Street Photography with the Nothing Phone 3a – A Surprising Companion (But I'm Still Team GR)
Street Photography with the Nothing Phone 3a
eSTUDIO studio warm lut
Street Photography with the Nothing Phone 3a
eSTUDIO studio warm lut
Street Photography with the Nothing Phone 3a
eSTUDIO studio warm lut
Street Photography with the Nothing Phone 3a
eSTUDIO studio warm lut
We took a walk around the streets with our studio’s warm LUR :) and decided to test out the Nothing Phone 3a’s camera in a casual street photography session. It's always fun to see what today’s mobile devices can do—and honestly, the phone didn’t disappoint… at least, not entirely.
At first glance, the AI HDR processing really makes your photos pop—on the phone screen, everything looks rich, detailed, and vibrant. It gives you that "wow" factor straight out of the gallery, which is great for quick sharing. But once we transferred the images to a color-calibrated computer monitor, the story changed. Over-sharpening, unnatural colors, and crushed shadows—things that were hidden by the tiny display—suddenly stood out.
Don’t get me wrong: the Nothing Phone 3a's camera is excellent for a smartphone in this price range. In fact, its image processing pipeline often produces files that feel close to RAW images processed in Lightroom. For those who don’t want to edit every photo but still want “that look,” it’s a solid performer.
But when it comes to comfort, control, and consistency, I still prefer my Ricoh GR. It’s faster to operate, has better ergonomics for shooting, and delivers RAW files that respond beautifully in post-production. For serious street photography or anything artistic, the GR gives me what I need—speed, sharpness, and true tonal control.
The Nothing Phone 3a? It’s a fun tool. Great for scouting, casual scenes, and posting to socials. It won’t replace my camera—but I’ll happily keep it in my pocket.
Want to see more behind the scenes from the street?
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