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Eric Kim: What to consider when buying a camera for street photography

Jul 23, 2013 at 21:58:18 GMT

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Photo: Eric Kim

Eric Kim is one of the most prolific street photographers around, but he's also a keen blogger. In this article, originally posted on his site back in spring, he offers some advice on how to buy a new camera for street photography. Rather than a simple buyers' guide, though, Kim delves into the psychology of purchase decisions, citing research by psychologist Barry Schwartz which divides us into two categories - 'maximizers' and 'satisficers'.

According to Schwartz, Maximizers engage in more product comparisons than satisficers, both before and after they make purchasing decisions, and they take longer than satisficers to decide on a purchase. They also savor positive events less than satisficers and do not cope as well with negative events.

Kim's conclusion? 'When it comes to buying cameras for street photography, I think it is far better to be a "satisficer" than a "maximizer."'

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'What to consider when buying a new camera for street photography'

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Comments

Total comments: 87

This was a refreshing read for me. I'm a street photographer hobbyist who fell into the gear obsession trap for many years before I finally picked up a used Leica CL with 40mm summicron and stopped worrying about the technical details. I just felt a connection to the camera. ISO, dynamic range, sharpness, etc... Those are all just terms that bad photographers use to brag about their equipment. Just do like tbnl said below. Buy a camera, go out on the street, and take pictures. Stop reading and obsessing so much about the details. You're going to have a stroke, and then street photographers will be taking pictures of you. lol

0 upvotes

The maximizers/satisficers split is plain wrong. I take a long time to decide on a purchase, I spend a lot of time on product comparisons but once I have made my decision I live happily every after. This year I went to the street carnival in Olinda, Brazil. I knew my Canon DSLRs wouldn't be right for this. After a lot of research I bought a Sony RX100. Despite the lack of a viewfinder, despite not being Canon and after a lot of time spent on Alexander White's essential Kindle guide, the RX100 did a superb job for me. It still does alongside my old Canons 20D and 5D. After years of research and waiting the Canon 6D has arrived and I know I shall get it and be glad I did.

0 upvotes

Who is Eric Kim?

4 upvotes

Eric Kim's boring pictures and stories don't satisfy me at all. Neither do they maximise me, but rather they just reduce me to one of the guys in the grey masses, like him :). Sheet.

:rj

6 upvotes

As soon as I see the name "Eric Kim" in a headline I know immediately that the article is worthless. Stop trying to make us believe this guy is any kind of an authority on photography. Social media, maybe, but not photography.

10 upvotes

The marketing aspect is interesting.

Hit close to home this week while staining the deck.

Went to the shop downtown and asked what the best stuff is. The owner had a product that tackles staining in a different way and he said this was the stuff to get.

After getting sold on the product, we had to choose the colour. The guy smiled and pulled out the samples. Just 5 colours. No more no less.

Colours 2, 3 and 4 were a no go for us. So it was a choice between #1 and #5. Either one would work. We went with #5 because it was darker and warmer.

I remember walking out of the store and telling my wife. I'm happy with the product because it might last longer on our deck, but even more because there was only 5 colours to choose from. No analysis paralysis from having too many colour choices.

0 upvotes

If I wrote this article on "camera buying for street photography":

1. Buy a camera. DSLR, P&S, mirrorless, film or whatever.
2. Go onto the street.
3. Take photos.
4. Repeat steps 2-3 continuously.

4 upvotes

I've seen more articles than good photos from this guy.

8 upvotes

Well he's doing a damn good job. He's a writer.

2 upvotes

While I believe that we are entitled to spend our own time and money as we see fit, it is a pity if our choices give us grief instead of happiness. As a photographer, I subscribe to Duong's recommendation to create some specific projects that produce concrete deliverables - prints, presentations, web publications etc. -. While to me it's perfectly OK to be a photo gear collector, if you are a practitioner these projects help you keep some perspective. Mainly an outdoor photographer, I began with modest gear, spending uncountable nights developing my film and printing b&w's and then Cibachromes. Today, I use 3 different digi camera systems (light, lighter and lightest), Photoshop and a 24" printer to make fine art prints. I do spend significant fun time drooling on pics and articles of new equipment but love my cameras dearly and am always in awe of what they can do for me. Thanks DPR for these articles, they are food for thought (and some healthy debates).

