This is just out of curiosity: I'm sure most of you, if not everyone, don't go on via ferratas mainly to become like Arnold, or as a replacement for whatever training you do just to get in shape. But has anyone who has been doing lots of VF, without doing any other major activities, eventually gotten into great shape? Like having low body fat and well-developed arms and legs?

The reason I'm asking is because I'm already in good shape since I train specifically for it. When I see other people on VFs, there are often 60 or 70yo guys, or I see women and men with very average-looking physiques... So I suppose that, for example, I can certainly do more strict pull-ups than most people on VFs, I can run faster than most of them, and I can do more weighted pistol squats than most of them... But I still suck at doing via ferratas.

I find that I don't move forward very fast, and once I get into a difficult section, I get tired quickly and my forearms start burning. (And I'm not talking about extreme VF by any means.)

From what I understand, it's mainly a matter of confidence: you need to turn your fear of heights into fun and trust where to place your feet without thinking too much about it. Despite that, there are some ferratas, or just short sections on medium-difficulty ones, that require you to pull with your arms and just use strength.

I don't do many VF, but I guess that if I started doing them consistently, like twice a week with progressively increasing difficulty, I'd probably see some gains in my forearms and calves at least.

Has anyone transformed their physique just by doing this activity, purely as a side effect? Does it only work with very difficult ferratas? Or does it just not work that way at all?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for the best Android camera phone available for around €400–500, max €600 depending on the deal, that can possibly compete with top flagships when it comes to photography results — if that’s even possible.

What I’m looking for specifically is good optical zoom, ideally 3x or 3.5x, since that would be my preferred focal length. I’d also like good image processing that doesn’t fake colors too much, can handle overexposure well, and can make up for the not-excellent mid-range camera hardware.

I don’t mind a weak ultrawide camera, since it’s the one I use the least. I also don’t mind editing photos when needed, and I like saving RAW files for editing. As a side note: a not too big display would be a plus, around 6,7 inches or even less...

Besides the phones mentioned in the title, which are my best choices for now all things considered, I would also add:

Realme 14 Pro+
This one overall seems to be reviewed as a step back from the 16 Pro+, but I’m considering it because the periscope telephoto has one of the largest sensors among phones in this price range. It’s also quite cheap right now. The downside is the large display, but as a camera/value option it seems very strong.

Nothing Phone (4a)
I’m not a big fan of the design, but it seems promising in terms of cameras for the price.

Motorola Edge 60
On paper it is probably the weakest camera phone in this list, especially because of the 10 MP 3x telephoto camera. However, I really like the design and the price is very competitive. I’m wondering whether, in real-world use, its 3x telephoto could still be good enough.

So, which one would you choose as the best real-world camera phone?
And which telephoto setup do you think is better in practice: 3x or 3.5x?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for the best Android camera phone in the mid-range segment, roughly between €400 and €600 max, depending on the deal.

I’ve recently become more interested in photography, so I’d really appreciate advice from people who know or care about smartphone cameras. I’d like to understand whether I’m making the right considerations.

I’m not completely against raising the budget and buying an older flagship or a refurbished top-tier camera phone, such as a Samsung S24 Ultra or an OPPO Find X8 Pro (this last one is a dream of mine). Those are very tempting from a photography point of view. However, many flagship phones are quite large, while I’d prefer not to go much beyond 6.7 inches. But besides that I’m wondering: with how advanced computational photography has become, is there really such a huge difference in real-world results between a top flagship and a good mid-range camera phone? From reviews and camera comparisons I’ve watched, the difference often doesn’t look massive.

Now the phones I'm considering:

Honor 400 Pro: This is probably my main candidate at the moment. On paper looks very convincing, but I have some doubts. The 200 MP sensor feels partly like marketing, the 3x telephoto does not seem outstanding, and from reviews it looks like Honor tends to use quite aggressive processing, especially with not really truthful colors and AI zoom.

Realme 14 Pro+: This one looks very interesting for photography, especially because of its 3x periscope telephoto camera with a relatively large sensor for this price range. The downside is the large display, but as a camera/value option it seems very strong.

