Help!!! For Ritters gasoline shops, may I use my camera on my cell phone or ?
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When I do them I use a very small canon point and click. If you cell phone takes good photos though it should be ok.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
I mainly use a small Canon P&S also even though I have a Android that takes excellent photos. I can shoot quicker with a camera and I can use the camera with one hand whereas I need both hands for my cell photo. I like to use my cell photo for texting, Internet access and actual phone calls. Novel idea, huh?
But as always, it is best to contact your scheduler since each and every client/project/MSC can have different requirements. One old-fashioned MSC wants 640 x 480 while another client of mine wants 2272 x 1704 or larger.
But as always, it is best to contact your scheduler since each and every client/project/MSC can have different requirements. One old-fashioned MSC wants 640 x 480 while another client of mine wants 2272 x 1704 or larger.
For the Ritter shops I have done, the picture size and dimensions do not matter, as long as they show what is needed. If certain sizes of photos are needed for a project, this information should be in the guidelines.
I personally use a camera because that is what I started with and I am used to it. Also, the camera's zoom feature is handy for taking pictures at a distance. If you are worried about being spotted using a camera, you might be more comfortable using a camera phone. But if you plan to do a lot of mystery shopping and auditing, it probably is a good idea to at least invest in a cheap P&S as a backup in case your phone's battery dies, etc.
I personally use a camera because that is what I started with and I am used to it. Also, the camera's zoom feature is handy for taking pictures at a distance. If you are worried about being spotted using a camera, you might be more comfortable using a camera phone. But if you plan to do a lot of mystery shopping and auditing, it probably is a good idea to at least invest in a cheap P&S as a backup in case your phone's battery dies, etc.
I have an IPhone 5 and only use it to take my photos including the photos I take for Ritter. I wouldn't invest in a camera if you have a fairly new smartphone.
I mainly use my old - barely smart- phone as I never have to resize the pictures it takes before uploading into reports. Having said that, the gas stations I do for Ritter don't require photos.
A relatively small point and shoot is a lot less expensive than a cell phone if you happen to drop it. I really like having a zoom lens. It helps with the photo of the ID sign, the "inside" of the canopy, the photo of the site from across the street.
I only do one gas station / convenience store for Ritter, and if everything is alright, the only photo is one of the entire site from across the street. Doesn't pay much, but fast and easy if there aren't any problems. This is a mystery shop, not an audit. If I find something that needs improvement, I use my cell phone for the photo. Can't stay "mysterious" if you whip out a camera.
I only do one gas station / convenience store for Ritter, and if everything is alright, the only photo is one of the entire site from across the street. Doesn't pay much, but fast and easy if there aren't any problems. This is a mystery shop, not an audit. If I find something that needs improvement, I use my cell phone for the photo. Can't stay "mysterious" if you whip out a camera.
Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
99% of the time I use my Nikon DSLR.
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Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
"Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions which is hard." (The Fourth Doctor, The Face of Evil, 1977)
"Somedays you're the pigeon, somedays you're the statue.” J. Andrew Taylor
"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei
Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
"Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions which is hard." (The Fourth Doctor, The Face of Evil, 1977)
"Somedays you're the pigeon, somedays you're the statue.” J. Andrew Taylor
"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei
I use the cell phone for single shots, a single picture of a receipt, a single picture of the outside of the building.
For gas stations and revealed audits, the camera (I also have a canon point and shoot) is so much easier and I can just stuff the card into my computer for the report and not have to upload all the pics to Dropbox to get them off the phone.
But if you already have the phone and don't have the camera, sure, use the phone. But if you start doing a lot of these, you may want to spring the $100 for a good compact digital camera.
For gas stations and revealed audits, the camera (I also have a canon point and shoot) is so much easier and I can just stuff the card into my computer for the report and not have to upload all the pics to Dropbox to get them off the phone.
But if you already have the phone and don't have the camera, sure, use the phone. But if you start doing a lot of these, you may want to spring the $100 for a good compact digital camera.
Time to build a bigger bridge.
@James Bond 007.5 wrote:
99% of the time I use my Nikon DSLR.
I do not, mostly because I don't want the shutter activations on a $1500 camera for a gas station audit when the photos from my $100 p&c work just as well for that.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
My p&s camera takes 35mm film.
.
Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
"Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions which is hard." (The Fourth Doctor, The Face of Evil, 1977)
"Somedays you're the pigeon, somedays you're the statue.” J. Andrew Taylor
"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei
Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
"Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions which is hard." (The Fourth Doctor, The Face of Evil, 1977)
"Somedays you're the pigeon, somedays you're the statue.” J. Andrew Taylor
"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei
What? You mean you don't want to spend hundreds on film development?!?! ;
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
@jpgilham wrote:
I have an IPhone 5 and only use it to take my photos including the photos I take for Ritter. I wouldn't invest in a camera if you have a fairly new smartphone.
Actually, I had not done the Botox Pizza shop in over a year... so I took one of the shops.... I took both my Android and my older Kodak 6mp camera shots. The Kodak took better shots than the phone. (Kodak had 6 settings like close up, stabilizer and daylight, etc. I do not know how and if the Android can adjust for close ups.)
As you know, they require super-duper-sharp, highly detailed pictures of the pepperoni and the oozing cheese married and blending together in harmonious décor
I too use an inexpensive Canon P & S rather than my smart phone. Reasons: 1. I can hang it from my wrist with a strap when I want to write. 2. I have adjusted it to 640 x 480 so I have no re-sizing. 3. As Sybil said, I can take pictures with one hand. 4. I can frame out the objects easier than with my cell phone. 5. The zoom feature is easy to use. 6. I can actually hear a click when I take a picture.
I paid around $140 for it. A business expense and well worth it, in my opinion.
I paid around $140 for it. A business expense and well worth it, in my opinion.
I only used my phone for a gas station once when I left the house without my Olympus camera one day. It did fine, but I couldn't zoom in like I can with the camera and it was a pure mystery shop (Not Ritter). My Samsung Galaxy takes amazing photos and they resized themselves miraculously when I transferred them to the computer. Don't understand it and don't want to know. With that being said, I do prefer my camera for gas station audits because I'm more used to it and prefer to zoom when I can, revealed or not.
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The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..
Mark Twain
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..
Mark Twain
I use both, but I do think it's worthwhile to invest in the camera. I bought a Nikon point and shoot for just over $100. I don't have to resize the pictures and it is light and easy to carry on my wrist. I generally lock my purse and phone in my trunk when doing gas station audits. It's super-duper expensive and I don't want to lose or drop it.
Unlike (the closeness of) the dog/cat voting it looks like an inexpensive P & S camera wins.
Thank you all fellow shoppers, sister and brothers I appreciate all the feedback.
Sometimes I feel like a nut, sometimes I don't.
I appreciate all the feedback.
Sometimes I feel like a nut, sometimes I don't.
You can't make everyone happy, you're not pizza!!!
Is it odd that I could eat almonds all day long but I don't want them IN anything?
Same goes for raisins. I'm odd. I'm well aware.
Same goes for raisins. I'm odd. I'm well aware.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
bgriffin, How about raisins covered in chocolate?
My 10 years old Canon Powershot takes much better pix than my android phone. I've been asked to retake them if they were phone pix as the resolution wasn't good on receipts. If your phone is newer than 3 years old, though, you should have no problem.
Kona Kathie
I use my phone because when I looked into puchasing a digital camera, I couldn't find anything comparable in a price I was willing to pay. But then again my phone I as a 13MP camera with image stabilization, auto focus and the zoom features are extremely easy to use. I also like that with Ritters I can do my reports on the go with the Mobiaudit app and since the pictures are already on my phone, I don't have to worry about transferring them between devices.
This sounds like a winner, only one device from the beginning to the end for the audit. Google was not my best friend when it cam to getting all photos renamed and uploaded. The phone battery goes after several photos on audits, gas stations and storage facilities. I once started with my tablet and I could not figure out the flash. Then I switched to my phone for the flash. My old Kodak was missed the next two days. It took me forever to get everything renamed and uploaded. I will find the Mobiaudit.
There are many good point and shoot cameras in the $100 and less category, which is far less than the list price of a new top-of-the-line cell phone. One problem is that it is becoming hard to find cameras since so many people now use their cell phones. Micro Center went from having a display of about 30 down to a display of 6. Staples used to have a lot, and now have fewer. As much as I dislike Best Buy, they still have a large display and price points from $50 up to $5000 for a DSLR. For $100, you can get image stabilization, an optical zoom, and 10 megapixels or more. And a strap. It would look dorky and my son would disown me, but how about a strap for my cell phone?
@cjb47807 wrote:
I use my phone because when I looked into puchasing a digital camera, I couldn't find anything comparable in a price I was willing to pay. But then again my phone I as a 13MP camera with image stabilization, auto focus and the zoom features are extremely easy to use. I also like that with Ritters I can do my reports on the go with the Mobiaudit app and since the pictures are already on my phone, I don't have to worry about transferring them between devices.
Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
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