0 upvotes

Great advise. I have been buying and selling camera equipment for years. I have finally come to the realization that enough is enough, especially if you do not print large and/or you shoot for the web. I am quite satisfied with no more then 16 megapixels (I have 2 12 megapixel cameras as well), do not need full frame and just having fun with what I have. I do not need a bunch of very expensive primes and have enough decent quality zooms if shot with proper technique can give me good results. I have finally reached a point where I can live with what I have. However, I did see a rumor that Canon is developing a 75 megapixel sensor.

1 upvote

This should be one of the longest and most boring and most snobbish advertising about Fuji and Ricoh cameras...

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

1 upvote

I really don't buy "satisficer" as a word.

3 upvotes

I have tried to read the article, but couldn't figure it out: was it sponsored by Leica or by Fuji?

P.S.
"In the book Schwartz categorizes the two main types of people there are when it comes to making decisions."

The pretty startling omission is the third type: the person who simply arbitrarily decides (picks ones of the options without thinking) and whatever it is, satisfied or not, maximized or not, goes with it and tries to make the best out of it. You can call the type an "anti-over-thinker."

0 upvotes

You learn something from everyone even if it is not to be self important. What you see is self promotion works even if you are not an expert or right half the time. You just need an opinion. He seems like a nice guy and I'm glad he is doing what he loves. That...is the most important thing you can learn from him or just have as an example. Kudos EK. Keep on clicking (qwietwy... We hunting stweet fotogwafy)

1 upvote

I thought this article was spot-on. I'm glad it was posted here - thanks!

2 upvotes

I'm not fond of the labels nor the long-winded nature of the piece, but I agree with the gist of it. It used to be easier to choose when there was less choose from.

1 upvote

DPR is site for people who love cameras and are HAPPY to learn more about them. Im not unhappy when i learn and read about cameras,im HAPPY and i think im not the only one.
And second if you go and buy a camera without taking a very good look whats the camera all about and just give your money away you are not a ''satisvizor''
you are just a plane dummkopf.

1 upvote

Of course nobody here will agree with him - DPR is a site for "maximizers"

4 upvotes

Wrong! That's not how I use the site.

0 upvotes

More accurately, DPR is a site *designed* for maximizers, but used by all sorts.

This site, like a camera, is just a tool. It isn't a lifestyle. I like to think there are plenty of people who use this site as a nothing more than a point of reference in their decision-making process and then turn the computer off and go take pictures.

We don't all have to be *either* maximizers of satisficers. We can draw an ideal balance if we try.

1 upvote

You have to admit it is sort of funny to see an article about 'satisfiers' and 'maximizers' from someone who has a need to use a Leica film camera to grab random shots on the street on a website that is 'maximizer' heaven.

5 upvotes

and his shots are pretty bad... at least the three shown on this article...

1 upvote

As he stated, the leica is a full manual camera that works with or without a battery, and will last more than one life time. There is much joy to be had in this shooting style, even if the images don't fit your personal tastes.

0 upvotes

Oh please.

6 upvotes

I usually take a camera whereever I go but yesterday I forgot!
So anyway I was driving down the terraced street of my birth over 50 years ago and couldn't help but notice a Father pushing his child in a baby buggy being followed by a very very large clown like character that was almost as high and wide as the first floor bedroom window. it was a surreal moment and deserved to be photographed.

Alas yesterday I wasn't a Street Photographer I wasn't even a photographer but it was a moment in time that I will remember forever.
Social media and Sheep has a lot to answer for.

6 upvotes

Should've used your cellphone, assume you have one in your pocket
For street photography cellphone camera is more than good enough !

0 upvotes

The image is still there. It is in your memory, you told me your story and the image now has be recreated in my memory. I quite like the image (however, the white balance seems to be slightly off... lol).

Someone I know went on a long trip to Iceland. She decided not to take a camera with her. Her intention was to create all the images "just" in her head and tell us later all the stories. I quite liked it in the end, but at first (as a gearhead), I couldn't understand it at all.

1 upvote

Every one can give his own interpretation to street photography. I do a lot of (paid) street photography in Japan and most of the images I have to make have to do with 'street' fashion.

