Awesome as smartphone cameras are, they're also slooooow compared with a P&S, and doing everything through a touchscreen is never as good as dedicated buttons. More features don't automatically make something better.
Really? I've found it to be the opposite - my iPhone SE beats a Coolpix A900 every time. I don't have wide experience with P&Ses, though, so maybe that's just a slow camera? But it'd have to be a very fast camera for the overhead of a case vs. a pocket to cease to make a difference.
(And I carried the case slung on the outside of my satchel, partially under the flap but otherwise exposed. All it took was a tug, a flip, and a yank - but my phone was still faster, every time.)
It's faster than turning your P+S on. Not for taking pictures once it's already on (assuming a reasonably up-to-date camera). For casual/consumer use, a phone is better. but if you're serious about photography, the convenience issues aren't the same.
It's like how there are all kinds of amazing music apps available on smartphone or tablet - it's beyond question that they are valuable creative tools. But if you can play guitar, you'll probably always prefer doing so to using your phone despite the inconveniences of owning and carrying a primitive wood and metal wire contraption.
> For casual/consumer use, a phone is better. but if you're serious about photography, the convenience issues aren't the same.
That seems reasonable. I'm kind of in the middle, I suppose; in daily use I want minimal friction and inconvenience, which makes the phone camera a win, and on the other end I want to mount a telescope and fill the frame with a sharp-shinned hawk at rest or the moon in full phase, and that seems to pretty much require a DSLR.
(I also learned the basics on my grandfather's Nikkormat FTn, which I now have and regularly wish I could go back to film and use. That's a tough standard for any P&S to live up to, and silly as it is, I can't help but make the comparison.)
Why not both? I like a DSLR best but a good P&S is a lot more usable than a phone. For one thing you can operate it without having to look at it because it's got physical controls.
Sticking with my parallel guitar argument, that's like saying that you should use an app to make guitar tines unless you're willing to invest in a Martin or Les Paul guitar. In reality someone's favorite guitar might be a $10 thrift store purchase that delivers far more satisfaction than (insert your favorite guitar app here).
You're using the wrong smartphone then - I can be taking a picture with my iPhone before most P&S cameras finish powering on, let alone are ready to take photos.
Also most P&S cameras have horrible battery life combined with proprietary batteries and chargers to ensure that your camera is never charged when you need it.
