Why I prefer “beginner” cameras for my work
With over 10 years of experience as a professional photographer I want to have my say on cameras.
When I started with photography I was 10 years old and I received as gift a Fujica MA 1, a total plastic camera, proposed for casual shooters and tourists. My first beat was therefore in the analog era with a camera with few pretensions that accompanied me for several years, from when I was just a child until adolescence. Then I used also a Minolta, counting with a system where you can photographed also in Aperture priority mode. In film photography my favoricte current camera is the small Olympus Stylus, perfect for street photography.
In the digital age my cameras have been, in chronological order*:
Benq (sorry I can remember the name of that compact)
Casio Exilim
Fujifilm S1000fd
Nikon D40
Nikon D60
Panasonic Lumix DMC LX3
Olympus Pen E-P1
Canon Powershot G12
Panasonic Lumix GF2
Samsung NX200
Samsung NX20
Leica X2
Ricoh GRD IV
Fujifilm X20
Fujifilm X100S
Fujifilm X70
Fujifilm XA3
Fujifilm XPro2
Fujifilm XT10
Pentax K10D
Canon Rebel T3
Canon Rebel T7
*in bold when I was already a professional photographer
The experience with many brands I bring it to me as something valid especially as a technical background that allows me to be able to speak with cause.
I have had the opportunity to try medium and large format cameras over the years, testing many other cameras. And even a Sony DSLR. I also took some shots with pro reflex cameras (Canon) andI confirmed what I thought: small entry levels work for me. By truly applying the less is more philosophy, I am the testimony that professional results can be achieved with compact cameras and considered to be intended for those who start with photography. My editorial and commercial work is a proof of that. The publications and the exhibitions all over the world too.
I'm basically a street photographer. All the rest of my photographic activity is a direct consequence of this. So my photographic approach is derivative of this. All cameras I own must be usable on the street. Compactness and lightness are therefore the basis of my choice. And I want to work with cheap cameras. It is also a challenge. With myself, because in photography the only competition that I see is with myself. To pushing the limits. To show how good I can be as photographer not counting with professional cameras and yet making it great.
As I said my next mirrorless will be the Canon M200. A camera that is repeatedly described as a beginner's camera. As indeed the Canon Rebel series are defined. I don’t need a pro camera to make a professional work. I don’t need to appear as a serious photographer. I don’t pose as a photographer. I just need to make my work and entry level cameras are good to me.
At this point you will ask: why Canon?
This thing is much more thought out than it might appear. After a year where I used a Pentax DSLR, desapite is a good camera I realized that Canon offered something more and for this reason I decided to trade in. The Canon Rebel T3 depsite is a old camera released in 2011 has been a revelation. I stared with the kit lens, then I purchased a Yongnuo 50mm for my commitment as portrait photographer. I worked also for documentary with that camera, for example during Day of the Dead in Oaxaca. And finally I bought the 24mm. That is great for street photography.
With the precise choice to get rid of all fujifilms I sold them all except the XPro2 still out for sale on the shop. And I bought a new Canon Rebel: the T7. Another entry level camera. Another camera for beginners. The goal is pretty clear: to count with a consistency of aesthetic results. This is why after I though for a while to Ricoh GR I thought that Canon is releasing the cheapest mirrorless on the market: Canon M100/M200. That would be perfect as super compact for street shots.
And this choice can be understood even less than other made during my career. Because we are talkinmg about a very basic camera, blinking the eye to smartphone users, a camera not focused on dials. But this is precisely where the attraction for this camera for me lies. A camera that accompanied above all by the 22mm which is a real 35mm equivalent (there is not a solution for Canon DSLR like that) would be perfect for me.
I have rarely been wrong. In all these years the steps to certain cameras have allowed me to evolve my photography. I assume I have some intuition to understand which cameras I need, also because I am not a photographer who lets himself be influenced by the marketing bombardment. All my choices are focused on my photography and what results I can achieve. I am not going to buy a camera to feel myself cool or appearing as a more professiona photographer.
I work with beginner cameras. And I make a living as a photographer.