My personal interpretation of street photography is to capture the "natural" human interaction in the urban environment. And you can use almost anything for it, from a mobile phone or ipad to a mid or large format camera. The only limiting factor is yourself.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

4 upvotes

The market is full with cameras!
So if i want to buy a camera with my hard earned money, of course im going to analise and thing about what im buying!Im not going to just give my money away! Its quite logical. This ''international street photographer'' says that the dumb blond who goes into the shop and buys the first camera with flash and buttons she likes is a better shopper than me!
If everybody was thinking more what hes buying,the market would be full only with REALLY GOOD CAMERAS and we wouldnt have to think so much.

Comment edited 6 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

MOST cameras today are more than adequate for non-professionals.

1 upvote

Yes,yes but i dont want an adequate, i want good. And still every camera has its compromises-if i start analysing and searching the right for me,from what hes saying thats not right! Also there are geeks who ''analyse'' and look at specs the whole day and they are quite happy in theyr own way....My point is-if everybody was more peaky and ''choosy'' what hes buying im pretty sure that the companys would make alot better products,and you know what - i think im right!!!

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

People will be better off analyzing their shots and try to improve them.
And blond is right - liking the camera is much more important for creative work then deep understanding of its specs.

0 upvotes

Ohhhh yessss....im sure all the proffesional photographers would saythe same-its not important to know your equipment,its important to like it(that makes no sense honey)....now go and shoot street with eos-m...

1 upvote

Hmmm...There is one thing about psychology - nothing is for certain!!!
This post is a mixture of nothing but theorys that describe 2 extremes.

1 upvote

Eric KIM on DPreview ? Now it's 100% sure that in today's society one just need to be good at social media and blogging to become famous...

5 upvotes

Yep, that's how the Internet works, that aside Eric Kim has taken many excellent photos

2 upvotes

My thoughts exactly. Keep telling people you're an 'international' street photographer et voila! That's what you are.

There's no accounting for taste, but a quick Internet search didn't throw up much in the way of 'excellent' photos or even books published. Just another successful self-publicist.

4 upvotes

Eric Kim has posted many excellent photographs, unfortunately NONE OF THEM WERE TAKEN BY HIM.

1 upvote

Two options. A street photographer is

(A) a pretentious tourist
(B) really creepy

They're not mutually exclusive. For shame. Get help.

6 upvotes

so you say we all should stick with photographing flowers, birds cats and family photos?

Sometimes I wonder how, just how close minded it can get.

7 upvotes

It's an ignorant comment by someone looking to start sh** is all. About as dumb as saying landscape photographers are just hillbillies with cameras, or wedding photographers just people looking to crash someone else's party for free food. DingDongs like this proliferate forum boards. One doesn't need to like the genre, but not liking it doesn't make it pretentious and creepy. I also suspect that Rallyman here hasn't researched much in the way of GOOD street photography -- Henri Cartier Bresson wasn't a pretentious tourist or creepy, and there are plenty of stellar artists in this field.

5 upvotes

A really interesting point you bring up!! I find interesting street pictures everywhere I go (internationally, I might add :-) but it feels very intrusive to actually photograph them, so I don't. There is this part of me that is thinking of buying a very small camera that might be less intrusive....

1 upvote

Well, theres a bunch of magnum photographers that disagree. Its all matter of taste. And even if you dont like, HCB, Willian Klein, Gary Winogrand, Koudelka and etc made history with thier photos and a LOT of people enjoy and admire their photos. That is why, of course, the photos cost a lot of money if you want. The funny thing is that this kind of photography dont have the same value as before. Now its a LOT of PP ( pos and pre processing). Its a shame, since these guys had seconds or less to discover a great scene and take a photo...

Comment edited 58 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Victims' rights are not a matter of taste.

Perhaps I was being lenient above when I called it "creepy."

The straw man arguments and false parallels to landscape work aren't convincing anyone.

0 upvotes

LMAO @ "victims". Talk about needing help. Lol.

1 upvote

"Victims' rights are not a matter of taste"...jeh...what a hell are you talking about...victims?

0 upvotes

#calking..its pretty obvious that the OPoster has no knowledge whatsoever about street photographers...every person portraited by HCB obviously loved being the object of a photography by him...

0 upvotes

I hear that. You'd think Rally here equates cameras with guns.

0 upvotes

Sorry you don't have a strong enough personality to take street photographs. I've met lots of people and had nice conversations with my subjects. I've only had one person end up angry with me, ironically, I wasn't even taking his photo. I usually don't ask for permission, because I want a candid shot. But when someone asks, "Are you taking my photo?" I say "YES I AM", step right up to them and start talking. You consider street photography "creepy" because in the same situation, you would run away like a creep.

