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8 Most Popular Cameras Used to Capture Skateboarding

Originally posted on TransWorld SKATEboarding
By Blair Alley | Last updated Jan 18, 2025 8:00 AM ET

So you wanna shoot photos of skateboarding? Why not? Everyone else is. And with social media, you can shoot, edit and upload your photos in an instant and get those existence-affirming likes you crave. We've whipped up a list of the most common cameras used out there—from pro kits to vintage cameras you can score in a thrift store. The most important thing—have fun with your friends and capture the best times of your life.

1. DSLRs

The workhorses. If you're serious about shooting professionally, you've gotta have one of the flagship cameras from the big brands (Canon, Nikon, Sony). Canon and Nikon were always likened to the Toyota and Honda of the camera world. People choose sides, sure, but not one has ever really domintated. Sony crept in a few years back with its mirrorless cameras, so now there's kind of a "big three." For Canon, the R5 currently rules, while with Nikon, it's the Z9, and for Sony, the a1. Yeah, you might have to max out a credit card to get one of these, but the image quality is supreme, and they'll last a very long time.

2. Panoramic/XPan

Panoramic cameras have always been popular in skatephotography; the most famous is Hasselblad's XPan camera. With a rangefinder focusing system and taking 35mm film, you can shoot a double-wide image across what would normally be two frames, resulting in beautiful, wide-angle photos that fit skateboarding action amazingly. Check some of the XPan work of Seu Trinh, Skin Phillips or Ray Barbee.

3. Leica M Series/Contax G2

These two seem to be the go-to for high-end, film, 35mm cameras for everything but shooting action (though you still can if you want). The Leica (M6 is the classic) is manual focus, while the Contax is autofocus. Both have interchangeable lenses and are the cameras you'll most likely see around a skate photographer's neck on a trip, out at an event, and all the other times you're not actually laying on the ground shooting a skate photo.

4. Point-and-Shoot Film Cameras

Great to have one of these, especially with a built-in flash, for nighttime shenanigans or on any trip where you just want something small and light that easily fits in a pocket and you don't have to worry about a several-thousand dollar camera. The Yashica T4 has long been the industry standard, with some people opting for the Contax T2. Olympus Styluses are a bit cheaper, as are some Canon Sure Shots. Shop around!

5. Point-and-Shoot Digital Cameras

Want a quality street photography camera but digital? Fujifilm's X100 series is wildly popular. If you've got bread, we can definitely recommend Leica's Q series with its superior lens quality, megapixel count, weather-proof construction and 28mm fixed lens that you can crop in on.

6. Vintage Digital Point and Shoot Cameras

Popular with the generation that was too young to use them when they came out 20 years ago, Canon Powershots (Elphs) or Sony Cyber-shots, etc., can still be found, functional on the internet or at your local thrift store. These low-megapixel, not-really-sharp cameras are still fun and will make you feel like it's 2003 all over again.

7. Medium Format

It's really just Hassleblad's 500 series, square ratio camera here. Made popular in the pages of TransWorld by Atiba Jefferson and every other skate photographer, medium format film and the Hasselblad brought new clarity and richness to skate photography never before seen on little 35mm chromes. After you find a kit, it's going to take some time to get results that look as good as Oliver Barton or Mike Blabac, but if you can even get close, those will be photos you'll love forever.

8. Toy Cameras

Cheap and tons of fun: Holgas and Dianas take medium format film and will give you some dreamy, ethereal images. Can't afford an XPan? Check out Horizon's Kompakt camera that shoots panoramic onto a curved film surface in the camera.

This article first appeared on TransWorld Skateboarding and was syndicated with permission.

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