The photography has been made with equipment as varied as cell phones to 4 x 5’ view cameras. The “classic” photo camera has been the 35 mm Leica rangefinder. The attributes praised by Leica users define a canonical set of features desired in street photography equipment. A good camera should be light, quick to operate, reliable, quiet and of good quality. 35 mm cameras dominated this ideal until digital cameras appeared. Currently, there is something of a gap – compact digitals are inconspicuous, quiet and light, but slow in operation. Digital SLRs are quick to operate, but are generally large, heavy and relatively loud. This gap, however, closes with each passing year of technological improvement. Epson R-D1 digital camera is the prime example of the closing gap.
The number one criterion in choosing a camera for photography, unless some external consideration (such as large negative or stealth) is of interest, is that the camera be comfortable to operate in the hand of the specific photographer.