0 upvotes

Two options. A rally fan is:

(A) a pretentious outdoorsy motorsport fan with no life.
(B) really suicidal for staying in the path of fast moving vehicles

They're not mutually exclusive. For shame. Get help.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 47 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

take a NEX 3 N nd a 20 mm pancake, and your done with just 800$. That is all you need, and note that the standard 16-50 does the job as well. I use the NEX-7 and the 24/2.8 minolta with adapter, and that does all my job too. When I have none of the big boys with me, I use a Fuji f30, and that does the job as well. Have you noticed? all those cheap cameras do photos, same as a 15000$ yupie Leica gear. And, some do it even better.

2 upvotes

Fuji F30 ... They discontinued it because of 6MP sensor when 8MP was the standard for much smaller sensors. After years the images from this camera ( $200) makes no distinction with the output from ca $2,000 DSLR ...
Beside great sensor, the focusing, start-up and zooming was far above average.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

2 upvotes

Yes..many compacts do a great job nowadays...

0 upvotes

One thing about Kim, give him a month or two and he will enthusiastically support the other side of the argument. This guy is all over the map.

3 upvotes

His first point about being a "statisficer" and not a "maximizer" makes me wonder why he's even someone with such a prolific following.

I'm by nature a "maximizer". Why? By being a maximizer, I can ensure that I am shooting on gear that has the performance headroom to keep up with my art. Why would anyone in their right mind think that spending a long time finding the right product, when said product costs thousands of dollars, is a bad thing?

This guy assumes that every "maximizer" is some schizo-paranoid monster who can't be content with a purchase. He's right to an extent, but for the wrong reason. I don't ever want to be content with anything in my art. For me, I can always do better, and be better, and if my gear can't keep up, it is worthless to me. I'm fine with keeping a G lens on my A99 as a walkaround. Why? Once the moment hits, having the best tools for the job means that I can "hipsterize" a photo afterward, or keep it beautiful. But you can't go the other way. Nice try.

1 upvote

I'll just get myself a maxisficer...

2 upvotes

get a Maxim, that'll be satisfying.

1 upvote

I am sorry but I am extremely unfriendly to such biased "recommendations".
Even if your annual income is in the range of the quarter million dollars, you must have a lot of disrespect to the source of your income to put at risk gizmo like a Leica body and lenses. That is a gear for a fancy flâneur who is taking still the same photographs.
I you want to do something own and new , never start from the camera priced over $500. That's the rule of thumb.
Try to squeeze from your apparatus as much as you can, and after a year of practice you will be able to get more, than the others from their Hasselblad with a wooden grip.
Enjoy!

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 8 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

Pretty sure all you need to be a 'street photographer' is to call yourself a street photographer. Better yet, International Street Photographer.

18 upvotes

As he is a street photographer....your point would be?

Comment edited 31 seconds after posting

5 upvotes

His point is that International Street Photographer is silly and pretentious.

It's like Austin Powers calling himself "International Man of Mystery."

When I was in finance, International Finance was about doing finance in different currencies, customs, languages and legal systems. It made sense to make it a specialty. What's different about International Street Photography?

Comment edited 8 minutes after posting

10 upvotes

I can tell you the difference:

Being an "International Street Photographer" is a fancy way of saying that you want to pretend that you're somehow better than most street photographers because you were lucky enough to get a budget to shoot on the street in another country.

From the moment he said to be a "statifier" or whatever the hell that was, he lost all credibility in my eyes.

4 upvotes

That's one of my points, exactly. The other point is that to be a street photographer one must tell everyone they've taken some photos on the street.

Hoosh, International Friends, Family and Sometimes Cats Photographer. And Blogger obviously

2 upvotes

international street photographer just another fancy word for tourist

6 upvotes

Odd...many street photographers work in their hometowns, like daido moriyama. Kind of blows your theory.

5 upvotes

I think some people should google the word "international" so that they understand its meaning and Kim's reason for using it.

Kim's a smart guy, makes a living out of what he loves doing, maybe think about that while your stacking the shelves at walmart

2 upvotes

He does not even photograph streets! It seems he is a people photographer or something instead!

0 upvotes

Or TOSSER :)

0 upvotes

I'd recommend Hasselblad Lunar for these kind of tasks.

