used it a lot in the past for my main camera. Now I use the camera on my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra phone as my main.
If you just have to use a mobile phone as a camera, why would you even consider a Cult Phone, er ah IPhone, over the clearly superior Samsung S24 or Google Pixel 8 Pro?
I like real cameras for photos. And, I don’t use my cameras to make phone calls. Call me old-school, but there’s nothing quite like a quality DSLR.
