I would like a dedicated photo button.

Although physical buttons have a habit of failing (I have had multiple phones fail with button problems).

I have a Moto G3: double tap power to go into camera mode from the lock screen, or alternatively "waggle" it twice to get into camera mode (if screen turned off).

Both methods work, but I use them rarely enough that I still haven't learned to use either of them quickly when I actually need to take a photo quickly. And I am definitely a technically competent user.

Small jog dials are pretty bad. They require enough precision to force mistakes, while not giving actual precise input.

Might as well swipe the touchscreen (or a touchpad) with some haptic feedback.

At small sizes, well shaped buttons with all chosen stiffness and press depth are unbeatable. Not even a lever comes close. (think gamepads and analog sticks or hat controllers)

For analog input, levers are best, but they have to be big enough (joystick) though steering wheel comes close.

There is a good reason most vehicles use either a steering wheel, potentially multiaxis, or a joystick, augmented with buttons and levers. Stepped knobs are also good.

I had the Sony Ericsson M600[0] Symbian phone for a while, and loved the jog wheel on it. The software never really took full advantage of it though, and just used it to select in lists. It would have been great for stuff like quick-launch shortcuts.

[0] https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_m600-pictures-1425.ph...

I love jog dials, too. They are fast, precise, and tactile. They should be used much more than they are.

Press lock button, swipe left, press volume button - snap. It's somewhat fast actually.

Oh cool, so does my new Android. I would never have guessed that, and there's no documentation anywhere.

So from "screen off" to "picture taken" it's "tap power twice, tap volume". So much better than I've had to get used to with my prior phone.