Might not be what you want to hear but the camera on your phone is your answer. Just get a system that makes it safe from loss (strap/water and shock proof, etc.).
Amazon has a lot of options.
this post was submitted on 26 Dec 2025
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Yeah... I like to put it in a tripod in some precarious situations. I'd rather not risk it so much with my own phone.
If you want to replace the ‘cellphone on a stick’ for precarious situations and selfies, for your budget, I would take a look at a drone, specifically the DJI Neo 2. Sure it’s bigger than a camera but not much and it’s light. It can do all kinds of automated shots, take selfies, follow you, etc. No need to worry about dropping it over a ledge since it actually flies.
For 300 you can get the drone and a few spare batteries.
Here’s a review that shows off some of the features that may match your use-case.
I do have a drone. But then you enter the whole nightmare of checking drone regulations on your destination country. And whether a random police guy with the wrong interpretation of the law might decide to keep it. So...yeah, already have one, but depending on the country, it's a no go to begin with.
Seems like every damn phone cases these days has a wrist strap attachment. Even if you attach it to the selfie stick, then the selfie stick to your wrist you're good.
Also your phone is probably water proof, a camera probably isn't. That includes splashes.
What's your budget?
Up to 300€/$ ish I guess. Thanks I forgot to mention.
Truth be told cell phones really wiped out this part of the market, so manufacturers have really stopped releasing a lot of entry level compact cameras. Here are a few options
I’ve just done a whole bunch of investigation into this because my daughter had succumbed to the current Gen Z compact camera trend resurgence, and had asked for one for Christmas. The bottom line is that the market has almost entirely been wiped out by smartphones. There are only either very cheap trash compacts or very expensive high quality travel cameras on the market these days, and there’s little to no middle ground.
As a result, her generation seem to have latched onto “vintage” 10yo+ compacts that we all used to take out on nights out or on holiday.
The best option I discovered was getting hold of “new” old cameras. I found a new Panasonic Lumix T-57 on eBay for about £200 which was originally sold in 2015. It ticked all my boxes - decent optical zoom, flip-selfie screen, WiFi, pocketable, and good picture quality.
The lack of new middle-tier options has really inflated prices. Anecdotally I bought a second hand Sony RX100 some time ago for £200. I sold it 3 years later for £250. Similar quality ones are now going for closer to £300.
A Canon Powershot G12 or even a G11 would be perfect for you. Fully articulated screen, optical zoom, physical manual controls, optical viewfinder, excellent battery life. An absolute peach of a camera. If you buy one and decide to sell it again let me know - I want spare ones!
I still use my G11 whenever I want better than smartphone pictures.
Such sweet cameras 🤌
They should start making them again, just with an updated sensor and AF tracking.
Sony RX100 VII is only 101.6mm by 58.1mm and 42.8mm thick and weighs 302 grams
A more high end and slightly bigger alternative is the Sony RX1R III which is 113.3 by 67.9 and 87.5 thick and weighs 498 grams
Have a look at the Olympus PEN series. They seem to be designed for portabilty and selfies, but with better images than phones.
A cheap second hand android camera? There's some with good lenses around now for not a lot of money, and if it does get damaged there's no big loss.
Doesn't need a sim card to upload via wifi (and you can hotspot or bluetooth-tether from another phone to provide it with internet access if needed), and would be better registered to a second Google account so if it's stolen there's no chance of them getting access to the primary account. Or do put a PAYG sim card in and it's also available as a spare in case the primary phone gets lost of broken.
I use an old phone as a GPS on my motorbike and keep my primary safely in my pocket.