{"id":117353,"date":"2018-11-06T11:09:16","date_gmt":"2018-11-06T19:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=117353"},"modified":"2018-11-06T11:09:16","modified_gmt":"2018-11-06T19:09:16","slug":"the-best-camera-is-the-simplest-camera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/11\/06\/the-best-camera-is-the-simplest-camera\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Camera is the Simplest Camera"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Dear friend,<\/p>\n<p>Basic idea: the best camera is the simplest camera.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div id=\"v-3Bwn0PBX-1\" class=\"video-player\"><iframe title='VideoPress Video Player' aria-label='VideoPress Video Player' width='400' height='224' src='https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/3Bwn0PBX?hd=1&amp;cover=1&amp;loop=0&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;permalink=1&amp;muted=0&amp;controls=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;useAverageColor=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow='clipboard-write; presentation'><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>This is the problem:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n  We get suckered into thinking that the best camera is the camera with the highest resolution, the most megapixels, the most sharpness, or the highest price.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In fact, <strong>the best camera is the simplest camera possible for your personal objectives.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"117282\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=117282\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Kyoto-Photography-2018-Uji00005.jpg?fit=4928%2C3264&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"4928,3264\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;GR II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1521008791&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;ERIC KIM&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;18.3&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Eric Kim Kyoto Photography 2018 &amp;#8211; Uji00005\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Kyoto-Photography-2018-Uji00005.jpg?fit=2000%2C1325&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Kyoto-Photography-2018-Uji00005-1000x662.jpg?resize=1000%2C662\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"662\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-117282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Kyoto-Photography-2018-Uji00005.jpg?resize=1000%2C662&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Kyoto-Photography-2018-Uji00005.jpg?resize=768%2C509&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Kyoto-Photography-2018-Uji00005.jpg?resize=2000%2C1325&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Kyoto-Photography-2018-Uji00005.jpg?resize=830%2C550&amp;ssl=1 830w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Kyoto-Photography-2018-Uji00005.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>For example, if you&#8217;re a chef, of course you need many pots, pans, and knives. But you need to find the &#8220;optimal simplicity&#8221;; where you don&#8217;t have <em>superfluous<\/em> tools in your kitchen.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"117008\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=117008\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-0152938.jpg?fit=4928%2C3264&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"4928,3264\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;GR II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1505740571&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;ERIC KIM&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;18.3&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"ERIC KIM PHOTOGRAPHY-0152938\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-0152938.jpg?fit=2000%2C1325&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-0152938-1000x662.jpg?resize=1000%2C662\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"662\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-117008\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-0152938.jpg?resize=1000%2C662&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-0152938.jpg?resize=768%2C509&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-0152938.jpg?resize=2000%2C1325&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-0152938.jpg?resize=830%2C550&amp;ssl=1 830w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-0152938.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Obviously a professional <a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/24\/7-lessons-ive-learned-shooting-fashion-photography-for-the-first-time\/\">fashion<\/a> photographer will need more equipment, lights, and higher resolution cameras for their work than a <a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/11\/04\/street-tips\/\">street photographer<\/a>. Yet still&#8211; the goal is to have the optimal simple camera; not so simple that you&#8217;re putting yourself at a disadvantage, but simple enough that you&#8217;re not being weighed down or distracted by your gear.<\/p>\n<h2>The simplest camera for street photography?<\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"117281\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=117281\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Photography-Osaka-2018-0611869-scaled.jpg?fit=3264%2C4928&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"3264,4928\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;GR II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1521554711&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;ERIC KIM&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;18.3&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Eric Kim Photography Osaka &amp;#8211; 2018-0611869\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Osaka Selfie with RICOH GR II. 2018&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Photography-Osaka-2018-0611869-scaled.jpg?fit=1325%2C2000&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Photography-Osaka-2018-0611869-1000x1510.jpg?resize=1000%2C1510\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1510\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-117281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Photography-Osaka-2018-0611869-scaled.jpg?resize=1000%2C1510&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Photography-Osaka-2018-0611869-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1160&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Photography-Osaka-2018-0611869-scaled.jpg?resize=1325%2C2000&amp;ssl=1 1325w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Photography-Osaka-2018-0611869-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C1253&amp;ssl=1 830w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Photography-Osaka-2018-0611869.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Eric-Kim-Photography-Osaka-2018-0611869.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>For now, the <a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/22\/why-the-ricoh-gr-ii-is-the-best-street-photography-camera\/\">RICOH GR II<\/a> is the most simple camera on the market. Small, compact, cheap. Just shoot in P (program) mode with center-point autofocus, and for monochrome shoot in RAW and use <a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/product\/eric-kim-lightroom-presets\/\">ERIC KIM MONOCHROME PRESET<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"83018\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/30\/the-best-cheap-cameras-for-street-photography\/happy-ricoh-eric-kim-annette-kim\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/happy-ricoh-eric-kim-annette-kim.jpeg?fit=1000%2C548&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1000,548\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"happy-ricoh-eric kim &amp;#8211; annette kim\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/happy-ricoh-eric-kim-annette-kim.jpeg?fit=1000%2C548&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/happy-ricoh-eric-kim-annette-kim-1000x548.jpeg?resize=1000%2C548\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"548\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-83018\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/happy-ricoh-eric-kim-annette-kim.jpeg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/happy-ricoh-eric-kim-annette-kim.jpeg?resize=768%2C421&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/happy-ricoh-eric-kim-annette-kim.jpeg?resize=830%2C455&amp;ssl=1 830w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/happy-ricoh-eric-kim-annette-kim.jpeg?resize=600%2C329&amp;ssl=1 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I also think the <a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/22\/leica-manual\/\">Leica M rangefinder<\/a> is a very simple camera. A Leica rangefinder should be used like a point and shoot camera: prefocus to 1.2 meters, shoot at f8, ISO 1600, and just photograph whatever you find interesting.<\/p>\n<h2>Keep it simple; just shoot.<\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"117252\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/11\/04\/street-tips\/only-in-america-eric-kim-street-photography-color25\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/only-in-america-eric-kim-street-photography-color25.jpg?fit=3087%2C2048&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"3087,2048\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;QSS-29_31&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"only in america &amp;#8211; eric kim &amp;#8211; street photography &amp;#8211; color25\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/only-in-america-eric-kim-street-photography-color25.jpg?fit=2000%2C1327&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/only-in-america-eric-kim-street-photography-color25-1000x663.jpg?resize=1000%2C663\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"663\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-117252\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/only-in-america-eric-kim-street-photography-color25.jpg?resize=1000%2C663&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/only-in-america-eric-kim-street-photography-color25.jpg?resize=768%2C510&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/only-in-america-eric-kim-street-photography-color25.jpg?resize=2000%2C1327&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/only-in-america-eric-kim-street-photography-color25.jpg?resize=830%2C551&amp;ssl=1 830w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/only-in-america-eric-kim-street-photography-color25.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t seek the &#8220;best&#8221; camera. Seek the simplest camera.<\/p>\n<p>JUST SHOOT IT.<br \/>\nERIC<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/shop\/\">HAPTIC INDUSTRIES: Creative Tools to Empower You ><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/equipment\">EQUIPMENT ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear friend, Basic idea: the best camera is the simplest camera.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":83018,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/happy-ricoh-eric-kim-annette-kim.jpeg?fit=1000%2C548&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117353"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117356,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117353\/revisions\/117356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}