Should I get a camera for my mission?

Small point and shoot cameras are trending, and many missionaries ask us if they should bring one on their mission, which one to buy, and how to share the pictures they take with the camera.

Bring a microSD card

Regardless of whether you choose to bring a separate camera, you should always get a microSD card to put in your mission phone to back up your pictures. If you’re in a mission that shares phones between companions, you can swap this between phones. If you’re in a mission with a church-issued phone that you use individually, you can keep the microSD card in the phone during your mission and then take the microSD card home with you since your Church-owned phone likely won't be coming home with you per Missionary Department policy. Get a U3 rated microSD card at 128GB or higher like this.

Do I really need a camera on my mission?

Why would missionaries want a camera? Shouldn't their phone be sufficient? Yes and no. The main considerations are convenience, resilience, and quality. 

As of this writing, missionaries in most parts of the world receive a Church-owned smartphone in the MTC or field. These are budget level devices that retail for less than $300, such as a Samsung A26 or A35. These have cheaper cameras built in compared to a brand-new iPhone or Samsung S phone. Opening a mission phone to use as a camera can also present other distractions from app notifications. The phones missionaries receive are not water-resistant, so some wet climates may prefer to use a waterproof point-and-shoot or action camera instead. A dedicated camera will almost always have better optics than the mission phone's camera.

Can missionaries bring a smartphone or tablet?

As of September 2025, the Missionary Portal page 'What to Expect with Missionary Smartphones' states, "Can missionaries bring their own smartphones? No. Missionaries are not authorized to bring their own smartphones, even if they only want to use them as a camera or to store notes. Missionaries can use the Church-provided smartphone for their camera and note-taking needs." and "Can missionaries bring a tablet? No. Missionaries are not approved to bring tablets. If you feel you need an exception, please contact your mission president, who can submit a request to the Missionary Department." 

Further, "Please note that although missionaries are not authorized to bring a smartphone from home to use as a camera, they are authorized to bring a separate, inexpensive digital camera if they choose."

What camera should I bring?

The Mission Call Packet 'What to Bring' section recommends, "If you bring a camera, it should be simple and inexpensive as cameras are easily damaged or stolen." As such, we generally recommend that a missionary who wants a camera should buy one used for no more than $200. A mission president can approve exceptions to this, especially if you have prior experience with photography that may benefit the mission's social media efforts.

Message us if you'd like a particular camera recommendation for your situation. 

If you want something cheap and small and new, try the Kodak Charmera for $30.

The compact camera segment was largely displaced by the advancement of smartphones. As such, most new compact cameras are quite expensive, but there are still some options listed here on B&H. If you want a used camera quickly, check out MPB at this link. If you want more options for a more affordable price, we recommend eBay. Find specific models that meet your needs by using DPreview's Camera Feature Search here. If you want to bring a GoPro, don’t get a Hero 11 or newer because many of the mission phones don’t support GoPro 11's newer H.265 format video files. If you have a Hero 10 or older, stick to H.264 video modes. With the exception of the Kodak Charmera, we do not recommend most new digital cameras from Minolta, Vivitar, Polaroid, or Kodak that can be found at Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, or Costco. These brand names previously reflected quality but have since been sold to various holding companies to sell inferior products under a recognizable name.

What if I want photos printed instantly?

If you want an instant camera that prints pictures immediately, we recommend the Fujifilm Instax as the best option for price, quality, and availability, but the Polaroid Now, Kodak Smile Classic, and Kodak Printomatic are also good.

Wireless photo printers that require an app are not supported by mission filters, such as the Kodak Step or Mini, HP Sprocket, Canon Ivy/Selphy, Fujifilm Instax Link, Polaroid Hi-Print, etc. However, the Canon Selphy CP series can work because it can print directly from an SD card or USB drive, with ink/paper sets costing between $19-42 depending on the model or about $0.50 per 4x6 inch photo print. The CP1500 is $180 new with ink and paper, or older models can be found for around $50 used on eBay.

Remember that you can get 4x6 inch photo prints from Walgreens or similar stores at $0.25 each, and the order can be initiated in-store or from a public computer. So owning a photo printer would be for convenience's sake, not for cost savings.

How will I share pictures from my camera to my mission phone?

You may be used to having an app to transfer pictures and videos wirelessly from your camera to your phone, but you will not be able to use camera pairing apps on your mission phone since the Church Protections filters block nearly all apps from being installed. New apps for cameras and printers likely won’t be added since Missionary Dept staff would need the physical device in order to add content filters. The only approved app for cameras is the Canon Camera Connect app, which is only available if your mission president has added you to the Expanded MaaS access level. 

To transfer or view pictures and video on a mission smartphone, you will need to take the SD card out of the camera and connect it to the phone. If you use a microSD card with your camera, you can insert it into the microSD card slot in your phone. If you have full-size SD card, I recommend using an SD to USB-C adapter like this one. Most missionary smartphones can't use HDMI adapters, so this $10 adapter is a great fit because it has everything you could need: two full-size USB-A ports for a flash drive, headphones, mouse, or keyboard; slots for microSD and full-size SD cards; and a USB-C port for high-speed charging. 

Once the SD card is connected to your phone, you can use the My Files app to view, move, or delete the picture and video files.

As always, reach out to us over text, phone, email, Instagram, or Facebook Messenger for help.