The Right Camera for the Journey: It All Depends.

Last year, I wrote about traveling overseas with only an iPhone 16 Pro as my camera. Since then, I’ve upgraded to the 17 Pro and had the opportunity to visit Tanzania and the Serengeti, and more recently, Peru and the Galápagos. They were amazing journeys, which I’ll share in another article.

​These trips reinforced something I’ve come to believe: the iPhone, or any modern smartphone, may be the best camera for some trips, or the perfect secondary camera for others. It all depends on what you plan to photograph.

Tanzania and the Serengeti: Bring the Big Lens

For a safari in Tanzania and the Serengeti, my advice is simple: bring your best camera and a long telephoto lens.

The iPhone was fantastic for photographing villages, people, landscapes, and cities. Its small size and convenience made it the camera I used while walking around or exploring. But when it came to photographing wildlife, even the impressive zoom capabilities of the latest iPhone weren't enough.
Inside the safari vehicle, my main camera was the Mirrorless Nikon Zf paired with a 70–200mm f/2.8 lens and a 2x teleconverter. That combination gave me the reach I needed to photograph animals at a distance.

When visiting a Maasai village or exploring towns—including Doha, Qatar, on the flight back home- the iPhone was often the better choice. I could capture excellent images enjoying my visit without carrying a heavy camera and lens.

That doesn’t mean you can’t take good safari photos with a smartphone. You absolutely can. But if you’re an experienced DSLR or mirrorless photographer, you may be disappointed when you compare those images with what you can capture using a quality camera and telephoto lens.
I received from a fantastic nature photographer, “For a once-in-a-lifetime African safari, rent a 100–400mm zoom lens.”

 I didn’t.

As I mentioned, I used my 70–200mm f/2.8 with a 2x teleconverter, along with a Nikon FTZ adapter for my mirrorless camera. While the setup gave me additional reach, the image quality took a noticeable hit. Thank goodness for photo software called Topaz, which can help sharpen photos. I’ll write about Topaz in a future article.

As an aside, the mirrorless cameras are smaller, lighter, and have advanced technology for low light and more. Consider upgrading before your next travel adventure, when you plan on using a full-sized camera.

The iPhone or mobile phone camera still has its place. In fact, it may be the camera you use most often. But when the lion is 200 yards away, the elephant is across the savanna, or a leopard is perched high in a tree, you’ll be very glad you brought the big glass.

Peru, Machu Picchu, Ecuador & Galápagos: Traveling Light with an iPhone

For this adventure, I wrestled with whether to bring my Nikon. But with plans to hike and explore the rainforest and Machu Picchu—often at elevations above 8,000 feet and sometimes reaching 12,000–13,000 feet—I decided that my iPhone 17 Pro would be far easier to carry and still capable of producing excellent photos.

There were certainly moments when I missed my Nikon. Overall, though, the iPhone performed remarkably well.

The Galápagos Islands were a perfect example. We were often close to the animals and birds, so the extra reach of a large telephoto lens wasn’t necessary. In the Peruvian rainforest, the decision to travel light made even more sense. We spent considerable time on open boats on the Amazon River, often in the rain. After all, it’s called a rainforest for a reason! Between the rain and the humidity, I was happy not to be carrying a large camera and lens.

Of course, if you are a serious birder, a DSLR or mirrorless camera paired with a large telephoto lens is still essential. The image quality from a mobile phone at 20x+ zoom wasn’t enough to capture the detail of small, colorful rainforest birds.

Years ago, on a trip to Costa Rica, I took a different approach. I brought my mirrorless camera and a 105mm macro lens and deliberately gave up shots that required a long telephoto. Instead, I concentrated on the smaller details of the jungle, tiny creatures, insects, flowers, and other fascinating rainforest life.

For each adventure, it’s worth weighing the benefits of a larger camera against the capabilities of the latest smartphone. For me, traveling with the iPhone offered an unexpected advantage: less weight, less equipment to worry about, and more freedom to be present (mindful) and enjoy the journey.

Please read my previous Travel article, where I traveled to Venice and the Adriatic region with only an iPhone 16 Pro for further insights and challenges.