The best camera is…

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You've heard that saying, right?

“The best camera is the one you have with you.”

The intention is basically to say that no matter what camera you have, it's the one you have, so make the best of it. Don't spend a family day out in misery because you forgot your point and shoot. Use your phone and be thankful you have that.

You know what I think?

Meh.

I have three cameras in very heavy rotation in my life, plus my antique Kodak collection that I like to play with sometimes too. My “big” camera, the DSLR,  a Nikon D7000 that I scrimped and saved for 2 years to buy, a Olympus PEN E-PL3 that I actually won in a blog giveaway, and my iPhone.

Each one has a different purpose, and a different use.

There is so much going on this time of year; for us, we had Max's birthday a couple of weeks ago, tee ball for another month, our niece just graduated from college, I've got Listen to Your Mother this weekend, not to mention my brother-in-law's birthday (Today! Happy Birthday, Jason!), Mother's Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day, a couple of girls nights out… and this doesn't even include the regular day to day springtime memories that we're making! Trips to the park, outings to Giants games, swimming at a friend's house… so many of these things deserve to be documented, I always want to make sure I have the right camera on hand for the job!

I love taking my big camera out to Max's tee ball games, because I couldn't get shots like this one without the options on the DSLR with a great big telephoto on it:
And my little Olympus point and shoot is great for when I actually want to be in the photos! Some friends and I had a dressed-up girls night out recently, and I took my P&S along so I could easily hand it off to other people to snap shots for me… I could probably have taken this with my phone, but now it's frame-worthy instead of just another photo in my Instagram feed!

And last is the one that I always have with me. My phone. It does a great job, for sure, but it wouldn't be right for either of the above scenarios (OK, yes, I took some phone pics at the GNO, but they still aren't as great as that ^^ one!) But for stuff like “OMG, I'm in the dressing room and can't decide if I should buy this skirt!” pictures to post to my friends on Twitter? It's perfect.

See? A camera for every occasion.

And Best Buy has a camera for you: Their low price guarantee makes sure that you're getting the most value for your dollar, PLUS they always have free shipping on cameras. With their huge selection of still and video, you're sure to find the perfect fit, and you can even trade in your old one for a gift card to use towards your new one! (How I wish I'd known about that when I bought my Nikon!)

I'm constantly taking pictures. My phone, my cameras, my husband's phone… put it within reach and I'll grab it if I need to take a shot! But what to do with all those photos? I don't need to print them all, but a digital picture frame is the perfect solution… I have one on my desk at work, and every few weeks I'll update the memory card with some recent photos, so I always have the latest running through an ongoing slideshow!

You know what else? Digital frames make GREAT gifts! Even my anti-technology mother-in-law should have one (how have I not thought of this before?) Can you imagine? Just present a new updated memory card every few months, and you have one happy grandma with the latest photos to show off! Because frames make such an awesome gift, I'm super excited to be able to off you this discount from Best Buy: Get 25% off select digital photo frames for a limited time!

There are a million camera options out there. You should make sure you have the best one for you!

Disclosure: I have been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card for writing this post. But as always, all opinions expressed and hoarder tendencies confessed are my own. I really am this obsessive about my cameras.