14 upvotes

Or just buying the original Sony camera that Hasselblad rebranded, and save yourself the money/embarrassment.

1 upvote

You're kind of bitter it seems.

2 upvotes

Ahh, that must be a reason why half of Kim's subjects have that deer caught in the headlights look.....they are natural sheep to Kim's tiger prowess.

6 upvotes

Didn't see that look at all in his images. They look quite interesting, and well done.

4 upvotes

All of a sudden the x-pro 1 is a contender for this task. The new firmware update is a transformation. And it looks the part.

1 upvote

How would the fact that we have 30 days to return a camera make us "less satisfied" with it? Research a camera well, and you'll never be disappointed.

When I purchased my DSLR I was completely satisfied, in fact, I was blown away by it. I knew I wouldn't return it, but knowing that B&H would allow me to if necessary was added piece of mind.

The author must have unlimited resources, but most of us do not.

6 upvotes

If I recall correctly from Schwartz's TED talk, having the option of returning the camera causes people to constantly relive/second-guess their decision during that period. This can lead to people focusing on the negative aspects of their choice instead of the positives.

Check out the TED talk on this topic though, it's very interesting.

0 upvotes

I've already considered it:
The Ricoh GR, and just can't wait to get my hands on it as soon as I get back home from Mexico.
For my choice of photography it is the camera I've been waiting for for a long time.
I own the X100 and am quite happy with it but I believe the GR will offer me options that the X100 simply do not.
Will a better, or more attractive choice come up? Most likely, but until that happens I am sure I will enjoy the GR.

Cheers!

1 upvote

There is no doubt that the Ricoh GR would make a good street photography camera due to its small size.

However, in my experience, there is no specific camera or brand would be especially good for this task. Most important, it must be:

1) small and easy to carry around especially when one is walking in unfamiliar territory. In a bad situation, one might be robbed or your camera might be snatched. It does not have to be in a third world country. It happen very often in Naples and Rome in Italy and even in Paris.

2) a camera with a small bright zoom would be ideal. Consider one like the Lumix LX7.

3) it would be good to have two cameras, one to cover the wide angle and another with a bright short telephoto like a micro 4/3 with the 75mm f/1.8 (150mm in 35mm format) to shoot close up street portraits. A bright lens is very useful especially if the subject is in a position without ideal lighting.

So, it all depends where and what one is shooting. A two camera combo would be ideal.

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 9 minutes after posting

1 upvote

No doubt about it - I'm a maximizer! I guess that's why I'm always posting "what camera"? for candid street travel?

1 upvote

After the psychological essay on the types on consumers( could have done without)he "settled' for the best ever a leica M, very funny , would just get a nokia 1020 and not worry about losing my precious Leica, 1020 makes all point and shoots irrelevant.

3 upvotes

I would hate it when people call me on me camera

3 upvotes

Except for the lack of a VF, RAW, a large aperture lens, PASM mode dial, a grip, etc.

If shooting on a smartphone is satisfying for you, great. Most photographers will prefer a proper camera.

2 upvotes

@marike6
Actuall Nokia 1020 comes with all the items you mentioned. I think that's creepy but some women like it I suppose.

2 upvotes

@Peiasdf

JPEG only, not viewfinder, no hand grip, exposure modes? Scene mode only, AFAIK.

http://www.nokia.com/us-en/phones/phone/lumia1020/specifications/

The author is talking about a different type of camera, but as I said, if a smartphone provides a satisfying shooting experience for you, great. But the 1020 is not going to obsolete any proper cameras for me.

1 upvote

Lumia 1020 does not have RAW but the HUGE 38Mpx JPG can be manipulated.
Hand grip is and extra accessory (it includes 50% more battery power and a tripod screw). There are several different camera modes as expansion modules (bad name "lenses") Exposure can be set manually and also focus, shutter time, White Balance, ISO, and the flash
Plus you have zoom & reframe with re-zoom
Look yourself! Think about a beginners POV. *IT IS EASY* Go to:
http://connect.dpreview.com/post/1022616556/pro-camera-other-lumias
click the video to "Youtube" and there select
"AT&T Lumia 1020 - Pro Camera"
or search that from Youtube
*THE SOFTWARE INTERFACE IS EASY*

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 3 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Just slap a small wide angle lens on your dslr and you can go. 35mm for FF 24mm or 28mm for aps-c.

1 upvote

Total comments: 87

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