The Truth About "Equipment Doesn't Matter for Photography"

The topic of "if you have the skill, the equipment doesn't matter" seems to be quite popular in the photography community lately! It's certainly a fun and common discussion. (It really is fun!)
But, let me be honest.
Equipment is about using the right tool for the right job. So, the idea that "anything is fine" is absolutely not true!

Nice to meet you if this is our first time!
Hello to those who always read my posts! Good evening!
I'm Fujikawa, an architectural photographer.
On X, I am active under the account Architectural Photography Cat🐈.
I make my living as an architectural photographer, and I usually spend my time shooting architecture, such as completed residential and commercial buildings, as well as real estate properties, mainly in the Kanto region.

But, does the equipment for shooting real estate properties really not matter at all?

By the way, what about real estate photography? It might be surprising, but actually, when it comes to equipment for shooting property photos, anything is fine. In the extreme, you can even take sufficient photos with a smartphone. This is because property photography hardly requires the "AF performance" or "burst shooting performance" demanded by DSLR or mirrorless cameras. If you are just shooting the static space of a property, you don't need speed or features to capture the movement of a subject.

In other words, when it comes to shooting property photos, the equipment really doesn't matter at all.

The more experienced you are, the more you tend to say "equipment doesn't matter"

Actually, the more professional or experienced a photographer is, the more they tend to say, "equipment doesn't matter." But that doesn't mean you should just pick anything at random.

"Equipment doesn't matter" means that as long as certain requirements are met, any equipment will yield sufficient results. In other words, we know too much, so our senses are a bit bugged, haha.
For example, in real estate photography, most equipment can be used as long as the following conditions are met.

• Ultra-wide-angle lens can be used

• Can shoot sharply (the image is crisp)

• Decent noise resistance to some extent

• Wide dynamic range (details are preserved even in scenes with high contrast)

• HDR compositing is even better if possible

If these conditions are met, there is almost no difference between a DSLR, a mirrorless camera, or even a smartphone. That is why professionals can say, "equipment doesn't matter."
Even after hearing this, do you really think anything is fine?

For property photos, a smartphone is truly okay

However, smartphone cameras are actually evolving year by year. It is not rare for smartphones to have the features necessary for property photography, such as ultra-wide-angle lenses, noise reduction, and HDR functions. With these features, you can take photos that sufficiently convey the appeal of a property.
I have posted a super-forbidden, premium-level video that explains in the world's most detail how to take property photos with a smartphone, so those in the field should watch it. I'm not joking, you will be left behind.

So, the true meaning of "the equipment doesn't matter" is "as long as specific conditions are met, the equipment doesn't matter." Even with a smartphone, if you set it up properly and use some ingenuity, it will perform more than well enough for property photography.

Honestly, I didn't intend to touch on this topic, but everyone seemed so happy about it that I ended up writing an article.

Thank you for reading until the end!
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See you in the next article!! You should just smile.