I’ve always gravitated towards bulky cameras. My first serious camera was a Nikon D800. Then came the Nikon D850 and then the Nikon Z8. I invested in these cameras because of their specs, and never really considered their size and weight to be a problem, since my main area of focus was sports, wildlife, and landscapes.
Recently, however, I’ve been doing a lot more street photography – and for the first time ever, I’ve begun to begrudge my camera’s form factor.
I realize that not factoring in a camera’s size might sound ridiculous to some, given that plenty of photographers opt for smaller and lighter cameras as a matter of course, but for the genres I typically shoot, size simply doesn’t matter as much.
If you’re shooting sports or wildlife with super-telephoto lenses, your setup is going to be inherently big and bulky. In fact, I’ve found that having a larger camera when using longer lenses has had a positive effect, since it helps to counterbalance the weight of the optic. And for landscapes, my tripod spends more time holding my camera than I ever do.
But street’s a whole different ball game. Suddenly, I’m holding my Nikon Z8 all day long – but it’s too heavy to hang around my neck, so I end up holding it in my hand, which hurts my wrist. Unlike wildlife and sports photography, I’m using my Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 or my Nikon Z 40mm f/2. The former weighs around 550g and the latter 170g, so my 910g Z8 is the heaviest part of my setup by far!
Don’t get me wrong. I love my Z8. It's one of the best Nikon cameras ever made, and I don’t regret buying it, but I am lusting after a smaller camera like a Nikon Z fc or Nikon Z50 II (or perhaps even a compact camera) more than ever. I’m not somebody who needs a huge collection of cameras, by any means, but on more than one occasion, I’ve left my Z8 at home when I wanted to take a camera out, because I simply couldn't face carrying it around all day.
So, if you’re on the hunt for a new mirrorless camera (or any camera for that matter), especially with Black Friday just around the corner, do make sure you think very carefully about the kind of photography you’ll be doing and the size of camera that'll be most suitable.
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I'm going to consult our guide to the best cameras for street photography to see what suits my needs. If you're a Z8 or Z9 user, here’s how to make sure your Nikon Z8/9’s sensor shield is switched on. And for a fun little diversion, why not tickle your brain with my photography general knowledge quiz?
