The camera you have

[mnhtnbb]

may not be the one you want...

While fixing lunch, with a hamburger on the stove, I spotted a Black Swallowtail and a hummingbird squaring off over this blooming Encore azalea. My camera was in another room, so I grabbed my phone from the kitchen counter to see if I could get a decent shot. It has been my experience that Black Swallowtails are very difficult to photograph because they flit from one blossom to another much more quickly than the Yellow Swallowtails.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Beautiful photo, my dear mnhtnbb!

The best camera is . . . the one you have!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. The camera in hand is always 100% better than the one in the bag or on the shelf

... though frequently that situation can be changed quickly enough, but not always!

[Zackzzzz]

5. I once met a man who had a camera the size of a cigarette box

It was a small Nikon.
It fit in his pocket and was with him 24/7.
The card shop sold blank cards with his pictures.
He had the best photos for cards.
I can't tell how many good photos I missed
because I didn't want to carry my heavy, awkward camera.
I now have an iPhone.

[Diamond_Dog]

3. That is gorgeous.

Cell phone cameras have really come a long way.

[usonian]

4. Cell phone cameras do intense software image manipulation.

I posted earlier on this. I'll update my reply when I find the post(s)

[mnhtnbb]

6. I did nothing other than crop this shot.

Yes, there are LOTS of options on my phone: Pixel 9. Actually, I like the camera better on my previous phone--OnePlus 8--and I kind of wish I'd stuck with OnePlus. I bought the Pixel because of the seven years--instead of four on OnePlus-- of updating included. But now I think that seven years of PITA updates might not be worth it.

[usonian]

7. It's called computational photography.

I posted about it. By you doing nothing, the phone camera is blazing away. I'll find the post later.