Getting yourself a camera for street photography can be both thrilling and confusing. The first question to ask is what is the best type of camera for street photography? Here’s an overview of each and their pros and cons.
I’ve been a street photographer for more then a decade now and one seemingly unimportant detail that ends up having a big impact is what type of camera you shoot. Let’s look at why before looking at the different camera types.
Why the best type of camera for street photography is more important than you think
Let me start this with an illustration: I am writing this on a desk I just purchased. I had to put it together myself and I had a normal screwdriver with a plastic handle. By the end of an hour my hands were full of blisters and were hurting like crazy.
The next day I purchased a screwdriver with the same Philips head, but nice padded grip and had a crank mechanism. Result? I could have gotten my desk in 1/4th of the time and had a much better time doing so.
What does this have to do with camera types? This: There’s one school of thought that is pretty straightforward: Just shoot with whatever you have, and that is to some extent true. I have shot some great images with the crappiest camera. But street photography is one of those unforgivable genres that can make the camera become and intrusion.
So while I have shot with a phone, and got some results, the issue is what you don’t see. Most of my phone shots are garbage and missed the focus because I couldn’t control the exposure, etc. This was way more frustrating than it needed to be. This is the same thing with the screwdriver, same Philips head, but much better experience and outcome.
And like I said, street photography is unforgivable because you cannot ask the universe for a redo, you lost it forever. Hence the discussion for what the best type of camera for street photography is important. The wrong tool to the job means missed shots and a frustrating experience. Let’s get into it.
DSLR: Probably the worse camera type
By far one of the worse camera type for street photography. Absolutely not because of image quality but because of size. Most DSLRs are large and that means weight, and that is not even counting in the lens!
The weight is not and issue for shooting here and there but start shooting for hours and you will start resenting it. Whatever you do, do not put it on your neck either, my partner Don Springer almost messed up his neck because of the camera weight.
There is also the bulk issue. Two things about this, first if your camera is heavy enough you won’t be able to twist and turn for some creative images. But also nothing screams “PHOTOGRAPHER” from a mile away then a DSLR in your hands. It is borderline impossible to be stealthy with one.
And lastly, how are you going to carry that puppy? You got it, in a backpack. Around your neck is a bad idea health wise and messengers aren’t too great either as if they are too large, then they will hurt your back. Something like a Domke F5 or similar is usually fine.
Mirrorless cameras
I’ll be blunt, there’s no reason for you to use anything as big as a DSLR in the streets when you have mirrorless cameras that are lighter. There is however a caveat, some of these cameras can be quite big and large. I am looking for example at the Fuji line of mirrorless cameras, these babies can be quite big.
The camera that messed up my friend’s neck is a Fuji camera with a large lens. The better camera type for street photography is mirrorless cameras for sure but the smaller ones are better or you will have the same issue as the DSLRs.
That is why if you must get a mirrorless Sony APSC line of cameras or Olympus / Panasonic mu43 cameras really take the cake.
Fixed lens compact cameras
Next in our list of the best type of camera for street photography is the compacts. Oh boy, now we are talking. Technically these are mirrorless cameras too but because they are fixed lens and highly optimized for it, they end up bringing the same DSLR type of power in a small body. For example one of the best fixed lens compact of yesteryear is the Leica X, compact with a stunning 35mm lens. Now you can get the Fuji X100V cameras or the Panasonic LX100 II.
These bring everything great about mirrorless and just offers a smaller package. So you can be stealthier in the streets and shoot for longer.
Rangefinder vs DSLR types
Within the mirrorless cameras and compact cameras there are two types of bodies, the DSLR types and the Rangefinder types. They are not actual rangefinders or DSLRS as they would either require a rangefinder mechanism to be called that, but they look close enough to them. Out of these two the best type of camera for street photography is the rangefinder type.
First of all they look WAY cooler than DSLR types but that is subjective. The real practical reason why this is the best type of camera for street photography is because you can focus with one eye and since most of your face is not blocked by the camera your other eye can scan the scene for your next shot. Many camera manufacturers offer both types like the Pen F and the Pen OMD line.
Pocket cameras
I started photography after I saw one of those “Big, professional looking cameras” that my friend had, and I vowed to buy one when I could. I later learned this camera type to be DSLRs and I did purchased one when I had the money.
After a while (I had gear acquisition syndrome) I then downgraded in size to mirrorless cameras and I was fine there, both for professional use and personal street photography use. But then for my street photography I ended up with one of the Ricoh cameras.
When I wasn’t shooting professional, these started gathering dust. I came to the conclusion that the best type of camera for street photography is the pocket camera. Why? Because for every single other camera type you have to think about bringing it somewhere. You have to consciously remind yourself to take it, while a pocket camera is by definition in your pocket always.
You never need a bag and they weigh nothing and if someone sees you in the streets, you look more like a tourist and people won’t pay you any mind. After shooting a long time with DSLRs, Mirrorless cameras and more I realized one of the greatest things about cameras: There is an opportunity cost.
The smaller I went, the more I shot because some part of my subconscious just made me avoid the large cameras because it knew how bothersome it is to carry the weight!
Even better, small cameras allows you to twist and turn so that you can get some pretty creative angles. But, you will say, pocket cameras are small sensors only, right? That was true for a while as most of the went up to 1/1.7 inch. But now you can get a 1inch sensor with the Sony RX100 and even a DSLR sized APSC sensor with the Ricoh GR series. The is quite the monster too.
The disadvantage of the compact and pocket cameras is that they are fixed lens and usually omit the viewfinder in order to save space. But because these camera are pretty powerful in terms of megapixels, cropping to 35mm and 50mm is more than possible and some have the digital zoom built-in. So even if you like these longer focal lengths the pocket shooters might be viable as the best type of camera for street photography.
Conclusion
On one hand its not the camera you have, it is what you do with it. But some tools are better suited for certain tasks then others. That is why the best type of camera for street photography is the pocket camera. With the latest technology you don’t need to be limited to small sensors, you can have large sensors in a pocketable factor.
The second best type of camera for street photography is the compact camera (usually fixed lens) and then the mirrorless cameras followed by the DSLRs. While technically any camera could do, the lighter and less attention seeking they are, the better. If you like street photography, you will love this. Be yourself, stay focused and keep on shooting.