Best Camera For Appraisals

[Vermonter]

I never understood the "time savings" of this. Whether you click and tap to place photos on the spot or click and tap to place photos later, it takes the same amount of time to do it.

Not really, but get your point. If you take the pics in the mobile app, then it's quicker, however the thing I don't like is the photos are only saved in the software workfile....which is never a good idea. If saving the pics to your phone then adding to the app....then yes it takes the same amount of time.

Once you get the mobile inspection setup correctly, it's definitely a timesaver, but getting it setup to max efficiently is the hard part. And it definitely takes time to get up to speed on inspections.

Been using my S10 for pics lately and it's much improved over older ones. Even the flash is better than my latest point and shoot.....Fuji finepix xp130....which I do not recommend at all.

 

[ZZGAMAZZ]

Looking for a compact camera with a wide-angle lens (24mm?) for those bathroom pictures. LOL What do you use? Does anyone use the new iPhone?

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Question: Is a reasonably-priced "stick-type" camera/phone attachment available that allows one to take photos of relatively inaccesable areas (hint/hint) attics and crawlspaces where I don't fit?

BTW, I'm totally unfamiliar with the selfie-type photo camera attachment and don't understand how one can snap a photo if the user is at the other end of the stick from the device...

 

[Joe Flacco]

I use pixel 2 for backup but the photos are not good compared to my camera.

 

[Carnivore]

Canon power shot, I use Iphone as a backp, I perfer loading from the memory card of the canon I don't know if it is the best digital but reasonable price works well enough has Wide angle lens

These are on sale now for $200 that looks like a good price ...

I use a Canon Power shot A540 for my comp pix, But House and especially interior pix are to narrow.

How is your's on interior pix?

 

[ZZGAMAZZ]

Looking for a compact camera with a wide-angle lens (24mm?) for those bathroom pictures. LOL What do you use? Does anyone use the new iPhone?

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Perhaps mine is an old school perspective bordering on that of a luddite, but I can't think of ANY reason to give a moment of thought to the quality of photos in an appraisal report--other than give the intended user fodder for additional stipulations!!!!! Next thing the crowd will want to run the completed report through Grammerly, rather than to take the time to learn to read and write. Now if you want to discuss the relative merits of various pencil sharpeners . . .

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

BTW, I'm totally unfamiliar with the selfie-type photo camera attachment and don't understand how one can snap a photo if the user is at the other end of the stick from the device..

A long selfie pole can operate from a blue tooth "trigger". Or a Gopro (and there are cheap knockoffs just as good as GoPro) can be set to shoot continueous ... turn on and take the pix

 

[methow]

I've tried transitioning to a tablet several times over the past decade. Have tried several android and a couple ipad. I always go back to pen and paper. Tablet cameras rarely have a wide enough field of view for me. Not all of them have camera flashes. Outside I run into problems with brightness / glare. Then if it's raining or snowing I have other issues. And the sketching just doesn't cut it for me. I forced myself to go tablet for a bit, thinking that after I got used to it that it would save time. It didn't for me.

Thanks for your 2 cents. Right now I'm trying to decide whether to buy a newer point-and-shoot with low light, wide angle and viewfinder (I hate trying to use an LCD screen in bright light), or put my money into all-in-one tech like an iPad or new iPhone. My partner reports a similar experience to yours in trying to "force himself" to use Total software/tablet on inspections. Maybe clipboard and paper is still the best tech.... (We use baking bags to cover our clipboards in wet weather)

 

[andrew81]

there are times when a wide angle is useful. but in general i dont like the the look for interior pictures. they are distorted

 

[Mr Rex]

Here's one of the latest and greatest pole type camera: https://cableferret.com/

 

[Joe Flacco]

there are times when a wide angle is useful. but in general i dont like the the look for interior pictures. they are distorted

Those super wide angle DSLR lenses they use for MLS photos are not realistic because it makes the spaces appear much larger than they are but I think most phone camera photos or photos that are not wide angle at all are not realistic in the same way because it makes the spaces appear much tighter than it is. The camera I use seems to be just right. I think it is 24mm wide angle but I don't know. It says "4.3-150.5mm 1:2.7-5.8 USM" on the lens.