Realme 16 Pro+: This seems like an interesting evolution of the 14 Pro+. It has a 3.5x telephoto camera, which sounds like a very useful focal length for me, although I think the telephoto sensor may be smaller than the one on the 14 Pro+. It could be a very smart choice if the price is right.

OPPO Reno 15 5G / Reno 15 Pro: On paper they seem quite similar to recent Realme models, especially because of the 3.5x telephoto camera. I’m interested in OPPO’s image processing, portraits and video quality.

Nothing Phone 4a: I’m not a big fan of the design, but it seems promising in terms of cameras for the price.

Motorola Edge 60: On paper it is probably the weakest camera phone in this list, especially because of the 10 MP 3x telephoto camera. However, I really like the design and the price is very competitive. I’m wondering whether, in real-world use, its 3x telephoto could still be enough, since I probably won’t use extreme zoom all the time. I also have some doubts about DJI Fly compatibility. (that's another story)

I also considered the Xiaomi 17T and Xiaomi 15T Pro, but I’m hesitant because of their 5x telephoto cameras. A 5x lens is definitely useful for long zoom, but what if I want to use a 3x or a 4x? With only a 5x telephoto lens, anything between 2x and 5x often relies on cropping from the main camera. That’s why I think a 3x or 3.5x telephoto camera might suit my use better.
Another side note: I don't mind editing photo, I actually like editing quite a bit and I also like having RAW photos. I'm not that interest in the quality if the ultra-wide sensor, it don't use it that much.

TL;DR

I’m looking for the best Android camera phone around €400–600, prioritizing:

• 3x–10x zoom;
• telephoto quality;
• night photography;
• image processing that does not look too artificial;
• RAW/editing flexibility;
• battery and storage;
• possibly DJI Fly compatibility.

My main candidates are:

• Honor 400 Pro;
• Realme 14 Pro+;
• Realme 16 Pro+;
• OPPO Reno 15 5G / Reno 15 Pro;
• Nothing Phone 4a;
• Motorola Edge 60.

Which one would you choose for real-world photography, not just specs on paper? And which one has the best value for money?

Salve, mi piacerebbe avere qualche delucidazione sull'utilità della cintura lombare in zaini da capienza medio-piccola, tipo 25-30L (da uscite in giornata prevalentemente) e avere le idee un po' più chiare per il mio prossimo acquisto. Non ho mai avuto uno zaino con questo accessorio... attualmente uso un 30L e devo dire che quando lo carico per bene il peso sulle spalle si sente... Poi mi da abbastanza fastidio quando in discesa, per mancanza appunto anche solo di un cinturino in vita, mi rimbalza continuamente sulla schiena e sono costretto a regolare stretti stretti gli spallacci per tenerlo il più aderente possibile.
Immagino che, se molti zaini “seri” anche di piccolo/medio litraggio hanno una fascia lombare, un motivo ci sia. Però ho un dubbio: facendo spesso ferrate e sentieri attrezzati, la cintura lombare può dare fastidio con l’imbrago?
È un problema reale oppure, nella pratica, si convive bene con entrambe le cose? Può avere senso preferire uno zaino con cintura removibile, oppure non è un aspetto così importante?

Detto ciò questi sono alcuni modelli che ho adocchiato e che mi piacciono abbastanza:

• Ferrino Maudit 30+5
• Deuter Speed Lite 30
• Osprey Sportlite 30
• Mammut Lithium 30
• Ferrino Agile 25 o 35

Di questi, l'unico che ho capito avere la cintura amovibile è il Mammut, gli altri non so...
un altro dettaglio abbastanza importante: giacché mi prendo uno zaino con fascia lombare, avrei piacere che sia dotato di taschino e che sia grande abbastanza da tenerci dentro il telefono e/o custodia occhiali... penso sia molto comoda come cosa. In alcune recensioni ho letto che su certi modelli la tasca è molto piccola e quasi inutilizzabile. Nei modelli che ho elencato sembra esserci e sembra abbastanza grande, ma non è possibile saperlo senza toccarli con mano.

Qualcuno ha esperienza diretta con questi modelli o con zaini simili?
La fascia lombare su un 25–30 L, secondo voi, fa davvero la differenza per scaricare il peso?

Grazie!