There’s an old adage which goes something like this:

“The best camera is the one you have on you.”

For many years I agreed with this statement and thought my iPhone was the best camera I had. After all, it’s always on me, has amazing battery life, and fits into my pocket. Not to mention it allows me to easily edit my photos and share them online.

Lately I’ve been approaching this topic with a different lens, no pun intended.

While I still believe this statement is partially true, I have found it comes from a utilitarian point of view. As in, the best camera is the one you have on you because you never know when you need to take a picture. If you consider a camera primarily a device to capture memories, then I can’t argue the iPhone (or another smartphone) is the best camera for that purpose.

However, I’d suggest if you primarily use your camera as a creative output, as a way to express yourself, then the best camera is the one you love shooting with.

For many people, that could still be an iPhone. For me, it’s the Fujifilm x100v.

I don’t have anything against the iPhone in terms of its specs or abilities, quite the opposite in fact. I dislike shooting with the iPhone because it has too many abilities. The distractions of other apps and the ease of editing and moving on to the next photo detracts from the creative process for me. There’s something truly satisfying about losing yourself in shooting images and editing/sharing them later on. It allows me to stay present.

If you’re looking to get into photography I suggest you find the device and methods that bring you joy. I promise you, it will keep you coming back time and time again.

As for why I love the x100v specifically, well that’s a post for another day.