I like my power banks to just be power banks. Having a flashlight may seem convenient until you use it too much and find yourself with an empty power bank.

Meanwhile, I noticed the Crave PLUS Slim Power Bank, 10,000 mAh Portable Charger, which according to the write-up it has Quick Charge (QC) 3.0, micro USB & Type-C ports. It’s roughly the same size as my cellphone so would be an easy carry.

Then I saw the Anker PowerCore 20100mAh Portable Charger for just a couple $$ more. There are a lot of power banks available and 20,100 mAh in your pocket is a lot of juice.

Amazon is like a candy store to a little kid...

OT - way off the subject ...

Cellphones can take okay pictures and if you are happy with the result, that’s all you need. My first real camera was a Nikon FM SLR shooting low ASA relatively fine grain film; after that experience it’s difficult to be happy with the snapshots produced by my iPhone. IMO a dedicated camera with a real lens can take better pictures. All of my dedicated cameras have shutter priority, aperture priority and manual modes which cell phone cameras don’t have; they’re pretty good for auto-only cameras with smallish lenses, but those attributes are also limitations. I use my cell phone to take pictures of labels and things to jog my memory, not because it takes great pictures.

Comparison in general: My small camera has an 18MP 1/2.3 inch (7.82 mm) Exmor R® CMOS sensor and a 30X zoom lens with pretty good Zeiss glass that can really reach out; the full frame camera has a 24MP CMOS sensor with whichever lens I have that seems most appropriate. Most cell phones these days have a 12MP (max) CMOS sensor behind a sophisticated but smallish (tiny) lens. Lens size does matter as it translates to the volume of light allowed to hit the sensor.

I used the smaller camera to take a few pictures of the moon at mid-day yesterday and I watched as it focused on the moon -- the resultant picture showed detail in the moon surface, this was a daytime photo with a blue sky foreground. I need to get into the manual to see how to focus on the moon (infinity) while shooting through objects much closer (trees). The camera wants to focus on the nearer trees in auto leaving the moon out of focus, so I need to learn the manual mode inputs. My cell phone won’t zoom out far enough to show more than a large white dot, but I do like how you can use the touch screen to direct the object on which to focus. That said, the 720mm (full frame equiv) lens can really reach out. Relatively new camera to me though, still learning...

The full frame size camera has the potential to take much better pictures but that comes at a price. One price is the price-tag -- not cheap; the second price is size and weight, not small, not light -- relatively speaking it’s big and heavy. So I use the smaller camera more, light and easy to carry, and takes good pics.

Like I said, way OT.

The one on Amazon does not come with the attachments that provide all of the other functions. It is a bit deceptive. You have to read all of the fine print before you click.

more OT -enough about those silly power banks; let's talk cameras. I find my Galaxy 6 wonderful for decent pics, although I am under no illusions that it not full capability compared to the really high end items on the market. But I like my cell camera because it is handy. For relatively common usage, it i quite convenient. I don't miss film at all; I love seeing the results of your efforts immediately and the chance to correct any glitches.

I have spent way too much time on projects, developing film in the kitchen sink after hours. OTOH, b/w film, properly processed, is virtually immortal and provides a durable, long lasting record -useful in archaeological recording and other pursuits.

I'm not the least bit surprised.

In my case it never made any sense. My personal electronics stuff runs on power cords either in the house, office or car. A power cord is in my day pack; a power cord is in my vehicle and both are smaller than power banks. The cord is necessary for transferring data so I need to have it regardless of an extra portable power source. If I am truly far enough away from a power source, its because I want to be (i.e. camping) and the electronics are turned OFF.

I have an Android phone and until my recent upgrade I always had access to replacement/spare batteries that were a LOT EASIER to carry around than a power bank. I always viewed power banks as Steve Jobs's dead weight crutch since Apple users couldn't access their batteries in the sealed case. I see people carrying around power banks bigger than their phones - to me that is just ludicrous.

I must admit I have a small solar power bank with a single 18650 Li-Ion that I tried out but in the end I simply never used it (It charges out at only the standard USB rate of 0.5A which is way below the requirements of my phone let alone my computer. I also have a battery jump starter that can be used as to charge electronics but it to charges electronics at < 1.0A and isn't pin compatible with my laptop. Admittedly, there are new power banks that out perform what I have but that's just more money to spend for something I probably don't NEED.

I’ve been on the fence regarding portable back-up power, but there’s lots of “stuff” that we use and carry daily that needs electricity. Many of us take for granted that electricity will always be available - until it isn’t.

I usually keep all my various electronic gear charged, rarely do any of them go below 50% charge, but some of them (cameras) will go from 100% to below 50% quickly and usually far from a wall plug. In those instances, a portable power pack is very useful. Just another opinion.

PS: I’m probably going to get the Anker 20100 mAh Portable Charger. Want/need, don’t know.

Edit:
Want, not need. It’s a convenience and there are other ways to get batteries charged. But out and about with no 12VDC plug let alone a 120VAC wall plug, 20KmAh is nice to have.

I generally carry a portable charger, but I have multiple sizes depending on length of trip, necessity of communications device, purpose of trip, number of electronic devices I am carrying, availability of power from other sources.