Shooting Street: Phone (iPhone7 Plus) Vs. Camera (Ricoh GRII)

Initially I had started shooting street with my phone for one simple reason: it was smaller and more discreet than my mirrorless camera with any lens. I’m not the type of person who wants to be sticking my camera in people’s faces unless of course it’s a shot that’s worth it, and I won’t be disturbing them, and the larger the camera, the harder it is to avoid doing that. Using a phone, though, has its own drawbacks:

1. It’s a phone, and in Georgetown you don’t want to be advertising your phone like some tourist. You could end up being robbed, and worse, injured and robbed.

2. No matter what, a phone will never produce the quality of a good camera.

3. There’s something about using a dedicated camera to practice photography that makes the whole experience more enjoyable.

So what did I do? I did some research to find the best camera to shoot street - something small, discreet, fast, and good quality. I wanted something that could basically fit inside my jeans pocket. My research pointed me towards the Ricoh GRII, and so I invested in that camera. Since I’ve gotten the camera I find it much easier to walk around with it in my hand without people even noticing I have a camera. Shots are high quality and the camera is fast. So, without getting into detail about the camera itself, the point I’m trying to make is that I think once you find the right camera, using your phone will end up being a last resort. I dislike the quality of photos that phone photography produces, at least for me (I have the iPhone 7). When you compare the images, there’s no contest, and the way I see it, you want to invest in something that produces good images so that if, in the future, you want to print your images, you can get the best quality.

Of course if your phone is all you have, then by all means use that, but if you can afford a dedicated camera for practicing photography, you won’t regret it. The images are better, and the experience is more immersive. I already spend enough time on my phone; I don’t want it for my photography. Photography is something I enjoy, and want to enjoy wholly without distractions like messages or calls or notifications. I want to press a shutter button, I want to have the feel of a real camera in my hand.

I think phones also have the stigma of having to do with social media and posting online, so I can see why someone would be sceptical of a phone photographer. Phones are also very personal devices, and someone being photographed would naturally question your motive. The Ricoh GRII is different - it doesn’t have a viewfinder, but a screen which allows you to shoot in a ways that people won’t even realise you’re shooting them or a scene with them in it. It’s almost like a hobbyist camera, some would even say tourist camera.

At the end of it all, it’s a camera I enjoy using. I consider that to be the most important thing - it makes me feel at ease shooting in the streets - something I’ve wanted to start a long time ago. Who knew that one little camera would help me so much.