Mikko Takkunen teaches us that small equipment doesn't mean small output, as his new photography book Hong Kong was shot entirely on digital compact cameras.
I recently sat down with Mikko to discuss the book, and after providing some fascinating insights into his process and approach we got on to the topic of gear. Having seen firsthand the stunning images in Hong Kong, when I asked which equipment he used I was expecting him to mention one of the best mirrorless or even a medium-format camera. To my surprise, it was quite the opposite.
The following is an excerpt from the interview:
What photography equipment did you shoot with?
I shot with four cameras, but 90% was shot with a Sony RX100 VII, a small compact camera with a 24-200mm equivalent telephoto zoom lens. As it's a fixed zoom you can't get wide apertures, but most of the time I shoot with a large f-stop like f/8 or f/11.
I also shot with a Sony HX90 which is even smaller and compact but it has an insane 24 - 720mm equivalent lens which I used to capture images from the 19th-floor window onto the lower rooftops streets below. I could get close to people mostly using around 400mm or so, but I didn't only shoot on a telephoto, there are photos from the street that were shot at 80, 28, 35, and 50mm.
What I like about the Sony cameras is they're tiny and I even started buying my clothing based on if the pockets would fit the Sony so I could have them with me all the time. The telephoto capabilities also helped to compress the scene and helped depict a sense of density and claustrophobia.
I also used a Fujifilm X100F, the camera that my wife got me in 2018, which was my first proper camera after many years of shooting with my phone. Then there are two images in the book that were taken with my iPhone 11 Pro, including the back cover of the yellow door. It's quite incredible the back cover holds the quality and I don't think you would be able to know that it's an iPhone image.
To learn that the majority of the book was shot with not only a compact camera, but a compact camera with a sensor smaller than APS-C certainly took me by surprise – but it also made complete sense.
Much like the great street photographers, Takkunen photographs the world as an observer, which means what he looks for in a camera is a small blueprint enabling him to have it on him easily at all times, and a large versatile zoom to capture details. He found that with the Sony RX100 VII, which is a lesson in the importance of finding what works for you and your practice.
The tradeoff for the size and high zoom function is usually a lower image quality, which may still be the case, but the image quality produced is still outstanding and was printed in great detail in a professionally published book by Kehrer – what more do you need?
The Sony RX100 VII is a tiny compact camera that boasts several high-quality features, and in my opinion perhaps doesn't get the recognition it deserves because of the smaller Type-1 (1-inch) sensor and higher f-stop. The RX100 VII's 24-200mm zoom lens has a super fast AF with real-time tracking and eye AF, plus enhanced image stabilization and 4K video.
As photographers, we can often obsess over the latest and greatest gear, and for the majority, the final output is posted to social media where it dies as quickly as it's uploaded. So it begs the question unless you're printing on a large scale, why do we need a constantly increasing megapixel count? I am certainly guilty of putting off projects because I do not have the 'right' equipment, but I am now inspired to get started on those long put-off shoots and to use my iPhone more!
If you haven't done so already, I recommend checking out the full interview with Mikko Takkunen where we discuss his beautiful new book Hong Kong.
See our guides for more information on the best camera for street photography, the best compact camera, and the best camera phone.
