I've never owned a smartphone before, but to be able to record the pictures on a phone, especially with embedded GPS information, and then directly upload them to a database would be a really helpful feature for my research. If I were to get a smartphone with a decent camera capability, how much would I be losing on picture quality compared to the cameras that I've listed, especially in low light and macro?
I posted those three names in the title in order to give an idea of the kind of point-and-shoot camera I'm looking for. I would say the Canon ELPH340 might also be in the picture, as well as anything else you can think of.
I mainly photograph as a function of wildlife research. I need to be able to take pictures in all lighting conditions, and though I take both close and far shots my current work emphasizes close-up pictures of small animals. To that end, I'm looking for a camera with the following features:
Primary: high image quality, works well in low light, takes good macro pictures
Secondary: durable, decent action photos, takes shots relatively quickly
Would be nice...: a decent zoom (not expecting that with other features), decent battery life
My price range is under $250, though under $200 is preferable.
Any thoughts on the three cameras I mention above, or anything else out there? Really, having a durable camera that can take high quality photos, especially macros in low light, trumps everything else.

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