No Cell Photos for Shell

Anyone hear of reason they don't want photos taken with a cell phone? They say digital camera or tablet only. I suppose I can borrow an Ipad but transfering the photos will be a pain. With the other clients all I use is cell phone photos for this MS I have a 9 Megapixel phone camera and 4 Megapixel Digital.

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I use my cell phone all the time for them and never had a problem. Mine has the 6 inch screen so also is good in case I need to quickly get a pop update, etc. while I am already at the station. Honestly, the way they like those little photos, a flip phone should even be fine lol.

Shopping across Indiana but mostly around Indianapolis.

I think that it is easier to say "no cell phone photos" than to specify which cell phones have cameras with acceptable resolution.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

I don't see why it would make a difference, given the size of the final image. Although 6MP on a cell phone is not the same quality as 6MP on a DSLR simply because a single element lens cannot match a multiple element lens in quality. I use a DSLR on all my shops simply because I find I cannot hold a cell phone steady when I try to take a picture. I think it has something to do with muscle memory and the fact that I've shot pictures with everything from 35mm to 4x5-inch Graflex cameras.

"To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful." Edward R. Murrow

Thou shalt not steal. I mean defensively. On offense, indeed thou shall steal and thou must.--Branch Rickey

Is the camera on a tablet any different than the camera on a phone?

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
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@LisaSTL wrote:

Is the camera on a tablet any different than the camera on a phone?

The camera on my cheap tablet is HORRID! The one on my phone is GREAT! I would never use my tablet camera to take any sort of photo for a shop.

I have an iPhone and iPad so have assumed the cameras are of the same quality at the least, probably better on the phone since it is newer. I asked because the overall prohibition about phones while allowing tablets doesn't make a damn bit of sense. I also have issues with these types of instructions since part of the role of independent contractor is a certain amount of control over how the assignment is accomplished. IMO, minimum requirements for photo quality would be fine, restrictions on the device we use would not.

I have not been informed by this MSC that I cannot use a cell phone to take photos, but it has been 3 days since I completed the last bunch of Shell shops. I have a digital camera I can use, but I stopped using it about 4-5 years ago when they started making the cell phone screens bright enough to see them in the sunshine. Cell phone cameras have higher resolution than my digital camera that I used to take photos for this company back in 2008-2011, so I don't see any reason they would ask me to go back to the digital camera.

It depends on the manufacturer.

I have a Samsung phone and tablet. The cameras on both are phenomenal. But remember, Samsung makes TVs.

I also have a no name tablet with a no name camera. It shows. It sucks. I use it as a Kindle.

@LisaSTL wrote:

Is the camera on a tablet any different than the camera on a phone?

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

I see this has a knee jerk reaction from an MSC that is known not to embrace technology (or probably understand it). What other company wants you to call them rather than send an email?

This is very interesting to hear about using cell phones for those shops. I am helping them beta test an app they are working on, and I've used my phone to do the complete shop, from photos to entering the report while on site. Looks like this will roll out in the near future, but in the mean time, they have me trying to use the app for a number of their different projects to help get the last kinks worked out.

Philadelphia Based, covering Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland

I completed two yesterday, using my cell phone. I am also using their app so I think it is probably just an editor that is clueless. I would call them.

It's in the guidelines for the new BP audits. Printed in the spiral bound book....... so not some silly editor being crabby.
I think this requirement as well as the list of what to wear/what not to wear infringes on the IC/employee line.

I think it's fine to state a picture resolution size but not demand how to obtain it. I also think it's fine to say clean & well groomed but not state exactly what can be worn.

I really think it has more to do with looking professional and "legit." Lots of auditors and vendors that are salary employees for a single company or brand are given tablets or digital camera to use.

@luckygirl0100 wrote:

It's in the guidelines for the new BP audits. Printed in the spiral bound book....... so not some silly editor being crabby.
I think this requirement as well as the list of what to wear/what not to wear infringes on the IC/employee line.

I think it's fine to state a picture resolution size but not demand how to obtain it. I also think it's fine to say clean & well groomed but not state exactly what can be worn.

@katioard wrote:

I really think it has more to do with looking professional and "legit." Lots of auditors and vendors that are salary employees for a single company or brand are given tablets or digital camera to use.

Or it could be an outdated requirement from the years when only the high-end Nokia cellphones could compete in picture quality with point & shoot digital cameras.

I even think specifying a minimum megapixel is drawing the lines. If anything, a visual guideline for picture expectations should be established instead.

But of course, these decisions could be influenced by the MSC or the MSC's client. And hey, whatever makes the client happy, I guess.

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!

I agree. And I think it's funny that we take these great looking photos, but then turn around a compress them so much they get kinda blurry anyways.

For those of you that are using your iPad/iPhone/misc phone or tablet, how are you compressing the photos? Are you using the device on-site and then sending them to your pc to compress?

I have been completing the report portion on my iPad and then taking photos with my camera and compressing on my pc. I've been irritated that I have to carry two devices when I could be taking the photos on my iPad and the report could be completed before I left the premises. I'm starting to wonder if I'm just an idiot... Any pointers would be appreciated!

Thank you for the discussion on cameras. I've used a combination of cameras for night time Shells. I've used some cell phone photos in with the rest. No complaints. I keep in mind that many sections are not revised often and may harken back to the days of 2 MP cell cameras.

To change course a bit: I'm looking for a point and shooter primarily that can take decent night photos, outdoors, text photos and detail photos. With the variety of shops that I do, I need a time/date stamp as well. I've gotten by with discounted cameras, but I have a propensity to break the cheap ones (my usual is that I don't put the wrist strap where it should be and it goes flying. Whether to bad luck or aerodynamics it usually hits the lens.

Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230

The topic title refers to "Shell" shop requirements prohibiting using cell phones for photos. There is no place in my Shell shop guidelines or updates that mention such a requirement. My recent Shell shops were done with my cell phone camera, and they were accepted with no problem. Someone mentioned BP. I cannot speak for BP, because there is not a BP within at least 1,000 miles of me and I've never done one.

I just checked. The BP manual for 2015 and 2016 both state: "Digital camera provided by the shopper; use of camera phone is not allowed". The Shell manual states: Provided by you, the independent contractor - Digital Camera (with fresh batteries and memory space). For what it is worth, three years ago I used a basic digital camera and when the zoom broke I bought a slightly better one which lasted a year before the zoom again broke.

For the last year I have been using my Iphone 6 and submitting them to BP, Shell and other brands, unaware that it was deemed unacceptable. I agree with Tarantado that this is probably an outdated requirement carried forward. None of my photos for any brand have been rejected.

As I've stated previously, I use PIXresizer to resize photos in batches. Quick and easy.

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