Sensor size talk can trap you into thinking your next camera purchase is the thing standing between you and better images. That mindset quietly changes what you shoot, how often you practice, and how willing you are to try something you might fail at.
Coming to you from Dee Rosa, this blunt video pushes back on the idea that small sensors are a compromise you should avoid. Rosa starts from a question he keeps getting: if sensor size “doesn’t matter,” why not use small-sensor cameras? He points out that people see him with a Leica full frame camera and assume he only shoots full frame, then they see him discuss the Fujifilm GFX 50R and assume it is medium format all the time. Instead, he describes moving his travel and B-roll work to an iPhone 15 Pro Max and taking an OM SYSTEM OM-3 on the road for stills. He frames it as a conversation about the stigma, not a camera review, and that difference shows in what he chooses to focus on.
A lot of the video is less about specs and more about the story you tell yourself when you want to upgrade. Rosa calls out the common belief that a new body, a new lens, or a bigger sensor automatically moves your work “to the next level.” He argues that the bigger gains come from taking on something you do not already know how to do, then sticking with it long enough to get past the awkward early attempts. He uses his own push into landscapes and fine art as the example, including work he admits will never become a book or a defining project. He names the usual temptations, like chasing ultra-wide apertures and huge resolution, then pivots to the less comfortable work of learning composition, light, and intent. He even references other tools he could have used without treating any of them as a status symbol.
The travel section matters because it keeps the argument grounded in real shooting conditions instead of internet hypotheticals. Rosa describes stops around Forks, Washington, including Lake Crescent and coastal locations where weather, distance, and fatigue change what you can realistically carry and use. He talks about long exposures, the problem of people walking through frames, and the way constraints can push you into choices you would not make if you were chasing “perfect” files. Later, he walks through a sunrise stop that turns into a higher-resolution panoramic approach, with an honest admission that timing and luck play a bigger role than brand names. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Rosa.