A Lost History With Cameras

Having once worked as a fashion videographer and a filmmaker before then, I've had a lot to do with cameras over the years.

I started filmmaking on one of the first iPads - it was all I had accessible to me.

I soon upgraded to buying my first DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera, the Canon 1200D.

I bought it second-hand for $350 from GumTree, the buy & sell platform that predates Facebook Marketplace.

I took that camera with me to many personal and commercial shoots - we went through a lot together!

I later upgraded my camera body to a Canon 80D, the latest and greatest at that time. With some extra cash from a few jobs, the new body was accompanied by a shiny new lens too!

But some things have changed:

I rarely take my camera gear out anymore.

This is a big difference from the extension of my arm it once was...

Other than a holiday a few months ago, I've only touched my camera one time in 6 months.

Yet every single day I'm making 2-4 pieces of new content.

What shifted?

I made a realisation...

Smartphones are now just as good (or better) than most DSLR cameras.

Yes, that one's a hard one to come to terms with as a camera guy.

It's true that they are, at times, more limited in ability.

But smartphone cameras have one thing going for them that DSLRS don't....

SPEED.

And where content output is paramount, speed is my greatest asset.

See if this helps:

If you, like myself, traceback most of your customers to instagram,

Put your DSLR camera down

and pick up your smartphone.

The quality is good enough.

And sometimes, good enough really is enough.

If every post is a lottery ticket

speed and output come first.

Here to help,

Elijah